The weekend I’d been dreaming of for months! The one week my friends took off from their busy work lives! Ruined! Or was it? I was determined not to get us down. What could we do about it anyway?

Their 3 1/2 year old son had had an even tougher week. Hampered by a toe injury a few days prior, he couldn’t do much. And he was antsy. A plan started to come together. Julian showed an extreme interest in the color purple. He also wanted to talk ad nauseam about how to mix different colors. Our mission was clear. All they had in the house was a purple pen, so while we waited for the craft store to open, I took out my pouch of art supplies and we started going to town.

Julian was a natural. I was jealous of his confidence. He was a modernist, engaging with the materials in an elemental manner. He knew what color needed to go where and attacked the paper with abandon. I now understand what people mean when they look at abstract art and say “my 4 year old could do this.” Because they are pure, joyful, and unencumbered by all the doubts and questions most adults have when we put our pen to paper.

He was also dedicated. Two minutes into my first cup of coffee and I was being requested, “Em-a-wee, we need to DRAW!”

I found myself embarrassed of my doodles next to his. I tried to loosen up, curling around his lines and loosening my grip on what drawing needs to be. It was hard. mostly I just drew cartoon animals.

It was at the end of the second rainy day that we had an idea: We should put up all the art on the wall, we should invite the cousins and grandparents over, we should have a gallery opening and it should be right now! We should serve wine and cheese!

We taught Julian about the importance of the artist statement. He spouted letters in random order until landing on “All of the parties can you connect together, because the only party is the family party”. Period.

Doing art with Julian was like watching some of the lessons I’ve been trying to teach myself in action. A much needed reminder at end of summer when the year speeds up and pressure starts to mount. Loosen up. Commit. Trust your gut. Always do the thing (and do it now). The whole thing is verrrry DILLIGAF. I’m still working on all of it and getting better every day, then worse, then better again.

Thanks for reading!

xo

Emily

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Actually though, we did have the best time. It felt rare and special to be with the four of us with no real agenda. I drew constantly, channeling my grandfather.

I’m late to my regular(ish) substack because I am loving being more unplugged. Maybe its just autumn ease, dilligaf summer fully taking hold of my soul, or perhaps the brick really was the best $32 I’ve ever spent, because I’m definitely less inclined towards content. Possible career be damned!

It is interesting bringing a sketchbook and using different drawing utensils throughout a weekend. The medium is the message they say, and my medium always dictates my style. But I also tried intentionally gaining control of my graphite and drawing in a more cartoony style. It’s still my voice, but looser and a bit sillier. Closer to how I feel most of the time. And here’s to my parents for being such good sports!

Hope you’re all unplugging, spending time with given and chosen fams, and enjoying the (not last because we still have a month) summer days. But also magically reading and loving this post!

Xo,

Emily

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No shade to men really, I’m just not in the mood to put energy into anything that doesn’t feel easy and enriching and fun.

Here are some other things that have brought me more joy than first dates this summer:

1. The beach and the people at it:

2. Flowers - in vases and gardens

3. Weekends with friends, phone breaks by the fire

4. Drawing People on the Subway (always)

5. Parties for no reason, making artisanal Jell-o shots

   

   6.The Peter Hujar contact page show and John Ashbury’s niki de saint phalle at the Morgan Library:

   

   

   7. The best soft serve ice cream that I’ve ever had

8. Making even more new friends by drawing cute pictures of them at my other new friend’s store. (ps hire me for your next event)

9. Vintage French Silk Slips as Dresses

10. Dancing, still. At home, on the street, but mostly with to Madonna:

    I love dancing so much that I’m working on a new dance-related apparel project…stay tuned for that. I told you I was bringing it all together….

I want to know what has been bringing you joy this summer! What are we wearing what are we making what are we dancing to? Drop in the comments :)

Thanks as always for reading! Please share

xo,

Emily

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But first, *here it is* on the brand new Lit Mag called IN REVIEW MAGAZINE: https://www.inreviewmagazine.com/articles/deep-listening

How did this come to be? Really it’s a lesson in what I’ve been telling you all the long: Always Do the Thing.

