Hello, Hullabaloo-Makers!
Do you ever look back at your old work?
the moon’s reflection
illuminated pond and
our nocturnal tryst
Scars & Stars
My children wonder at my scars
and connect them like constellations.
These wounds chart my life, not the stars.
More mistakes than explanations
Artist Note
I haven’t written any new poems recently. The good news is that I have a big archive of previously written poems that have never been illustrated. However, today I was drawn to a poem that I previously published as one of my earliest comics, back when I was still figuring out my style, skill level, and purpose. It looked like this:
I remember when I made this. At the time, I knew it wasn’t good in the sense that it was very far away from what I saw in my mind, but I also remember feeling like this was a step closer. My first reaction is to cringe at this early work. But, when I stop taking myself so seriously, I can see this early piece for what it is, the best I could do at that time. And, it was a big leap forward. I can see how it got me closer to the types of comics you come here to read every day.
This is not to say that I think I’m a great artist, or even particularly good. But, the work I make now is closer to the images I see in my mind. I feel like every art form is about closing the gap between what you produce and what you imagine—although you can never completely close it.
You can tell that the concept is basically the same. The new art tells more of a story and looks more finished. You might also notice that I edited the haiku. I cut the adverb “softly” and rewrote the second line to read. “illuminated pond and”. The very first version of this haiku had a third line that read, “Our night garden tryst,” which felt awkward.
I still don’t know where this poetry comic journey will take me. I’m feeling more confident about the quality of my work, but I still struggle with how to pitch and market it effectively. There is not a huge demand for poetry comics in the marketplace (at least not yet), but I’m compelled to make these tiny pieces of art as a way to explore and celebrate wonder and awe.
Thank you for reading my comics and musings, having people to share this journey with makes life sweeter.
Be the poetry you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
P.S. Here are the links to the inaugural issue of Weirdoku, my monthly haiku comic zine:
As you can probably tell from my Substack, looking back is kind of my jam these days. Love this!
I loved this one too. It speaks to all of us.