Day One: Carrying Your Comforts with You

The Comforts of Home

Greetings, friends.

     I know that I don't even have to say it that we are all living through some very strange times. That's not only an obvious but perhaps an understatement.  This virus didn't just affect a certain area of the world. It affects us all. There is not a single human life on this planet that it hasn't affected, and I feel helpless behind my windows, behind my desk or drafting table, inside these walls.  It feels so counterintuitive that the best way to help is to be absent; to do nothing. Stay inside. So, I stay inside.

     Normally staying inside really doesn't bother me (Hey-o Cancer Sun and all.) I'm reclusive and antisocial by nature. My room, my cave, my little treehouse in the city is usually the place I would rather be; scribbling away at whatever my mind imagines. It's normally my happy place, but it doesn't feel that way right now. It doesn't feel like a cage or a prison. I still am very ok with being in my space. I just can't help but feel so anxious about what is going on outside these walls. I can't help but wake up and look for the latest news of what is going on with this virus and the fallout created by this virus here in the state, but also the country and also all over this world. I can't help but feel sad for all of the people, of every age, dying from this; sad that someone's entire lifetime is diffused down into a simple number, a statistic. I get really emotional because each one of those numbers, steadily climbing every hour, was somebody's somebody, you know. They were somebody's child, somebody's parent, somebody's partner, somebody's companion, somebody's friend. And, just like *that* they are gone... forever.

     So, I feel helpless and anxious and scared behind these walls. I spend most of my time trying to consciously NOT think about what's going on outside. I'm not always successful at it. And I'm certain each and every one of you is going through some version of it.

     And let me just say this to anyone out there reading this that has just lost someone in their lives to this virus. My heart goes out to you. It truly does. I don't know who you are or where you are, but if I could hug you right now, I would. I would be a shoulder for you to cry on and I can sit there for as long as you need me to. cry as much as you need. For what that's worth, that is what I wish I could do for you. But, I'm afraid I can't give you a hug, even when you probably need it the most. 

     All of our lives have been interrupted in a lot of ways, and I know there are a lot of things we all miss from before this situation began; from before our lives so abruptly changed. But this is the thing I miss most about my life before: I miss hugs.  I know it's so simple a thing to miss but I miss it so much, already. I miss being able to hug the people I love without worrying that I might in someway be giving them something I can't take back. I'm not showing any symptoms, but without being tested, how do I know for certain that I'm not a carrier. Something I'm sure we all think about if we have to go outside to the store to get food. But, yeah, I miss hugs. My cats are getting probably an exponential increase in hugs. I'm not sure how they feel about that but they seem to be good sports about it.

     I'm sorry to be so heavy at the beginning of this post but I had to express these feelings. I made a happy looking Illustration, but feelings haven't really been too happy. They've been on edge, really. I know that everyone else's has as well. I just couldn't talk about this illustration and not talk about these other things that have weighed on my mind for weeks.

     I saw a post by one of the many artists I like to follow on IG (@meganpelto, a brilliant illustrator) about a fun daily illustration challenge for artists to work on to try and maybe get their minds focused on something other than the scary reality that has surrounded us all.  It is called #DrawFromADistance.

     Most of everything I have been working on has been portfolio work, which is important. Though, sometimes, I get tired of working within these strict planned out parameters of those projects that are already mapped out and being worked on. Sometimes I just need something "fun" and "light" that I can kinda throw together and not think so critically or hard about. Something I can just enjoy doing because I love to draw and create things that make me smile and maybe make others smile.  So I decided to take on the daily challenge.

     Now I am fortunate enough to, for now, be still working full time from home. So I have only been working on this in my spare time. It was a daily challenge but each "day" ends up being about a week for me to complete it, working on it around work, of course.

     Day One's Challenge is to illustrate an unexpected benefit of "lockdown." Something (s) that make you happy.  The same day I also saw some memes and posts about the very cute Giant Bunny Snail. I know you guys know what I'm talking about. lol. It's an Achatina Fulica otherwise known as a Giant African Snail. I'm like "Ewe" and "Awe" all at the same time, which gave me a headache. After some aspirin (because don't take ibuprofen right now, just in case,) I began to come up with a fun idea for my first illustration challenge. As previously stated, I'm a Cancer Sun. Its the zodiac sign associated with a Crab because most Cancers are very much all about their home,  being at home and having their peeps at home. We also enjoy cooking and feeding people. We are the cosmic mothers of the zodiac. So anyway the crab shell usually represents "home" and we live and carry it around with us...  But snails do also, and in that regard seem very Cancerian. In a way, I'm sure we all feel like we are carrying our home around with us. Everyone is apparently learning to be a Cancer, like it or not, A crab or a snail.