I was approached in February by my editor (a phrase I’ve always wanted to say) Jensen after we took ’s Graphic Memoir class at SVA to make a piece for the new mag they were editing, In Review. The magazine is all about criticism and how we reflect and respond to pieces of work. I had just responded strongly to a piece of work that I was dying to draw out, so the timing was perfect.

So, now that i’m extremely established and famous1 I will break down all the steps of my (untrained, learned by doing) process of:

HOW TO MAKE A COMIC

1. You have to experience. Live life, say yes, always do the thing. But while you’re doing it you have to also have a second track in your mind about how you could draw everything you’re feeling under the surface.

2. Try to draw what you can on site. For me this was hard because it was dark but I got this in before the lights went down:

   

   3. Before it all slips away into the folds of your brain, jot down a bunch of notes and quotes and sketches. I like to do this in the morning when I’m fresh or at night when I’m too tired to overthink.

   

   4. Map out the words, pacing, and rough action. I use illustrator because it’s what I’m most comfortable in, then print and edit by hand. My millennial visual brain can’t think without a piece of paper.

   

   5. Pencils: Sketch more of an exact drawing of what will go in the panel with edited text from step 4. At this point I also check in with my editor to confirm we like the story before I go further. They have great suggestions and I edit accordingly.

   

   6. Inks: Make it official, however you are comfortable. I could use my iPad but I just prefer the look of hand! I use this pen on this paper and trace over my pencils with a light box. I also hand write all the text because I haven’t made a good font yet and maybe never will.

7. Add depth: This could be color, ink, or more line texture. First you gotta get it all laid out. I scan it all and separately scan panel boxes, this part is so boring to describe but satisfying to do. For this piece, I did go ahead and fire up the iPad to finish it up. I used Procreate and added greyscale values under my line art.

   

8. This isn’t an official step but I have to mention that at every step I check in with my Comics Mentorship group led my my favorite cartoonist through SAW. How lucky am i?? I cannot work in a vacuum and Vanessa and the group are so helpful to talk through ideas with every week.

9. E Voila! A Comic is Born. Last step was to show it to the guy I was going out with and make sure he didn’t feel really weird which he didn’t but then he sort of broke up with me a few weeks later so who’s to say!

   

   ---

We’re going omnichannel: ICYMI My friend Sara and I have challenged each other to learn how to make reels and it turns out it’s really fun?

That’s it for this week! Thanks for reading :)

Xo

Emily

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New stat based on the fact that I went to the fabulous Substack event for the launch of Avery Trufelman () and ‘s new podcast at Grand Central Oyster Bar and had not 1 but 2 fans at the event!

Thanks to for the invite even though you confused me with another fabulous blonde curly girl :)

Not to mention the fact that the podcast that dives into canonical fashion essays is this Brown University Modern Culture and Media with a speciality in Fashion Theory Grad’s wet dream:

Articles Of Interest

Philosophy Club: Bernard Mandeville

I’m so excited to announce that I’m launching a new series with none other than Derek Guy- one of my favorite minds in fashion…

Listen now

a month ago · 154 likes · 3 comments · Articles Of Interest and Derek Guy

It’s nice to have friends and family who see you and love all of your idiosyncrasies. This is just who I am! Bumps and all. Until I get them removed.

Because if there’s anything I’ve learned from seasons upon seasons of Drag Race, “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love anyone else??”

Speaking of loving my idiosyncrasies, I’m doing my best at various summer events to own my hybrid career or what is becoming of it.

And now speaking of loving somebody else, I brought my signature baby quilt to my friend Roxanne this weekend, due in a month.

I call them MIMI BLANKETS because that is my Auntie name (see above bump-curious niece ). I make them for most of my friends’ babies who I’m not painting murals for. Mostly out of love but also because it’s fun for me. Here are some more now at the homes of various children:

I pour over the colors and pattern combinations until I find the right balance, a similar process to how I make color palettes for drawings or design entire fashion collections.

My inspiration for the quilt design came from the Swiss Modernist artist Sophie Tauber-Arp, who’s retrospective I attended at the Tate Modern in 2021 (it then went to MoMa). I was entranced by her use of craft as art and her innovation within so-called feminine practices. She was a multidisciplinary extraordinaire, employing her talents to make everything from embroideries, drawings, costumes, and paintings, to interior design and accessories.

I wonder how Sophie described her work to people at parties... Did she ever feel complicated or self conscious, or did she just own it and say I’m an artist and I do all these things: love me or leave me!

Thanks for reading,

Xo,

Emily

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What things do you all have going on? I’m also excited for my internet friends! Let’s lift the tide even higher so I can reach something new…

New York summer vibes are going strong. Sofia and I went sketching and natural wine sipping at Entre Nous, I boldly went on a third date to a birthday picnic, and Sal found his bliss at Valentino Pier in Red Hook.

I leave you with this possibly comforting or not comforting thought:

PS - ICYMI Dilligaf Girl Summer is catching on:

Thanks for reading!

Xo

Emily

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In my past year of creative exploration, I’ve gotten stressed thinking of my illustration and comics work as separate from the part of me that has been fashion designer for 15 years. I know I love to draw people and what they’re wearing, but I wanted more of a connection between my past and present self, so I could go forward doing it all without feeling so fragmented.

But the goal of the year is to BE about it, not TALK about it. So I’ve just been doing both and trusting (usually, sometimes) that it will come together.

As you’ve heard me say over and over, my intention with this newsletter and my artistic practice overall has been to find my voice, use that process to understand more about who I am, and then communicate it to connect with others.

And that’s just like finding your style with clothing. That’s it! That’s my unlock: Finding your artistic voice and finding your personal style are the same quest, and I care deeply about both.

I’ve always been the person my friends text from the dressing room, the resource for the perfect item for whatever the occasion, the girl who’s boyfriend shows up looking better then his friends ever thought possible. I love helping people curate their wardrobes (or brands curate their line) to meet the moment but with their own personalities.

How am I meeting this summer with my own personality you ask? I’ve determined my summer vibe, which I think everyone can and should embody in their own way:

To be clear, I don’t mean not care in the Gwyneth on her podcast sense, and certainly not in the Melania sense. I think it is cool to care about most things. And I do work mostly from home so I can get away with more. But I think there is just an air of there is so much chaos going on that looking classically “put-together” feels inauthentic. And exhausting. And boring and we need fun. A little je ne sais quoi if you will.

DILLIGAF summer can mean whatever you want. It is tiny little boys swimming shorts from with a vintage tee, or giant umbro shorts (world cup themed) with a super feminine top and a hiking hat. It is wearing the only orange and blue things you have for the Knicks and going with it. It’s throwing on a fun beaded necklace with any outfit. But its also wearing the sexiest dress you have for a drinks with a friend just because you feel like it.

And I’m not alone — this is what New Yorkers are doing all over town. How do you DILLGAF??

Happy Fathers day to all the dads and dad-like figures. I feel more complicated about these days than I used to because I know how hard they can be for a lot of people.

But I also feel really lucky that my dad happens to rock and for all the time I get to spend with him.

He is the original DILLIGAF-er. First of all, he wears exclusively Snoopy and Beatles merch. But more importantly, he goes all in on what he does and, as my aunt once said with admiration, “He’s not afraid to suck.” He puts himself out there before he’s mastered something, and keeps working until he does. A few years ago, he picked the trumpet back up after decades of dust-gathering.

He practices for 4 hours in the wee hours of the morning, is in multiple community bands, and has his own ensemble: Fish and the Cats.

We celebrated that last night at his 2nd annual Jazz Garden Party at my parents place in Chicago. These cats can really swing daddy-o!

Inspiration is everywhere, even your own literal backyard :)

Happy Solstice!

