WELCOME

As I write this, I am sitting in my very nice living room, in a very expensive neighborhood of the very expensive city of New York. I am warm and dry and not currently under the threat of physical danger as far as I know. I have recently eaten a filling breakfast of entirely organic food, drank some of the best tap water in the world, which comes out freely when I turn on the faucet, and had some fair-trade coffee (made with that water), the cost of which didn’t phase me. I have all the clothes I need. I am in excellent health, have insurance, and see a therapist. I have a good computer and access to high speed internet. I carry no debt and save my anxiety for things other than money. I received an education from a reputable liberal arts college a couple decades ago. I have a diverse and wide-spread group of very cool friends. I walk through the United States as a citizen, projecting the semiotics of white, cis, non-disabled, neurotypical, petite-bodied, native English speaking, and facially symmetrical.

I start with this list, because all of the above contribute to privilege handed to me, in this country and many others, whether I like it or not. That, in turn, contributes to the conflict I feel in charging for access to my artwork and my writing. How do I ask for compensation for my labor, creative or otherwise, when I have already been given all the undue gifts this society has to offer?

(Well, y’know, except for having the nerve to be a woman. They don’t give gifts for that…)

But, I ain’t been in talk therapy for 17+ years for nothin’, and I can smell self doubt when it rears its scared little head. So I am deciding to push forward, declare that my thoughts and drawings contain value, and, as we are in a society which made up a thing called “money,” and we very vigorously agree to pretend it is real, then I will utilize this value system as well.

On this Substack, my Squiggle & Heart cartoons, as they continue to come out, will remain free for anyone to view, as I think they might be of a tiny bit of service to the world, as we all reckon with mental health. All other new artwork, and writing as it emerges, will exist behind the subscription paywall. I’m aiming for one article or drawing per week, some maybe more, some maybe less, we’ll see how things shake out.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.

Lynne