     So I thought I would draw myself as a snail carrying my home around with me.  At first, I thought just drawing the shell as a normal cookie-cutter kind of house and make the windows large and put my cats in them and maybe you can see other things in the windows that represent the things that make me happy, but I just wasn't feeling that.  Also, I live in an apartment building, not a house and I like the way the building looks. I thought it would be more fun to simplify and illustrate my little apartment building here in Brooklyn as my shell. A snail also feels right because I feel slow at times at getting things completed. Also, this pandemic and Quarantine/Self-Isolation has slowed everything down (except my mind and my feelings sometimes, obviously) So living at a snail's pace seemed like a good idea to have fun with. I'm sure I am not the only human in the world balancing the "slow" into their shells right now.

     I also wanted to think about not only the things that make me happy but also the things I am thankful for. With the rising death toll that I see every day, I try to make myself slow down and breathe and think about the things I am grateful for.  All of these things combined make up the Comforts of Home right now. I decided that I would illustrate all of my Comforts of Home as thought bubbles that the Me-Snail thinks about as it slides along the road of life right now. Things that keep him going, maybe. Since it is supposed to be fun, I figured I wouldn't get too "deep" with it. Keep it light. Keep it fun. I will admit it was quite a delight transforming myself into a snail. It was fun drawing my building.  It was therapeutic to list the things I am grateful for and grateful to be able to do during this time.  I enjoyed figuring out what all my Snail-Self thought about.

     I admit that working on this, this last week, made me smile. So thank you, @meganpelto, for posting it for other artists to challenge themselves and to slow down long enough to reflect on how they feel and where they are and what is positive about the situation. If you wish to join in on the art challenge or just want to see some amazing work, check out and follow her on IG.

     A bit of an aside:  Working on this project this past week has brought back some rather fond childhood memories of toys I used to play with.  As a child, I played with a variety of toys, regardless of their intended gender. I wasn't trying to be a trailblazer in gender-bending or pre-label-nonbinary. I really was just attracted to the toys that seemed the most imaginative and creative to me. I didn't care if they were "boy" or "girl" toys. I liked what I liked.  *shrug*  If there was a universe or a "world" that these toys supposedly resided in, the more that they appealed to me. So I loved playing with my mother's retro (metal skeleton) Barbie dolls, CareBears, Teddy Ruxpin, Strawberry Shortcake, Cabbage Patch Kids, Star Wars, I could keep going, but I'll spare you. lol. The toy that came most to mind this week was a collection of toy characters called Keypers.

They were animals that magically had a locking compartment that was built into them. They also traveled with a magical little muchkin pet-like creature. I had a few of them and they were among some of my favorite toys I ever had as a child. One of the characters was a pink snail, called Fancy. Her lockbox was her shell. You could keep whatever things kids care about (little treasures) inside of her shell and she would keep them safe for you. So it felt very similar to what I was illustrating this week. I was keeping myself and all the things I cared about "locked" inside my shell, like Fancy. It was pleasant to be reminded of it.  So what did Lewis lock inside his shell to carry around safe with him? Let's see...

Here is My List; My Comforts of Home.

THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR IN THIS VERY MOMENT:
I am thankful for...
1.) for My Health
2.) for the Health of my Friends and Family
3.) for Peanut Butter and Patriot, my very sweet hugable cats
4.) for the Healthcare Workers and All Other Workers out there risking their lives to keep the rest of us safe.
5.) for the food I have
6.) for a Roof over My Head
7.) for my ability to draw what I see in my mind and heart.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY USUALLY (When the world isn't in chaos)
1.) Creating (Art or Other)
2.) Movies
3.) Exercise
4.) Reading
5.) Writing (Blog Posts or Other)
6.) Learning More about Tarot and Astrology
7.) Getting Neglected Projects Done from Around the House
8.) Cooking (relaxes me)
9.) Playing Old Video Games

    I'm going to leave you with this very peaceful and calming tune.  I hope that you all out there are healthy and safe. Please stay inside. Doing nothing can do so much right now, even if it doesn't feel like it can. It does. Stay safe, friends. Stay Healthy.  I am sending out hugs and love to all of you, even if it's just a GIF. Hearts and Hugs.

Until next time, friends,

Keep dreaming, keep sketching, keep thinking, keep laughing and most important of all, 

keep making art.

Cheers,

LEWIS