Xo

Emily

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This summer, I’m intentionally staying more-or-less put. Grounding myself in more of a physical sense. We’re doing east coast: lobster rolls, tennis, Coney Island, and 2 hour drives in my CX-5. What is the song of the summer going to be?? Might I suggest Peaches and Herb?

Part of that means committing to my art practice by sharing a studio with one of my oldest, dearest, most talented friends Alex Schmidt.

It’s so fun to say I’m going to “my studio”, but it also feels very imposter syndrome.

I’m practicing flipping thoughts upside down in my brain when they come. So I’m instead telling myself I have lots of important projects to work on that the world needs to see and I absolutely must have a dedicated space for them. Fake it ‘til you make it!

To prove this to you, here’s a comic I did this fall as part of my larger project about finding yourself while dating and grieving:

Other updates: continues to give me life, I’ve started the sisyphean task of watching Love Island USA season 8, and I got cupping for the first time and it was heart shaped. Love is in the air……

Go Knicks!

Xo,

Emily

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While in Providence, I also visited my friend Nick Carter’s studio. He was one of two Nick Carters in our class. He’s also a very talented artist. Not sure what happened to the other one. Nick hand dyes fabric and spools of thread and iterates on his processes of mixing the two.

Thanks for reading! Here’s to the next 15 :)

Emily

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Last month I planned a 2 week LA/NY house swap with a friend from college. At the last minute, I panicked, overwhelmed with the logistics and idle time I’d have in yet another large city filled with people doing important things.

Not wanting to back out of the swap, I decided instead to take myself on a writers retreat at my favorite place on earth: my grandparents’ house in Lake Forest, Illinois. My Papa Guy designed and built the house in the early 80’s. It is midwestern midcentury modern at its finest, from the furniture to the open space to the wall-to-wall cream carpeting for which I ferociously washed my dog 4x/day to preserve.

My grandmother mostly lives downtown now, so the house sits uninhabited, waiting for me to go to there find creative nirvana. Family talk of selling may also have fueled my sharp pivot to communing with it for as long as possible.

I traveled heavy, loading my mom’s prius with bags of groceries, printer, scanner, lightbox, sketchbooks from the past 12 months, dog bed, overalls, sweatshirts, Danskos.

It was worth it. I spread out all over the floor, sat at my grandfather’s giant desk, and took breaks in the forest preserve. My mom and cousin joined for a separate nights, infusing new energy and taking me to the suburban Sephora just when I needed a boost.

TIPS FOR A SELF-LED WRITER’S RETREAT:

1. Make a schedule ahead of time, starting with warm-up prompts in the morning and ending with cool-downs in the evening. I looked to Tom Hart and Lynda Barry for guidance.

2. Prepare food before beginning that you can easily assemble. Then immediately let yourself go out to eat in the local town.

3. Set up a comfortable desk space with good lighting, enough outlets, and inspiring books and imagery around you.

4. Spread out as much as possible so you can see what you’re working with and what you still need.

-Get physical: Print outs, post-it notes, cut-and-paste, and written to-do lists will keep you on track.

5. Don’t expect to be productive every waking hour. Leave time for walking with your dog and trips to the local strip mall to clear your head.

6. Make sure you have all the necessary coffee supplies and enough to cover multiple cups per day.

7. Delete distracting apps from your phone and don’t under any circumstances redownload them before bed.

8. Dress comfortably but make sure you still feel cute for when the hunky garbage men come to take the trash.

9. Let the self doubt come and wash over you and keep going. Text a friend who believes in you when you need a boost. They can see what you cant.

10. Keep your expectations manageable. You might not produce a draft, but opening your brain to new ideas and questions is just as important.

11. Require dance breaks.

Next time I’m bringing other cartoonist chicas and we’ll really do it up… I can’t wait.

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This feels like a moment you’d want to know what the project is that I’m working on, but I hesitate to talk about it too much (too late for that anyway). Something I think talking about your dreams prevents you from being about them, but other times I think if I just keep talking about it as if it’s real then it will become so. Two schools of thought. I’ll just say that I’m working on a graphic memoir thats kind of HOW IT FEELS++. A collage of comics, writing, and diary entries about grief and living and trying to love again. Maybe it will be a book or maybe it’s just something that helps me right now. Either way it’s fun. Are we excited? I am. Most of the time.

