Comic Affirmations, 8-14

An exercise in simplified line and positive thinking, a daily affirmation comic for the 2024 100 Day Project.

Feb 25, 2024

I outlined the comic affirmations self-portrait project I am doing for the 2024 100 Day Project in this post. The first 7 are documented here.

8/100: I am worth knowing.

Comic self portrait affirmations day 8 I am worth knowing.

(Thoughts on day 8: This one is important for all of us. It needs more words, but I am going just for the heart of things in the panels. About the art: Had a lot of fun with this one. After it sat for many hours, I decided it might need a background. I experimented with that, and I ended up a bit torn. I like it both ways, but I am drawn to this starkness. I am leaving it flat (no background) in the one posted, but I think I’ll show some of the “alternate” versions later. I experiment a lot with color, too, so I often have variations. (I don’t want to put them in full-size.).)

9/100: I am finding my way.

(Thoughts on day 9: At face value, this one seems simple. But it brings everything I stumble over with affirmations rushing to the surface. My instinct is to say something like “I will find my way.” But I am deliberately playing with the present tense structure of affirmations. Saying statements I know to be untrue makes me squirm, but that is the point of many affirmations: saying something you hope or want to be true and saying it enough times that you convince yourself it is true (and in the process begin doing whatever is involved in the statement being true). Saying, “I am paralyzed with fear and don’t know how to do this on my own” would be more accurate, but not an affirmation. “I am finding my way.” I know this is an affirmation for the next stage, and I know it is something I doubt and fear. I am not sure I will be able to find my way. I thought a lot about these words and variations of them. Some of the variations I was most drawn to are ones I set aside because they will fit different art better. About the art: this project has many things built in that I am grappling with and thinking about each day in terms of the “character.” Leaving a flat background had the starkness that I appreciate about what I am doing, but I played with putting in some semblance of a path. I tried at least a half dozen times to put in this winding line. Each worked in different ways. Thick. Thin. Spiraling. Doubled. A simple line is easy to overthink. After settling on a background color and finishing, I took a look at it in white, and I think the white background may, in fact, work better. For me, this is the trap of digital, the ability to endlessly change, endlessly refine. Most times, it seems that any of a dozen options works equally well.)

10/100: I embrace the slow life.

10/100: I embrace a slow life. - daily comic affirmation

(Thoughts on day 10: It’s a watered down version of something, but it’s also a rock. No matter how exciting things look for other people, I am content with the contours of slow. It doesn’t mean I’m slow. A rare conversation with someone a few days ago makes me look at this piece from the outside, and I feel the need to make qualifications and explanations. (I am not doing that here, but I’m noting for myself that this is a line of thought.) I don’t know if I would have had this affirmation no matter what, or if circumstances led me here. This one isn’t hard, but is still a reminder, the quiet voice that sometimes is needed to tamp down worry and set aside wishes. When putting in the alt text for the image in this post, the fact that I used “the” slow life rather than “a” slow life really stopped me. I may need to change that. About the art: a few experiments today, some messy things that took a while to clean, some issues sorting out how to work with black clothing, some trouble with perspective (that I didn’t solve), and some play with eye placement and how they change the gaze, the tone, and possibly the interpretation. I didn’t decide which works better, but I kept flipping back and forth between versions.)

11/100: I stay true to my voice.

(Thoughts on day 11: I don’t have a game plan for these days. I don’t have a list of affirmations or a plan for the face beyond working to try a range of angles, since turning the head is in no way innate for me. Having no plan means I sit down each day and draw the character and then let the words rise. The first half of this affirmation was clear. But the second box balanced the space nicely, and I’ve been feeling that the affirmations need to be a bit more fleshed out. I tried a dozen or more second parts, all of them a bit different. Some of them made sense to me, but might not make sense to readers. Some of them diluted or distracted. A few words can contain the ocean and the forest and the silence and the cacophony all at once. Those are the words I’m trying to find. But in all variations, I do know (and hear) my voice…even as I encourage and celebrate the voices of others.)

12/100: TBD

(Thoughts on day 12: It’s going to just stay this way for now. I auditioned and vetoed a number of lines. I hate leaving it blank, but for the moment, it’s fine.)

13/100: I ask for help.

(Thoughts on day 13: keep in mind that affirmations reflect what we hope to be true.)

14/100: There is no single way.

(Thoughts on day 14: This is not something I need to remind myself, but it is a powerful core belief. I started simply wanting to reinforce appreciation of diversity. But I was trying to do something visually anti-cookie cutter. In a single panel, I didn’t get a fully layered statement in, but it was a good puzzle. About the art: as I am posting, I am second guessing and realizing a big problem. This held lots of pushing though. As exercises go, I am learning each day.)

Thanks for following along!

➡️ Days 1-7

➡️ Days 15-21

Feedback?

Feedback and comments make a difference in a project like this. I appreciate your comments.

More Information

I have written about the 100 Day Project, working in series, and affirmations several times recently. These posts contain some background on what I’m doing and how I think about this kind of project: