Probably because I treat it like a diary and I only ever write in my diary when I’m depressed— making it retroactively seem like I’m a big ‘ol sad sack

(I am only a medium sad sack).

But this past week,

biiiitttttccchhhhhhhh,

I thrived.

I visited the Bay Area, like I do, and my friend invited me to an impromptu figure drawing night with a group of silly weirdos in Oakland and it was so joyful.

I often tell people that figure drawing is my church.

I love the way it fosters reverence for the human form.

Every model is so different and it feels so healing to appreciate all of the ways that we are different.

My friend’s 8 year-old came to our house a couple weeks ago and he saw a framed piece of figure art and he immediately asked:

“Why do you have a drawing of a naked person on the wall??” As though a naked body is innately perverted or weird.

Our culture teaches us that nudity is innately sexual, but it’s not.

It’s just a person.

I told him that figure art is a practice to study the human form so you can get better at drawing. Also it’s just fun.

But one of the things I love most about figure drawing is that it’s basically never sexual. It almost explicitly trains your mind to decouple sex from human bodies.

I understand that there are many people who feel empowered through being sexualized, but I’ve always felt disempowered by the relentless objectification of women’s bodies.

Mostly because it’s someone else’s story about me and my body.

It’s an inescapable narrative that women’s bodies exist for the pleasure of men— that your body is not your own.

I’ve gotten the ick from these narratives and visuals as far back as I can remember.

It gives:

“I’m the main character, you’re background; I want, you give; I’m clever, you’re dumb; I’m special, you’re an object.”

It led to me distancing myself from girlhood and womanhood for years.

Now that I’m much older I’ve learned how to write my own story and make my experience of womanhood be whatever the fuck I want it to be (silly and androgynous).

Other than that I’m super excited to share that…

I did my third “Picture This!” performance at the Lyric Hyperion last Saturday for the Netflix is a Joke Fest!!!

I honestly don’t even remember doing the pose for this photo where I’m fangirling possibly too aggressively at Bob (no, I kid, he was extremely sweet, it was such an honor).

I also got to meet one of my heroes, Craig Bartlett— the creator of “Hey Arnold!”

I was very inspired by Helga Pataki’s ferality when I was in middle school.

She wasn’t pretty, she wasn’t nice, but she was secretly quite tender and saccharine — a rare gift of a funny and strange role model for a young girl in the 90’s.

I also got the absolute pleasure to draw live to Gianmarco Soresi’s stand-up set, which was unsurprisingly hilarious.

He kindly emailed me the word doc to his set in advance so I could practice ideas to it and I was laughing out loud so much to the text on it’s own, which doesn’t even include his priceless gesticulations.

I got to meet Pendleton Ward for the second time and he was as kind as always.

He even gave me a little Lumpy Space Princess voice without my asking, which made me VERY HAPPY!

My dad told me he was proud of me for doing this show because he knows I’m naturally shy and it led me to reflect on something important I’ve been learning more by the day.

I’m a big fan of memoirs and studying my heroes’ stories to learn how it is that they achieved their goals.

And something I keep hearing over and over again is that they never stop feeling scared.

Every time they step onto a stage or to put new art out into the world, they’re scared.

You never really stop feeling like an imposter to some degree.

The only difference between them and anybody else is that they just do it anyway.

I feel so lucky to get to meet so many of my heroes and that so many of them have proven kind (so far at least).

Nothing makes me happier than being surrounded by passionate, kind nerds.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Do you watch many live comedy shows?

• Who are your favorite stand-up comedians right now?

• Are you jealous that I met Bob the Drag Queen?

  • (you should be).

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Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• How do you deal with creative / writer’s block?

• I really did spew out of both ends out of seemingly nowhere. Wait sorry, this isn’t a question.

• Was this list as helpful as I assume it was?

• Should I talk about poop more or super more?

  • I’m still delirious, sry.

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Well, sort of.

One was spindling into a purgatory-type rejection for while.

Essentially I wrote and illustrated a book pitch a while ago that’s been turned down thus far by nearly every major imprint. It’s still floating out there in the submission void, but the momentum has slowed to what feels like a stand-still.

I sent my agent a very loose picture book idea, which he wasn’t really into and honestly I agree with all of his feedback, but I still had been working on it for weeks.

Then I submitted what I thought was a great humor piece to the New Yorker, where I foolishly expected an acceptance since I was so proud of it and…

You can probably guess where this is going.

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Rejection is all part of the process, but sometimes it can hit you like a sack of bricks.

I feel like I’ve been working so hard for so long with nothing to show for it and that can get pretty demoralizing.

I am very intent on publishing a book, so I jumped straight into a new book idea.

I like my core idea, but after plugging away at it for a full day I realized I actually needed a minute to sit with my rejections.

I try very hard to not let external validation rule my self-esteem, but sometimes you have to admit that you’re just a tiny little ape in a very big universe with evolved traits that push you toward embarrassing things like wanting attention (and money).

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It feels good to admit it though.

I keep forgetting I’m still working as a full-time mom most of the week too.

It’s hard for me to accept that I can’t be as productive in my art as I’d like to. I want to accept it and slow down, but (cliché alert) I feel so behind already.

WELL—

I would love to craft a beautiful, nuanced segue right now, but my child is demanding I fulfill my role as mother, as per the contract we both signed at birth.

Tata my buddies, I hope to chat with you all soon!

-E.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• What is your relationship with external validation?

• What is your relationship with rejection?

• Would anyone be willing to help me come up with a name for my subscribers?

  • Anytime I refer to you all I say dopey shit like, “buddies”.

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It’s Hourly Comics Day! Or at least it was when I typed this.

HCD is always a highly frantic day for cartoonists. And HCD 2026 was no exception! Please enjoy my fevered art and numerous mistakes.

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If S4B has brought you joy, if you find this space of artsy reflection comforting, if you value the work of small, independent artists— please consider going paid today!

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Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Are you a fan of Hourly Comics Day?

• Did you watch the Super Bowl / Halftime show?

  • Did you like the Halftime show?

• Have you listened to Bad Bunny’s music?

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I’ve been loving all the diary comics I’ve seen under the banner this month and I am juuustttt sneaking in under-the-wire with some of my own from the past 2 weeks.

My “Journuary” Comics:

^I started using smooth Bristol board for this last comic and the nib lines look way better. Who knew!? (A: everyone but me).

All of my art store visits continue to inspire me to play with my art supplies, so I made a protest sign to get out some frustration last week.

There’s so much to feel shitty about when it comes to the state of the U.S. right now, but one thing that brings me hope is seeing how hard Americans have been fighting back against this nightmare administration.

I know there is so much fight ahead of us, but it feels like we’re building the muscles of resistance right now. And in between all the fighting I hope that everyone can rest and process through both direct human connection and the power of art.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

<3, E.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• How have you been resisting?

  • Any tips or tricks for the rest of us?

• asdklfjals; my cat is putting her butthole in my face rn omg. CAT! STOP IT! I AM DOING SERIOUS WORK RIGHT NOW.

• Are my comics legible or is the text too small btw?

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( ’s Substack, “HALMAIL” has quickly become one of my favorite accounts on here. I highly recommend checking out her newsletter!)

Hallie's Substack, "HALMAIL"

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Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• When was the last time you joyfully made a huge fucking mess?

• Do any of y’all have designated art spaces for mess making?

  • I’d kind of kill for that right about now.

    • I just wanna go hog fuckin’ wild. I think we all deserve something like this right now with… everything. Sigh.

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Belle and Sebastian forever <3

If S4B has brought you joy, if you find this space of artsy reflection comforting, if you value the work of small, independent artists— please consider going paid today!

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OK, this is a bit of a non-sequitur, but:

I “need” to share my Storygraph Wrapped for 2025!

(If you still use Goodreads I highly recommend transferring your data over to Storygraph as Goodreads is owned by Amazon [boooo], so please come join me on Storygraph!)

And yes: My username is “2lazy2pee”.

Follow me! I’ll follow you back!

Books I Read in 2025:

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Have you watched any of these movies?

• Have you read any of these books?

• Do you have experience or opinions on SSRIs?

  • I know they help a lot of people and they’re all different, but I’m not loving this Lexapro.

• How do you feel about the New Year? Hopeful? Dread? “Eh”?

  • I feel surprisingly hopeful.

    • Maybe it’s the Lexapro? Maybe it’s Maybelline?

      • (It’s probably the cardio).

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Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• I was considering doing more diary comics like this. Does anyone have a preference for comics like this in contrast to the other writings I’ve been doing?

• How are we feeling about the upcoming holidays?

  • I know it’s not cool, but I’m totally into it. :D

• Do you feel ennui when you can’t make art?

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When I told people I was planning a trip to Maine I got a lot of confused looks.

Maybe it’s because I live in SoCal, making Maine seem like a distant trek for not much in specific, but I’ve always had a fantasy of Maine. I’m not sure why.

I just love me a coastal town— especially one with spooky weather.

Sometimes when I let myself go full fantasy-mode I pretend I’m a sea witch who lives along the Lost Coast of northern California. Every day is foggy and I stare out at the ocean, cross-legged for hours, just feeling the mist upon my skin.

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Maybe it’s my inner viking yearning for the fjords of my motherland.

OK, that last part was mostly a joke, but sometimes it feels quite real.

As I am wont in all my travels, I made a point to visit the city’s best bookstores and museums.

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Portland Museum of Art

Two pieces in particular made me teary-eyed at PMA.

1. “Mother and Child” (1922) by William Zorach

   The way these two desperately need one another breaks my heart. It’s so sweet, but it makes me feel so much pain for those who get separated from their families. The serenity on the child’s face and the way the mother buries hers into her child just shatters me.

   ---

   

2. “Migration” (2015) by Christopher Patch

   Christopher’s reverence and love for birds is so palpable in this piece. When I looked closely at the detail within each papier-mâché’d wing, it made me feel a powerful sense of beauty for both the artist and his subjects.

Honorable mention to Grace Hartigan’s lithograph art, which was deliciously textured and contrasted.

I adored staring into the deep, black brush strokes and blotches. It was very satisfying on a compositional level. Some of these pieces almost had a comics panel quality, which I obviously appreciated.

I know abstract art like this can be hard for some people to appreciate and that makes sense to me, because it wasn’t long ago that I felt the same way.

It’s very easy to look at something like this and think, “That’s dumb” or “My 4 year-old could do that.”

But art like this doesn’t exist to be easy or obvious. It invites you to ask to questions, to sit with discomfort, to wonder, to process your emotions, to inspire conversation.

What I personally enjoy about this piece is it’s base aesthetics and then just letting it wash over you like a Rorschach test.

We rarely give ourselves the space these days to sit with discomfort— to feel our bodies— to be present. And art like this will give you that. Art like this is medicine for our culture’s obsession with constant, hollow instant gratification.

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It’s an experience that can be hard to have through a screen. I highly recommend looking up your local art museums and giving yourself the gift of presence and reflection in person.

Art That Made Me Happy This Week

“In Bruges” (2008)

I recently re-watched one of my favorite movies, “In Bruges”: A dark comedy about two hit-men pressured into an unexpected holiday in Bruges as they await next steps for an event that is progressively revealed throughout the film.

Colin Farrell’s eyebrows alone deserved an Oscar.

(I struggled to find any clips or trailers that did this movie any justice without spoiling any hilarious one-liners, so this is all I’ve got for a taster below.)

I already loved this film, but watching it a second time revealed significantly greater metaphor than I originally noticed alongside so many perfectly concluded, thoughtful plot points that it left me reeling with wonder over Martin McDonagh’s writing process.

Clairo’s “Charm” (2024)

This album has such gorgeous instrumentation.

I’m often more inclined to faster tempo music, but this album is so soothing.

“The Jungle Book” (1967)

OK, so, my daughter’s first-ever movie obsession is The Jungle Book.

We have probably played it 20 times this week and I am proud to say that my animation indoctrination is going exactly to plan.

As a cartoonist I have zero fucking chill when it comes to my excitement in exposing my daughter to the best animation of all time.

This movie is seriously so god damn good. The masterful character design and movement to each character is unreal. I can tell you first-hand that capturing the luxurious movements of a cat in illustration feels impossible to me— let alone in animating it. Yet Bagheera and Shere Khan are absolutely flawless in their execution.

My love for the art and storytelling of this film is the kind of thing I will blather upon someone at a party for entirely too long as I watch the light slowly fade from their eyes, so… I’ll spare you my infinite enthusiasm here.

“Joyful Chaos” - Original Postcard Art

A limited time offering only available this Nov-Dec!

…

Is a loved one’s birthday coming up? A graduation? A celebratory divorce? Looking to celebrate “The holidays”? Or maybe you just want to let someone know you’re thinking of them.

If so…

Buy a postcard!

For a brief window of time I will be selling these original art postcards through my personal website!

erikasjule.com

Each postcard will have a unique, original drawing and an absurdist haiku, just like in the example below.

Let me know about any event you are looking to celebrate and I will reference it in my absurdist haiku! Followed by a, “Sent by ______” at the bottom of the hand written text so the receiver knows who is sending them the card.

These original art postcards are a very unique, playful way to let someone know you are thinking of them.

If you have any questions feel free to DM me, comment on Substack, or message me through my contact form on my website.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Are you enjoying the, “Art that made me happy this week” segment? I’m considering making it more regular here.

• What art is making you happy right now?

• Do these “Joyful Chaos” Postcards appeal to you?

  • Is there anything you’d like altered about it?

    • As usual I’m figuring my shit out and I would love any and all feedback.

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So I decided that instead of writing about what makes me feel terrible, I’d like to talk about what makes me feel wonderful!

I am madly in love with human-made art and I want to share—

3 Reasons Why Human Art Matters

Art, at it’s core, is communication.

Visual art is not just bright colors and pretty shapes— it’s a message, from one person to another.

There’s a reason why museums have placards next to all of their art.

It’s because the artist’s story and their intentions are part of the message.

Who creates art matters.

1. All Humans Are Artists

Have you ever noticed that little kids always first draw people as just heads attached to legs?

It’s so consistent in human development that there’s even a term for it, which is “tadpole person”. This phenomena spans across all cultures globally.

By centering the head, children are expressing the psychological impact they feel toward the human face. Without even meaning to they are emphasizing what matters most to them in their art. We basically all begin, innately, as expressionists.

This is something we are born with us as human beings.

So if you want to be an artist, you already are.

2. Good Art Fosters Critical Thinking

Analyzing Art:

Any art by any human can be analyzed because people have will power.

We don’t have to make art, but if we do it’s because we have something we want to say.

Even if someone shat on a canvas that would communicate something

(possibly that the artist doesn’t like whoever they sent it to, but who knows!)

I draw goofy, naked characters a lot, which isn’t arbitrary. I am communicating my values and world view in my art too.

My figure art is my way of combating the impossible beauty standards placed on women by broadcasting my love for all the shapes that naturally occur in women’s bodies.

I do this largely for myself, but when I share it online I’m always hoping that others will feel empowered by the art that I was able to empower myself through creating.

I love to depict people with droopy boobs, cellulite, hairy legs, and round bellies simply existing without shame. Sometimes they are even joyfully frolicking. They are almost never sexualized. They are free.

3. Art is Therapy

Creating and consuming art also helps us to understand what it is to be human.

Being a person on this earth can be deeply confusing and lonely— and yet we are all connected to one another in this hurt.

Art that expresses the alienation and pain of being alive has always been hugely popular.

Just think about the incredible staying power of Radiohead’s “Creep”.

(The band notoriously hates playing this song because of how many times they’ve been made to play it.)

Share Shit for Breakfast

Or how about when Freddie Mercury wails:

“SOMETIMES I WISH I’D NEVER BEEN BORN AT ALL!” in Bohemian Rhapsody?

The lyrics hit as hard as they do because Freddie is exposing a human emotion we’re “not supposed to feel” and yet many of us have (also his vocals are insane).

He courageously tells us that he too has felt an unspeakable darkness— and when we sing it together, en masse, we can often feel purified of our pain.

I will forever be grateful to artists for helping me to process this world— they give us hope in darkness and remind us that we are all messy, complicated creatures.

And now, thanks to art, we all have the capacity to reach out to someone in pain and say:

“SCARAMOUCHE, SCARAMOUCHE, WILL YOU DO THE FANDANGO?!”

And in more love of human art—

I Drew Live at “Picture This!” Again Last Week in L.A. and It Was A Blast!

This is my second time performing for this show and it makes me so happy!

I (naturally) had anxiety diarrhea for most of the day leading up to the show, but it’s so gratifying to challenge yourself and do scary things.

I wish I had known this when I was younger, but I’m also grateful to have figured it out at all.

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Art That Made Me Happy This Week

L.A. Story (1991) - Written and starring Steve Martin

I can’t find a good video to represent this movie online (so the opening sequence will have to do). Also the movie is oddly very hard to find on streaming.

Out of complete desperation for giggles I “bought” this movie on Youtube for $16, but I wish I had just bought the actual DVD on eBay or something. I may still do this, honestly.

Anyway— “L.A. Story” was so hilarious and joyful that I literally watched it twice in a row on the same night.

Wet Leg Live at The Greek!

I went to a Wet Leg concert last week and they were so stupid, fucking good.

I can’t get over how strong their artistic voices are— aesthetically and musically. Everything they do is so thoughtful and unique.

I lost my voice from all the joyful screaming.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• How do you feel about human art?

  • Or A.I. art for that matter?

• Is there any art (music, film, TV, paintings, books, etc.) that are giving you life right now? Please share the love!

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Life is happening fast.

I have to constantly remind myself to slow down and truly witness this one, small life that I have.

Middle age kind of feels like being on a carousel ride at peak speed.

I have to make myself really feel these days that would otherwise pass me by like they were nothing at all— even when I know they are everything.

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Somehow I am both young and old at once.

I swear I was just graduating middle school, but also I’m planning my 40th birthday.

I am a sprightly young whipper-snapper and a cranky old hag.

I am an angsty teen and a sagely, powerful witch.

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We’re led to believe that middle age is bland and mundane— yet in reality it is an incredibly unique life phase.

Middle age is the one time in life where you will relate to the most of humanity as it currently exists.

We are the center cog to all living generations. We are the past and future equally.

A thunderstorm is projected to come through Los Angeles tonight and I’m excited for it.

The air is already beginning to feel charged.

Thunderstorms happen when, “the upper part of the thunderstorm cloud becomes positively charged while the middle to lower part of the thunderstorm cloud becomes negatively charged” - weather.gov

Two opposites come together and make something extraordinary and magical.

People like to insinuate that you become “irrelevant” in middle age.

Ideas like this are only true if you choose to believe it.

In my opinion, if you ever impacted another person you are relevant; especially when it’s for the better, because being good to others is infectious.

And my narrative is as valid as anyone else’s, because, let’s be real: “relevance” is one of millions of made up human concepts.

It’s whatever you want it to be.

But speaking of the made-up concept of relevance…

Check Out My Newest New Yorker Cartoon!

+ the original sketch I submitted to The New Yorker cartoon editor:

A lot of people are beefing in the NYer Instagram comments about how this is why liberals suck at coming together and… I obviously agree it’s a problem.

I’m personally done being led to believe that my neighbor is my enemy.

I’ve got a laser beam focus on billionaires and the politicians who are selling our democracy to the highest bidder.

I know who holds the power and it’s not the guy who drives the really loud F-150 down my street with a thousand awkwardly-placed American flag stickers on his bumper.

And to this I’d like to mention:

Congratulations to Team Jimmy Kimmel!!!

And to everyone who cancelled their Hulu/Disney+ subscriptions in response to the disturbing suspension of the show last week.

I’m proud to say I deleted my Hulu/Disney+ when the news first broke, which I followed up with immediately buying The Lion King on DVD from eBay, so I’m basically set for life over here.

I keep telling my husband that my Lion King DVD is the only thing I’m contributing to our “bunker”.

I already own a bunch of DVDs anyway and I’m inspired by the trend of rebuilding our physical media libraries to escape the incessant subscription services. I also own many vinyl records and I must say, it’s a god damn pleasure.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Does your life feel fast or slow?

  • Or a mixed bag?

• Are you a fan of thunderstorms?

• How do you feel about midlife?

• What would be your one bunker DVD?

• Are you interested in rebuilding your own physical media library too?

  • What is your favorite kind of physical media? (music, movies, anything!)

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I still struggle with it, but I’ve made a lot of progress.

Most of my progress has been made through the act of simply wanting something badly enough.

I’ve also found that if I can convince myself to take a particular risk one time— I am much more likely to do it again.

This seems to work because I often realize the fear was just a Scooby-Doo monster all along.

Like, it was just some dude named Jeff with a sheet over his head.

And by that I mean an editor named Jeff who never responded to my email (which is not an official “ghosting”. Maybe it’s more like playing with a ouiji board that never does anything. OK I need to let this metaphor die. Oh no, now it’s a ghost again!)

Below is a cartoon I submitted as a potential Sketch Pad piece for The New Yorker. I’ve never submitted with that goal before. It’s a high goal, because Sketch Pad pieces are semi-rare, printed in the magazine, and take up half a page.

But, you never know if you don’t try.

Since this cartoon took a good amount of time to make— I tried to shop it around to other publications after it’s initial New Yorker rejection.

I was only granted a rejection explanation by the final editor I reached out to, who said:

“[We’re] getting so much ChatGPT/AI-themed satire that we just don’t have room for it all”.

Which makes a lot of sense!

Sometimes I wonder why I perservere.

But then I remember that even rejection can help move you forward.

The last editor who kindly shared with me that they’re backlogged on AI jokes made me realize that I should probably avoid that topic for a while.

I usually just create what I wish existed in the world— which can be a great guiding light, but sometimes the market just isn’t there for it, and that’s all part of the creative process.

Rinse and repeat.

Some new rejected single panels:

Wait, OK—

BREAKING NEWS!

As I was writing this I got an email from The New Yorker’s cartoon editor saying they accepted one of my single panel ideas!

YIPPEEEEEEEE!

FUCK YOU REJECTION, YOU NEVER MEANT ANYTHING TO ME AND I DIDN’T MEAN ANY OF THOSE NICE THINGS I SAID ABOUT YOU!

Sorry, lost control there for a second.

But in all honesty though, the rejections greatly outweigh the acceptances.

I could consider that a failure, but then I’d never know what I could achieve if I kept trying.

And frankly, even if I washed up alone on a desert island for the rest of my life I would still draw cartoons.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• How do you handle rejection?

• Non sequitir: How excited are we for fall?

  • Only correct answer: “Expecting it to cure everything.”

Listening to:

(I’m really vibing with this Duke Dumont remix rn. Love those synth-y keys.)

I’m a big fan of the growth mindset and I’ve worked very hard to grow as a person in many ways.

I am much less judgmental, pessimistic, and combative than I used to be and I attribute that to working on my growth mindset.

If you’re not already familiar, the growth mindset is a concept coined by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, and is: “the belief that a person's capacities and talents can be improved over time.”

The counter to a growth mindset is a fixed mindset, which is, “the belief that the capacity to learn and improve cannot be meaningfully developed”.

I love growing and evolving as a person. It’s something that I find endlessly inspiring and hopeful, but as many of us know: not everything can or should be changed in a person.

There are parts of me that I’m realizing I need to stop fighting and learn to love—even if others don’t love it in me.

