Right now we’re in this season of two opposing yet complementary demands—a season of celebration and reflection. Your outer world and inner world are demanding more of you right now. They are demanding more time with friends and family, more planning, more thoughtfulness, more looking back at the year, more everything. For me, both celebrating and reflecting feel incredibly necessary and a little challenging right now. Maybe it’s just too much all at once. Maybe it’s that 2022 was a tough year for a lot of people I love. Maybe it’s always a flurry of good and bad, and I just feel it more acutely this year.
Sometimes your body forces you to take a break! So many people I know are sick right now—whether it’s Influenza A or COVID, the uptick has been notable and disruptive to people’s holiday plans! If you’re in this boat, perhaps you’ve found yourself spending more time in captivity lately.
I originally wrote this during the midst of lockdown in 2020, but only recently turned it into a zine. Here’s the original lines and artwork I made to go with it.
Cultivate your inner world
and you’ll be free
even in captivity
There’s a lot of ways to feel captive. Health issues, finances, grieving, traveling (think: airport, multi-hour flights, liminal spaces), not being able to travel, relationships, lack of relationships… And that’s when your inner world becomes even more important. Your inner world can be an oasis to sort out what matters to you and enjoy what makes you feel most alive.
Here’s the new zine version. I also created a letter-size print. Paid subscribers will have access to download printable versions at the end of this newsletter!
And here is the one-page comic version. I made some tweaks to serve the one-page layout, and leaned more heavily on the black backgrounds to frame up the panels.
It’s important to mention that one’s inner world can also be a scary place when dealing with something deeply difficult. I recently finished the graphic memoir “Blossoms and Bones” by Kim Krans. It is beautifully drawn, incredibly raw, and perhaps one of the most abstract and honest books I’ve read about recovery. In it, Krans dives into her inner world to battle an eating disorder, unravels the reasons behind it, and finds a path to healing. I highly recommend it to anyone who is dealing with, or has dealt with, an eating disorder, substance use, or other trauma. I also recommend it if, like me, you’re really into beautifully illustrated memoirs. It showcases the importance of maintaining the health of your inner world and how it can manifest in your outer world.
I particularly enjoyed the pages where Krans illustrated her prayers. Her “Prayer for Life on Earth and The World Wide Web (aka, the Spider’s Prayer)” is my favorite.
Tangled or tattered, precise or perfect,
here I am in the web of my life.
I am not trapped by it.
I am the maker of it.
And when the morning wind has its way,
my task will be to weave again.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for being here! It truly means the world to me. I hope you’re taking care of yourself as best you can this season. In case you missed it, last week I wrote about embracing the mantra Less Hustle, More Naps. If you’re feeling a bit burned out, it might be a nice reminder.
Looking for a last-minute gift? What about a gift subscription to my newsletter?! Paid subscribers receive this weekly newsletter along with Print Club benefits. That means you not only get the story behind the art, you also get to download printable versions of zines or art prints each week!
This week I’m sharing “Inner World” as a printable zine and a one-page comic!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Art Oasis with Sheri Roloff to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.