So – 2020 was a real b*tch for most of us. I’ve struggled, I’ve been okay, and for many days I haven’t been okay. When lockdown first happened, I said to myself, “I’ve been working from home for a decade! I got this!” But this was no normal “work from home situation!” We couldn’t see friends. We couldn’t grab a drink and vent. We couldn’t plan a vacation. And the sadness and statistics in the world really got to me. Then in March, my mom received a terminal diagnosis and passed away this fall.
My headspace for most of the year hasn’t been a positive one. And through all this, my heart was broken for everyone around the world who had it way worse than me. But now we’re nearing the end of the calendar year, and I’m starting to breathe a sigh of relief. I know that flipping the calendar won’t “fix everything,” but I do truly hope that it will help usher in a time of new hope and optimism.
This year of isolation has given me a LOT of thinking time. And for most of the year, I was not prolific at all. But at the end of November, I took all my thoughts and feelings and created the “Everybody Say Love” series. Through the struggles of 2020 and processing my mother’s passing, the only thing I keep circling back to is “love.” All we have in this world is love and the connections we make.
This series is a collection of these thoughts on love and loneliness. Presently I am the most upbeat and optimistic that I’ve felt all year. I hope these illustrations find you in a similar place, and if not, I hope they help bring you a sense of hope and togetherness.
We are not alone and we will be okay.
See more of this series in my shop.