For example:

I am an introverted, night owl, cartoonist with raging ADHD.

I’ve tried to change every one of these things about myself and none of them will budge. And I’m tired of trying to force myself into being something I’m not.

It might be surprising to think that I ever tried to squash my cartooning, but I actively suppressed it in high school because I feared it’d expose me for being the freak that I absolutely am.

My sleep habits, in contrast, never developed into a charming quirk like my drawings did.

I sleep longer than most people (9-10 hours) and wake up later in the day than most (10-11am).

And for some reason this REALLY BOTHERS people.

My only issue with my sleeping habits is other people being dicks about it.

Most of my milennial peers are currently struggling with insomnia (which has serious health ramifications), and I’m out here sleeping like a damn log, so…

Can we please just let lying Erikas lie?

I’ve also known for a long time that my circadian rhythm is genetic, because my grandfather, uncle, mother, and sister all sleep exactly like me and we’ve all been dragged mercilessly for it.

My grandfather, who I got this sleepy, night-owl circadian rhythm from, was a very accomplished man.

He was a NASA engineer who helped develop the lunar landing module for Apollo 11 and even broke a world record as the first enlisted pilot to break the sound barrier in 1958.

I was obsessed with my Grandad as a kid.

And when a loved one told me he was lazy for waking up late in the day and that I shouldn’t aspire to be like him, it made me cry, because I thought he was the most amazing person in the world.

I still do honestly.

My experience with introversion falls into a similar category.

I’m a very unfortunate type of introvert, which is the people pleasing kind— which means I chronically over-extend myself out of fear of hurting anyone’s feelings, which is exhausting and ultimately makes me avoid social contact even more.

I wish I weren’t introverted for the same reason I wish I slept like a normal person, which is that it would just make people like me more.

My ADHD symptoms are maybe the hardest to accept, because some of it’s charming, but a lot of it isn’t.

I fantisize about unmasking all the time, but I’ve never been able to do it because I know my truest self isn’t as loveable as the performance I put on.

I struggle with a lot of chronic muscle tension because I’ve been taught through repeat shaming to be still, despite having tons of energy inside that desperately needs release.

I cannot tell you the number of times people told me I was being annoying, or too loud, or that I was going to (or already did) knock something over with my flailing limbs.

So I learned to be still.

I learned that my authentic self is annoying.

And my flailing and joyous yelling turned into chronic muscle tension and racing thoughts.

Now that I’ve learned that suppressing my ADHD has directly caused numerous health issues— I no longer know how to go back to who I once was.

I try to let myself flail or be loud and it’s like someone is stomping on my throat.

But I keep trying.

I keep trying to lure my true self out, like a scared cat under a bed.

I try to tell myself that I am loveable even if some people don’t love me back.

Today I apply both acceptance and a growth mindset to my life.

I accept that there are aspects of my personality that aren’t going to change and I’m excited to keep working on the parts that will.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Do you share any of my intractable traits?

  • (Introversion, night owl, neurodivergence)

• Do you have parts of yourself that others have wanted you to change, but you don’t think would be healthy for you to change?

• How have you grown as a person?

Leave a comment

Listening to:

[I cancelled my Spotify account recently because the CEO (Daniel Elk) is a POS investing in A.I. warfare and is also stealing from artists by using their work w/o consent on generative A.I. music. I am currently using Tidal, which I’m enjoying so far, but Substack doesn’t seem to support a Tidal plug-in on here, so Soundcloud it is!]

Jennie Egerdie and I have a humor piece we’ve been shopping around for a while called, How To Drink Wine Like A Pro and it has been officially rejected by all the gatekeepers / editors.

Well, at least all the editors we know (or scraped from the internet).

Jennie and I have always been really proud of this piece, so damn traditional publishing— we’re sharing our beautiful love child with the world!

This piece has become

A Shit for Breakfast exclusive event!

Consider yourselves THE ELITE—

The Shit-for-Breakfast-Club.

We hope you enjoy our very silly piece:

How To Drink Wine Like A Pro

By Jennie Egerdie & Erika Sjule

Step 1: Examine The Label
Is the wine from a B-list celebrity's vineyard? Does its logo look like clip art? Is the brand written in the “The Sopranos” font, where the "r" is a handgun? Congratulations, this is very good wine! All wine aficionados know appearances are deceiving. If the offered wine lacks these signals of refinement, refuse the bottle. Be sure to scoff loudly for others to witness your sophistication.

Step 2: Swirl
Create a little whirlpool in your glass. This creates “aeration,” a process that invites tannins to relax in a private wine jacuzzi, where they can smooch each other to release more flavor. And, most importantly, this step will look very impressive to the other diners.

Step 3: Sniff
A wine glass is a ship. Specifically, a ship with the same class system as the Titanic. At the top rim, a rich bouquet resides. You want to be here, breathing in the scent of the fur-clad, bejeweled elite. Inhale too deeply from the bottom and steerage-class fumes will irish-jig into your nostrils.