Here’s a preview - a little sketch from last year that I inked on the retreat. I could make this a whole series let me tell you:

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The Kubler-Ross model’s 5 stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) has long been debunked. If you’ve experienced loss you probably know this already. They don’t happen in a particular order, to everyone, or all together, and there are a lot more feelings than five. In fact, it wasn’t even developed for the bereft; it was actually based on research of terminally ill patients.

That being said, two years later and I’m finally in my angry stage. My therapist told me to do kickboxing. Which I liked but then the MMA fighter said I had to commit to 3 days a week. She also told me to go to one of those rage rooms, like that scene in Office Space, but that seemed cheesy and expensive. She’s a good therapist I swear.

Instead I started painting what I’m calling Rage Flowers.

I jammed oil pastels and ink brushes into paper, creating a pipeline from inside to outside in the shape of a flower, something I’ve been idly doodling for decades. It felt good and I like what I made, which is enough for now. Long term effects remain to be seen. But it’s spring!

Last week I wrapped up the 10-week Risograph class I’ve been taking at SVA, led by Amanda Chung of Lucky Risograph. I originally took the class to print some comics, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my rage flowers when it came time for the final zine project. They felt kind of punk and urgent like a zine should be. Plus I wanted to play with Riso color.

I made 20 prints of my Rage Bouquet, an accordion pocket zine with leaflets hidden inside. Then I enlisted my talented friend Khyber Jones to do a photoshoot.

I have lofty goals of tabling with these at a small DIY zine fair. Reach for the moon and you’ll land amongst the stars…

I’ve also put a few up on my website for sale, along with a couple of my past zines: eerrff.studio. We’re in business!

Speaking of being obsessed and also in business…I even hand painted a Rage Bouquet tshirt and can’t stop wearing it. Comment below or shoot me a message if you’d want one and maybe I’ll make some more :)

Thanks as always for reading! Please share with anyone you think might want to join the Sad Mad Girls Club, our doors are unfortunately always open to new members!

xo,

Emily

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The tournament is a gathering cruciverbalists, organized by NYT puzzle editor Will Shortz and attended by 800+ competitors from around the country. There are 7 puzzles, ranging from moderate to extremely difficult.

It is a whole scene. The top competitors can finish a puzzle faster than you can write an A in every square. Games and puzzles go on into the wee hours of the night between rounds powered by drinks from the Marriott lobby bar. Players have fans called Cluepies (actually we made that up on the car ride there but it’s gaining traction). The nerds are in heaven. That includes me. A place where I can play boggle until midnight and flirt with smart boys all while giggling with my friends? E-D-E-N*.

*that’s a crossword joke

Puzzles are graded by time and accuracy. At the top levels, one wrong letter or missed square could bump you down a hundred places. Over in the lowest division, I was setting realistic expectations by just trying to beat two things: Roxanne, and my score from 2023.

While I did accomplish my personal goals (kind of, I placed 24 ranks higher than before but there were about that many more participants this year), the experience evoked a bigger theme for me in my New York life. I’m a participant soaking up the aura of the talent around me while not necessarily considering myself a tough contender. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough and I wish could plant in one singular community to know my place. Other times my cup runneth over with fun activities, new friends, and niche corners of humanity to draw.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for next year, when the tournament moves to Philly because it’s gotten so popular. You guys should come. We might even set up our own merch table. The people need more tote bags!

Xo

Emily

PS. If you want to know more about the tournament I recommend the 2006 doc Wordplay. Also my new friend did a great recap on his Substack featuring an ERF illustration. x ACPT = Collab of my dreams.

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A year ago, I went boldly where many many millennials had gone before me and sent my first newsletter into the world. I felt nauseated being so vulnerable and self-indulgent. But I had a nagging feeling that it would be worth it, whatever came of this, to set a deadline for myself and draw consistently until I found what I was looking for.

