Drawing 1000 Mugs

[Drawing of a galaxy patterned mug of coffee on a black background. Caption: “I’m working on it. And on that. And on that other thing and on that other other thing... It’s a lot and it feels overwhelming sometimes. But I don’t have to do it all at once. I’m going at my own pace and that’s okay. I can do this.”]

[Drawing of a mug, leaves, and a notebook on a table. On the cover of the book, it says “Feeling paused, suspended in time, my career going nowhere, my life going nowhere, but life doesn’t have to go anywhere, my career isn’t over yet, my progress isn’t over yet, and my life isn’t over yet.”]

[Drawing of a mug with purple and blue mushrooms drawn on it. Caption: “My thoughts alternate between screaming over each other and abandoning me entirely. It’s like someone is turning my mind on and off and on and off again, but even when it’s on, it’s full of static. Working feels impossible. Thinking feelings impossible. Existing feels impossible. But it will pass. It always does. I will think clearly again. I will work easily again. I will exist easily again.”]

[Drawing of a red mug of coffee with black and white abstract doodles on it. Caption: “I can’t tell if I’m getting stronger or just more distant from my own emotions. Either way, I’m trying really hard, I’m still a caring person, and I can get through this and come out of it as the person I want to be.”]

[Drawing of a coffee mug with flowers drawn on it. The mug is on a stack of books. On the spines of the books, it says “I would much prefer to be doing amazing work and making quick progress on all my goals, but given everything going on, most days I’m just proud I did anything at all. Even on the days I don’t manage much, I’m still getting through the day and that’s good too.”]

[Drawing of candles, a cup of coffee, a pot of flowers, and a gourd. Caption: “It’s okay to be hurt and angry about people not taking the pandemic seriously. You don’t have to pretend something is okay when it’s not. But those aren’t the only people in the world. Plenty of people are taking it seriously and making sacrifices to protect others. The world is never all bad. The good things we do matter.”]

[Drawing of a coffee mug with leaves drawn next to a pen and a notebook on a blanket. Caption: “Years from now, I’ll likely read these journal entries with horror. ‘How was my mental health so bad? How did I keep going?’ I’ll wonder. That’s okay because it will mean I feel better. And I will feel better eventually. But for now, I simply keep going.”]

[Drawing of a hand holding a mug. Caption: “As people change how they celebrate special events in light of the pandemic, I find myself thinking of those of us who already had to change how we celebrate because of things like illness, poverty, loss, and abuse. I’m so proud of us. We did great.”]

[Drawing of a mug of hot chocolate with a cake, a giftbag, a party hat, a candle, and streamers drawn on it. Caption: “Happy birthday! I know it feels really weird to think of something as normal as a birthday while what’s going on in the world is so far from normal, but you’ll always be worth celebrating.”]

[Drawing of a mug of apple cider. There is a cat on two pumpkins outside drawn on the mug. Caption: “My family is convinced that my depression is because I read the news too much. ‘You just need to turn off your phone’ is my new personal version of ‘you just need to do yoga.’ Like yoga, taking breaks from the news is good for me, but I can decide for myself when and how much I do these things. Just because I have depression doesn’t mean I don’t take care of myself.”]

[Drawing of an under-the-sea themed coffee mug with a jellyfish, seaweeds and shells drawn on it. Caption: “I can’t keep up with everything going on in the world. I do my best. I follow the news. I read widely. I listen to people’s stories. But the world is big. There is always more to learn. This doesn’t make me a failure. It doesn’t mean I’m not doing enough. I’ll never be able to keep up with everything, but I do what I can. That’s enough. It’s always been.”]

[Drawing of a mug of coffee with a cat on it. The cat’s tail is the handle. Caption: “I think of the current state of my mental health and I feel so disappointed in how I’m doing. Then I think of everything that happened this year, and I just feel so grateful to be alive. I’m doing my best and my mental health will get better as I work on it. That’s enough.”]

[Drawing of a blue coffee mug with yellow red and orange leaves on it. Caption: “Everything about how I’m getting through this year is clumsy. I keep bumping my head on life, but I also keep going, and I’ll get through the year.”]

[Drawing of an opened journal next to mini pumpkins, a blue and red plaid patterned mug, and two blue pens. Caption: “Lately it’s hard to care about the future of my career. I’m much more concerned about the future of the world. But my goals, including my career goals, are part of how I exist in this world. I have a future too, and it’s my responsibility to take care of it. My goals still matter to me, even if it’s hard to feel that way right now, so working for them is still important.”]

[Drawing of a mug with a drawing of a cat sleeping by a window showing the branches of a tree with red and yellow leaves on it. Caption: “I’ve never been great at taking breaks, but recently I’ve become actually terrified of taking breaks. I consider taking a day off, then I think ‘What if something terrible happens tomorrow and it crushes me and I can’t do anything then? I should do everything today.’ But I can’t do everything in one day. It’s not possible. And breaks are important. I’ll just have to handle tomorrow when it comes. I can do this. I’ll be okay.”]

[Drawing of a mug with a tree with orange leaves drawn on it. Caption: “When I don’t take someone’s health advice, it’s not because I’m not willing to do what it takes to be okay. It’s because I’ve been managing my health for a long time, and most suggestions are either things I already know don’t work for me or things I already do.”]

[Drawing of a purple mug of coffee with white ghosts drawn on it. There’s a green background, and caption that says “I’m so grateful for people who let me express myself without asking me to justify every single thing I feel. Often this year, I didn’t have enough energy to explain all the reasons I was hurting. Being able to say “I’m not okay.” without having to explain all the reasons why made it so I didn’t have to go through it all alone. Thank you.”]