Step 4: Comment with Confidence
Say something. Anything at all. “Evokes the old-world, kissed by cat urine” Or "A raunchy bordello, after a sailor’s been to port.” Or even, “True squirrel casserole celebrates the squirrel, utilizing a whole mess of squirrel meat. ” The less sense you make, the more erudite you appear.

Step 5: Take A Sip
Slurp aggressively. Defy all decorum as powerplay.

Step 6: Blow Bubbles
It’s not just for kids drinking chocolate milk with a straw!

Step 7: Chug and Gargle
Describe the mouthfeel with your mouth full. No one will understand you, but all will assume you have a very nuanced take.

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Step 8: Spit
If no bucket is provided, spit the wine directly on the floor. This will impress the waiter by demonstrating your palate's astoundingly high quality.

Step 9: Refuse to Pay the Bill
True wine connoisseurs understand that no wine could ever live up to their exacting standards. Loudly complain to the manager. Demand a more-expensive bottle of wine, on the house, to apologize for serving such disgusting plonk. This exhibits a sommelier-level of knowledge or, as it’s known in the world of fine dining, possessing a black belt in wine.

Step 10: Get Banned From The Restaurant.

This is fine. You don’t really like wine anyway.

This month is Shit for Breakfast’s 3rd anniversary

and my 50%-off FOREVER discount in celebration is still available through August 15th for anyone looking to support a small artist and get a stupid-good forever deal.

The discount link is available below. Please consider signing up and helping me to justify all the work I put into this newsletter!

50%-Off 'Shit for Breakfast' FOREVER!

If a recurring subscription feels too daunting (as I believe we all are subscribing to so many services these days), please feel free to support ‘Shit for Breakfast’ with a one-time donation through my “Buy Me a Coffee” account below:

Support S4B with a 1-Time Donation

I am STOOPIDLY appreciative of any patronage of my cartooning work.

Thank you so much in advance to anyone who contributes to this project.

It really does make a significant difference on my end of this process. 🧡

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Are you a wine snob?

  • Or do you enjoy wine without all the added thinkies?

    • Or maybe you hate wine. I drink very little these days, so all hot takes WELCOME.

• Do you have any experience with traditional publishing?

  • How has your journey gone?

Leave a comment

Listening:

And I did it, team! I went! And it was very fun!

Here are some of the things I did in Chicago:

I had a lot of fun drawing these cartoons over my travel photography. I’ve always been a fan of this form of mixed media.

I love photography and hate drawing backgrounds, so really, it’s a perfect medium for me. I hoped you enjoyed reading them!

In other news:

My newest Shouts & Murmurs humor piece was published by The New Yorker last week!

Read the rest of my piece, “Definitive Proof That Cats and Babies Actually Are The Same” here.

Or read other New Yorker humor pieces of mine here.

This month is Shit for Breakfast’s 3rd anniversary

and my 50%-off FOREVER discount in celebration is still available through August 15th for anyone looking to support a small artist and get a stupid-good forever deal.

The discount link is available below. Please consider signing up and helping me to justify all the work I put into this newsletter!

50%-Off 'Shit for Breakfast' FOREVER!

If a recurring subscription feels too daunting (as I believe we all are subscribing to so many services these days), please feel free to support ‘Shit for Breakfast’ with a one-time donation through my “Buy Me a Coffee” account below:

Support S4B with a 1-Time Donation

I am STOOPIDLY appreciative of any patronage of my cartooning work.

Thank you so much in advance to anyone who contributes to this project.

It really does make a significant difference on my end of this process. 🧡

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Have you been to Chicago?

  • Are you a fan or no?

• Do you love High Fidelity as much as I do?

  • Or are we mortal enemies?

• Any time I look back at my recent humor piece I am reminded of TONS of other examples to why cats and babies are the same. Would you like to contribute to the riveting discourse?

  • Please add some hot takes in the comments!

Leave a comment

Listening to:

Mid-write, I took a peek at my calendar and was completely caught off guard.

Wait. Is it true? Is this Tuesday…

Shit for Breakfast’s 3rd Anniversary?!

Reflections of 3 Years Ago, Based on My Saved Photos:

When I first started S4B, I had just moved to SoCal from the Bay Area with the plan to have a baby near my parents.

I was missing the Bay and not soon after I was mourning my first cat, Chihiro— who died very suddenly of liver failure.

I was lonely, as I often am, as an introverted adult in an urban sprawl world.

I created ‘Shit for Breakfast’ from a yearning for my youthful enjoyment of Livejournal in the early aughts.

Back when I had a penchant for hanging out at Chain Reaction, Tower Records, and in suburban aqueducts.

I missed the feeling of actually connecting with people through writing online.