A year later, I was right! I haven’t found things I thought I wanted—job, boyfriend, book deal, rug for my living room—but I’ve found a lot of other better things! I’ve found friends who like to gossip while making comics and art, a means of grounding myself through uncertainty, and (the start of) my creative voice. And I’ve almost gotten over my fear of being cringe! That’s ongoing.

Thank you for all of your support. It takes a village of friends to edit me, collaborators to riff with, and people on the internet to encourage me because the work I’m doing means something to them. I can’t believe 800+ of you let me into your inboxes every week! That’s so cool. And I’m not even giving tips on anything or links to cute clothes! Although I maybe I’ll start…? One of you has even told me I’m the only newsletter you actually open which is truly the highest compliment of all because I am vain.

Here’s to another year! Please like and share if you like what I’ve been up to, and leave a comment or send me a message to let me know what you’ve been enjoying, what you want more of, anything else you want to hear about from me :)

Thanks as always for reading!

XO,

Emily

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My output has been focused on longer term projects, but I have taken in a lot of amazing art the the past 2 weeks that I must share. We’re so back!

The Whitney

Before the Biennial, my aunt and I (shoutout #auntfarm!) stopped on the 3rd floor at the recommendation of Assistant Curator and pal Roxanne Smith to see the Mabel Dwight show. She produced lithographs started at 52 (I’m early! a young 37!), made from sketches she would do in a hidden sketchbook around New York. I of course loved all the ferry and subway depictions. Mabel must have had to be extra sneaky because no one was absorbed into their phones…

The Biennial was rich and beautiful and tiring because it was so big. My favorite pieces had a femininity and “domestic keepsake energy” to them. Enter art critic mode:

Andie Dinkin In the Spirit World at Charles Moffat

If you’re in NY you must go see this show, up until April 25th. I caught the tail end of the buzzy opening and was drawn into the world of Andie and didnt want to leave.

It was the energy I wanted to bring into my birthday party the next night:

Outsider Art Fair

On my birthday, my friend Remy took me to the Outsider Art fair. Highly recommend going to this type of event on your birthday to remind you of of everything good in the world. It helped that the sun was out.

We especially loved all the Progressive Art Studios that are nonprofits that help artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities build and sustain their careers in the arts.

I was so overwhelmed I didn’t get all the artists names of things I took photos of! But the theme was definitely COLOR.

Marc by Sofia

I went with fellow in-taker and inspiring artist Bijou Karman to see the doc about Marc Jacobs at the Angelika. It was really fun and inspiring to see how someone can have such a strong throughline of inspiration in their career. Key takeaway: must watch more Bob Fosse movies.

Time to create! What have you all been intaking this month?

xo

Emily

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And happy mercury is out of retrograde day to all who celebrate!

xo

Emily

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Please dont @ me I know AI is so scary and we are all withering into blobs while the world melts! I am actively trying to not use it and engage my brain at all times but sometimes I just need to know my animal personality without knowing any facts about animals. Fact about me: Learning about animals was one of my new years resolutions. Unfortunately it turns out I am not a wombat. Fortunately, I am following who teaches me new fauna facts every day and if anyone wants to drop more in the comments I’d be so grateful!

xo

Emily

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This weekend was 2 years since Alex passed. On a yahrzeit, Jewish custom calls for reciting a mourning prayer, going to temple, and lighting a special candle that burns for 24 hours. It’s nice to have a ritual to mark what is a hard day to think about.

In texting with grief expert last week, she reminded me that memory is stored in the body, so even if you might not expect to feel weird leading up to an anniversary or another PSD (particularly sad day), your body will. She advised to reclaim the day with a ritual that feels right to me.

I don’t have customs yet but I know what feels better than other things. I did light a candle—his favorite soft boy Dyptique Feu De Bois—and spent time with my family. I thought about Alex, but mostly about everyone who has been there for me the past 2 years and tried to thank them.

