41 Things

for my 41 years

This past Tuesday was my birthday and to commemorate this special occasion, I thought I would share 41 of my current favorite things from my 41 years on this planet.

1. My absolute most favorite read this year has been This Time Tomorrow* by Emma Straub

2. But also really enjoyed My Best Friends Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

3. Pleasantly surprised at how much I loved Severance on Apple TV

4. Have found the Leuchtturm1917 to be my favorite for visual journaling and keeping all my deep thoughts and secrets in one place

5. Got a dog and I love him

6. Drew some adorable vehicles for the cutest board book coming out in December (pre-order and share some love)

7. And also drew some happy baby animal faces

8. Became an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago

9. Gave a live lecture at Columbia College Chicago that you can rewatch here

10. My mom moved down the street from us

11. Fell in love with graphic novels and cartooning

12. Wrote and illustrated two stories/book dummies and shared them with my agent (fingers crossed)

13. Took our first vacation to Savannah, Ga since the pandemic started. It was lovely

14. Started making a monthly #whatupdiarycomic thanks to @hagsville. Feels like a fabulous way to ease into drawing comics

15. Participated in #kidlistartpostcard hashtag on IG thanks for Gina Perry for starting

16. Supporting some good Pateron-ers; Lindsay Victoria Lee & Carrie Shryock have been my recent favs

17. Took a great class on starting a newsletter and uncovered a lot of stuff about myself. Learned what things were holding myself back in my business. And figured out what it is I wanted to share with all of you <3

18. I have always had a soft spot for Pamela Adlon (Grease 2 anyone? The voice of Bobby Hill!) and have been making my way through her show, Better Things - Can’t recommend enough

19. Season 2 Episode 10 is everything. The song has been on repeat in my studio everyday

20. My daughter turned double digits this year. How do I have a 10 year old?

21. Graduated from doing Physical Therapy for my hip (thanks to how i draw) and moved into doing Pilates, luckily no more pain

22. Purchased some really good Procreate brushes; Cute Japanese Brushes, Risograph Brushes & Textures, + Joe’s Brush Set 6, but I still go back to Procreate’s Dry Ink Brush

23. Discovered so many good new illustrators on IG; Corey Egbert, Fani Bela, Asahi Nagata, Lizzie Lomax, Louise Pretzel, + Lala Watkins

24. Saw BUG at the Steppenwolf Theater

25. Received my first royalty payment from my children’s books - if you know, you know, this is a big deal!

26. Top favorite picture books I bought and loved; The Flower Garden, Little Witch Hazel and To Make

27. Meditated every night thanks to Headspace App

28. Daily Qigong practice with Ksney, especially love the evening routines before bed

29. Listened to every episode of my favorite podcast; Ho Yeah! (it’s currently on hiatus and hope they come back)

30. Pre-ordered Drawing for Illustration, because it’s Martin Salisbury

31. Loved The Green Knight

32. By far one of my favorite pens to take notes with

33. Made a quilt for my cousins baby

34. Mentored Erin through SCBWI and loved the experience of sharing everything I know and helping her develop an amazing portfolio piece

35. Drew my most favorite drawing

36. Started this newsletter and am actually enjoying it

37. Purchased this print because I love it

38. My most played song on Spotify

39. This show gave me all the feels this year, it’s a favorite. I refuse to watch the American remake

40. Thankful for Slack and all the friends I get to chat with daily while quietly working away in the studio

41. If you see me this summer, I will most likely be wearing this tank top. Target for the win

Thank you for reading my fav 41! If you clicked the links and purchased, I don’t get anything in return, except through Bookshop.org, because they are amazing.

Enjoy the sun this weekend.

Best,

Denise