During quarantine I stopped working on comics to focus 100% of my energy on teaching. I’m not sure what my comics will look like this year. I’m starting off with this silliness.
WHYY Interview /
WHYY interviewed one of my students about a photo project I’ve been working on. It’s been difficult creating art this year. I’ve never been very good at keeping a healthy work/life balance. This last year I’ve spent almost every free moment thinking about teaching, and trying to develop art lessons that students can do without materials and sometimes without even having a computer. No time for comics this year, and no students to eavesdrop on.
This has led to this photo project. I stole the idea from Kyle Cassidy who has been generous with helping me develop this into a little outdoor exhibit. The biggest thing he brought to this project was enthusiasm. My students, my staff, and myself are completely burned out. We have little energy left. His energy helped me make one more push before the end of the year. I’m glad we pulled this off.
Our Year Apart Together /
I have taken a break from drawing comics about students this year. It was a break that has been forced on me because of the COVID-19 lockdown. It’s difficult to draw comics about conversations with students when they stop happening. Our students did not respond well to virtual learning. They shut down by turning off their cameras and often only responding in the chat window of a ZOOM call.
This project is an attempt to address this distance that has developed between us.