My cousin Elly Fishman has been on the line for every up and down. She’s a journalist (check out her latest story in T Magazine) and listens to my every thought with her natural curiosity, empathy, and insight. I dedicate this post to her! Also it was her bday this weekend which prompted the trip and the crafting so thank you for being born :)

Thanks for reading!

xo

Emily

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We’re still going through it over here, but I think everyone is because that is just life. It’s comforting!

I’m back to drawing myself inside of a spiral. But if you can draw yourself in it then maybe you’re outside of it looking in? Isn’t that what zen is?

For the record, spirals also can look like this:

But I’m working on reversing the spiral direction. Why not spin it up? There’s a lot of good things going on too, mostly that I can’t yet show you but I promise they’re real. I finished a comic for my friends new lit mag, submitted my first batch of 9 cartoons to the New Yorker (pray for me!), and made a giant cabbage slaw to fight perma-bloat.

But the best thing I did this week, and possibly ever in my life is taking a Baby Girl-themed Father Figure dance class with the amazing Angela Trimbur. Because we already know that is the secret to a long life!

The class started with a soul-train style warm up, in which 40 women sexy-crawledin a single file line and cheered for each other. I was shaking before my turn as I watched girls who had definitely been here before slide down the columns, drop down to their knees, and flip their hair while doing splits across the floor. But I did it.

By the end of the class, I was feeling myself in ways I never had. I was body rolling and biting my lip and going for it. And I don’t even think I was the worst one not that it was a contest!

I’m definitely going back for the next class which I hear is Center Stage-themed. You will be hearing about it.

More dancing continued that night at a birthday party DJed by an actual Hot-97 DJ. Everyone was married but my girls and I had fun shutting it down and dancing like it was Homecoming 2004.

I can’t wait to show you more of what I’ve been working on! For now, a special treat for my paid subscribers…Footage of me at the dance class attempting to nail the choreo while also serving face. Enjoy!

Xo

Emily

PS. If you haven’t yet - check out my guest post on my friend ’s design newslettter from last week! It was so fun to use my design brain and also to have a real live editor, especially one as brilliant as her.

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Plus there’s brain rot and Trump and AI taking over everything like a sci-fi movie. Maybe that’s why it seemed like everyone was clinging Valentines day extra tightly this year. My gym had garlands and some kind of DJ mixer tequila sculpt, my dermatologist sent Valentine’s Day-branded botox promotional texts, and girls (me and my friends) flocked to a Wuthering Heights adaptation that left out everything but sex.

I don’t feel much for the holiday except a deep love of stationary. Alex and I used to just make baked Ziti at home and feed each other lactaid. I guess I did also feel a deep pang straight to my core of missing that.

I’d be remiss to leave out my reference sources courtesy of the Met Digital Collection:

I mostly just observed. My crush and I went to the local date night bar on Saturday to draw the scene.

Then on Sunday, I went as my brother’s last minute date to our friends’ wedding at Balthazar. I drew cartoons on the back of the table cards (made by the groom, Malcolm, a talented printmaker) and gave them to the couple when I left. Do I still need to get them a gift?

You too could have this at your wedding if you hire me to come and do it!

I’m also still drawing strangers and lovebirds on the subway:

I didn’t get that job. And I won’t talk about job hunting on Substack again because its too vulnerable but in a boring way. What I will say is that I have been spiraling hard about what to do with my life other than draw and make comics for all of you! And then making comics about that:

In my quest to learn and find my next step, I’ve been spreading my brain thin. Perhaps to diminishing returns. It feels like this:

Or maybe it will all come together in a magical way and it will all make sense…Find out next week :)

Thanks for reading!

Emily

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Thanks to and my art crushes for comix emotional support. And to my best friends for watching the Super Bowl Bad Bunny concert together. And to my dog Sal for being so cute. This is now an acceptance speech for the participation award. Thank you Substack! Thank you all!

BONUS COMIC… I thought it was LAST Sunday so I started and then was told it got pushed out a week. Here is a comic I made when my mom was in town for her birthday:

If you did hourly comics day too I’d love to see yours! Link them in the comments!

Xo

Emily

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