Radical self-acceptance
Happy new year! Have you made any resolutions this year that you’ve managed or failed to keep? I’d love to hear from you – my holiday season emails are thoroughly boring and consist entirely of big companies trying to sell me more stuff.
I really like the concept of “radical self-love” but mostly it’s enough for me to go through the day not imagining committing harakiri over some domestic, social or artistic shortcoming. And making comics is always a battle of self-acceptance for me too. I start off, it looks like shit; I keep going in the hope that it will improve; by the time I’ve finished it’s found a shape and it’s good enough – not great – but I will accept it. I think it’s almost impossible to gauge the value of something whilst you’re working on it – that only comes in retrospect.
My other resolution, which I suspect is more achievable, is to start on a new major project – but I’m holding out until the kids go back to school until I start that. A new novel? A graphic novel? A kids’ comic? A serial I blog here? I still have to decide…
LET ME BE FRANK 
this is so great ….thanks.
i have been working on radical self acceptance for many years. it is an unending process. It is a daily grind, especially if we have a heart, a brain, some compassion, and some sensitivity to life. HAPPY NEW YEAR.
ps your very cool paintings look a lot like my story boards…for video.
Have a great new year. and beyond.
EVAN E> Odessa, ITHACA, NY
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Hope you have a v. good year. There are a few things I want to have a crack at. I’ve kicked my cellphone out of bedroom. It was my alarm clock, but way too many times I’d wake up and surf Twitter & look at Go Fug Yourself. So know I have an old school alarm clock.
I also bought a big A4 diary and am going to write a little episode every day. Pretty inspired by you and Ashleigh Young.
That is a really good idea! I want to start keeping a proper journal too because my memory is so bad these days!! Let me know how you go.
I’m currently trying the drawing a day kick. Nearly fell off the bandwagon today, but saved at the last minute. I love your “radical
Self acceptance sketch (oops must have hit the wrong button there. I sleep better now the devices get charged in the loungeroom!
I’m aiming for this too (radical self-acceptance…and trying to get rid of the self-hatred)! Thanks for this comic to help me along! I will be blogging about it soon…
I’m in love with the face in the second to last panel.
Sarah my kids gave me Mansfield and Me for Christmas and i read it in your old room. Hope that creeped you out a bit 😂😂😂 Merry Belated Christmas and best wishes to you for a wonderful new year, stuff resolutions with a fat one and change with the seasons xxx
Emilee
Haha that is weird! I did draw a few scenes set in that house too, even some set in that bedroom! xxx Happy new year to you too!
I don’t make resolutions. I think of things I want to try in the new year. Then I try; I fail. I try again. Maybe with a little less failing the second, third, or fourth time. Or I give up and try something else. Every day is a process of trying.
I practice self-love/self-loathing/self-acceptance every day. The love/loathing/accepting part of the self seems to be a constantly fluctuating thing. Sometimes, I wonder about people living hundreds and thousands of years ago – did they have these issues with the self? Or were they too busy trying to stay alive each day?
One thing I’m trying this year is to write down one idea every day for the month of January. It can be an idea for a picture book, a story, a novel, a poem. I have a dedicated notebook for the ideas. Then, at the end of the month, we’ll see.
I like Donna’s idea of not using my cell phone as an alarm clock.
Happy New Year full of possibilities!
Sarah, thank you for your posts. I love them and they always get me thinking or bring a laugh to my day.
Regards Susan
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Your posts are so full of reality, it’s what keeps me reading them. Love it. The only successful New Year’s resolution I’ve ever made was to make the bed every day for a year. Well it wasn’t a 100% hit rate but pretty good. I aim low 😀