Tag: comic

OTM #14: Reaction

katelynski 2 Comments

Happy almost-Halloween! I went to the theater to watch Perfect Blue with my friends last week, an old horror classic for animation nerds like myself. Every time I watch it, I’m profoundly affected; it so wonderfully blends reality and fantasy, its horror comes from its psychology. However, I think I was in a different mindset than the rest of the crowd. Several times throughout the film, people clapped, cheered; it was as if they’d seen the film millions of times and weren’t affected by it anymore. I was kind of shocked at this. I wasn’t mad by any means, but with such heavy subject matter, I wondered, how can they all be so cheerful right now? So when the lights came on at the film’s end, I sat there motionless, tears filling my eyes while the rest of the crowd happily moved on with their day.

This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this – an insanely different reaction than the rest of the theater – but with this particular film, it felt personal. I want to laugh at myself a bit more, to say, “stop taking it seriously!” But I am who I am. I guess in some ways I like to be profoundly affected by media. Hope you are all able to enjoy a good movie (perhaps a horror flick) this week!

A Day In Our Lives: Diag Squirrels

rissaw 4 Comments

Hello everyone! My name is Marissa. This is my first post of many to come, and I am so excited to share with you all! 

I think that the squirrels on the Diag are always a positive part of my day and I like to imagine their lives. This series will touch on a lot of different aspects of living on campus or in Ann Arbor but I wanted to start with these cuties! They are a huge part of the culture here on campus and everyone seems to love them. One time, I had a baby squirrel hop on my feet! I grew up here in Michigan and nature has always been a big part of my life. I love all of the fall colors here in Ann Arbor and I’m ready to see what else I can incorporate into my art. 

OTM #13: Nap

katelynski 2 Comments

I’ve been really burnt out lately. I think everyone has a little, it’s around the time for midterms, but I just want to sleep all day. My roommate’s cat and I have always gotten along well, but it seems like lately he’s been able to pick up on my feelings. Almost every morning, like clockwork, as soon as I open the door he runs in and crawls up on my bed. He lays square on my torso, and sleeps. Even if it’s just for a minute, it’s like he understands. It’s a great mood booster, a familiar warmth that makes me think, “I can make it through today.” So thank you, Haru, for bringing me a little comfort (even if you start biting at my hoodie’s drawstrings after a while). Hope you’re all able to find some comfort, maybe in the fall weather, maybe in a friend, maybe in a TV show. Whatever it is, have a great week!

OTM #12: Virtual Professionalism

katelynski Leave a comment

Hello, and welcome back to OTM! As of late, I’ve been trying to book an internship for this summer (a draining process in itself). But with Zoom interviews comes with Zoom etiquette, and I’ve been paranoid as of late that my fun, personal side is hindering my professional life. Every Zoom interview with every company brings a new layer of fear; will they say something about the amount of posters on my wall? But every time without fail my huge head covers them up, saving me from embarrassment. It’s times like these where I contemplate if I’m too cringeworthy at age twenty, but why should I stop decorating my room to my tastes just for some interviews? It’s mostly funny to me at this point, reminding me to loosen up a little. Be cringe (in moderation), and have a great week, everyone!

Round green shapes of varying sizes glow against the black background. The text reads, "Immersive."

Immersive #24: Self-Affirmations

Liana Leave a comment

A three panel comic drawn in a pink color scheme. The first panel contains two hands with one holding a pencil. The text reads, "I am worthy." The second panel contains the smiling face of a person with long hair. The text reads, "I am valid." The third panel depicts a close up of a woman's eyes. The text reads, "I am loved."

In a world that constantly demands our attention, it’s easy to invest all of our time and energy in things that give us superficial fulfillment. It’s through this economy of attention that we’re made to carry out choices that are detrimental to our health, both physically and/or mentally, and wear down our ability to make logical decisions. As a result, it’s important to stop lingering on things that are out of our control and focus on what we can control: our relationship with ourselves. We are the best investment that we can ever make throughout our entire life, and when you take care of yourself, you take care of everyone else around you by proxy. So just remember. You are worthy. You are valid. And, you certainly are loved.

Round green shapes of varying sizes glow against the black background. The text reads, "Immersive."

Immersive #23: Career Trajectory

Liana Leave a comment

A violet three panel comic. The first panel depicts an astronaut with the text "what do you want to be when you grow up?" The second panel is a silhouette of a girl looking through a telescope, and the text reads "what are you planning on majoring in." The third panel depicts a girl looking uncertain with text that reads "what are you going to do after graduation."

I admire the confidence in our younger selves to boldly declare a fantastical career path and follow through with it until one day it all sinks in and your vision for the future turns into uncertainty. What causes this shift in the way we imagine our future self? As we grow older, we have the opportunity to encounter new experiences and perspectives that shape how we navigate the world, which ultimately changes our values in life (even if it doesn’t seem clear to us in the moment) and how we see ourselves pursuing them through a career. Right now, I’d imagine many of us are in that uncertain state, whether that be in high school as someone thinking about college majors or in a late-stage career as someone having a mid-life crisis. We’re thinking about where the past has led us, a time where it seemed like we had everything put together, and how the future now looks so scary and out of our control in comparison with all these external expectations to have all the answers. But, it’s not. You’re the dreamer of your own life, and whatever you decide to do in the future will be absolutely fantastic.