And that is what leads me to you: my subscribers, readers, and friends.

Thank You So Fucking Much To Every Single One of My Subscribers

As much as I love to write and draw and offer up my bleeding heart on a platter, it wouldn’t be sustainable if it weren’t for those of you who connect with me on here.

To know that my writing and drawings actually resonate, or help anyone to feel less alone, makes me feel empowered enough to keep coming back for more.

Subscribe now

And An Extra Mushy Tear-Laden Thank You To My Paid Subscribers and Modern Day Heroes:

Ben

Randy

Chavaina

Christian

Tina

Mdorvill

&

Sgoldhar

Substack Tells Me I Should Share My Dashboard As Part of A Milestone Post

Do you care? Is this interesting?

Well too bad I’ve shared it anyway.

But hey!

That’s 73 new subscribers since last year!

Hello and welcome if that includes you!!! Please pop in and leave a comment sometime, I love to chat!

Leave a comment

In conclusion of this year’s cheesy, earnest anniversary post I would like to present to you a very special gift:

In Celebration of S4B Turning 3 Years Old I Am Offering …🥁🥁🥁…

A 50%-Off FOREVER Discount!

To Anyone Who Signs Up As a Paid Subscriber to “Shit for Breakfast” Before Aug 15th!

Half-Off S4B Here!

Additionally!

If you sign up as a paid subscriber before August 15th I will send you a personalized silly drawing to YOUR HOUSE!

After you go paid, make sure to dm me your address and something cute, silly, and/or stupid will be on it’s way to your lovely home.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• How long have you been followed S4B?

  • Newbies and Oldies welcome!

• Do you have a newsletter you’d like to plug?

  • How long have you been at it?

    • Do your friends do this too or are you a ‘lil loner freak like me?

Leave a comment

Listening to:

🎵They heard me singing and they told me to stop

Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock

These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose

But late at night, the feelings swim to the surface

'Cause on the surface, the city lights shine

They're calling at me, "Come and find your kind"🎵

FRIDAY

Flight from L.A. to Oakland + Karaoke

I stayed with a friend of a friend in the Berkeley Hills named Bridgett.

I had never met Bridgett before, but my husband and I pet sat for her last October (we’re friends with her neighbors) and I immediately fell in love with her book collection.

This is what gave me the courage to ask to crash with her in person— despite the fact that we’ve never met.

(Fun side-note: I also fell in love with my husband’s book collection before meeting him.)

I arrived to Bridgett’s house late on Friday. She quickly invited me out to karaoke with her friends, to which I contemplated my energy levels and decided:

“Sure, why the fuck not?”

We then proceeded to get smashed at a dive / karaoke bar in El Cerrito, which was, extremely fun.

The crowd was so joyful and wonderfully diverse in nearly every way.

All ages and races belted it out on the mic and busted moves on the dance floor well past midnight.

The whole club had a shared exorcism over “Country Roads”, which was so fucking heartfelt I could cry.

SATURDAY

Trying not to puke + Baby shower

The next morning I met my maker and took a Lyft to the baby shower in Oakland, where I nearly vomited from the driver’s start-and-stop acceleration method.

Upon arrival I performed my niceties and then immediately b-lined to the buffet to discover the most fantastic array of fried tacos and chocolate-dipped strawberries. There were other snacks, but nothing else existed to me in this moment.

I proceeded to eat a completely inappropriate amount of tacos and strawberries in quick succession without talking to anyone for about 20 minutes.

That night I considered going out, but instead decided to lounge really hard back at Bridgett’s.

This is the gorgeous soundscape I came home to.

I thirst for this soundscape so desperately every day of my life.

(A trash truck is actively performing an elaborate assault on some trash bins just outside my windows as I type this.)

SUNDAY

San Francisco All Day

My last full day was Sunday, which I devoted entirely to my love— San Francisco.

I met my childhood friend Jesse in Cole Valley and we proceeded to walk for hours on end (with requisite snack stops, of course).

We walked through The Haight, NOPA, Hayes Valley, and The Mission.

I flew back to L.A. the next day.

It’s been over a week since my trip and I’m still yearning for my beautiful bay.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Do you have any fun trips coming up?

• What do you think about the Bay Area?

  • Fan? Enemy? Shrug emoji?

• Do you enjoy karaoke?

  • I feel like for the first time in my life I finally “get it”.

Listening to:

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Have you reached the middle-age milestone?

  • If so, how did it make you feel?

  • If not, how do you think it’ll make you feel?

• How do you think you 10 years ago would see yourself today?

• What music were you listening to 10 years ago?

Leave a comment

Listening to:

I don’t know what I would do without it.

So when people tell me that they would like to draw, it’s hard for me to not get overly excited and ruin the moment.

A surprising amount of people tell me they want to draw, so I thought— why not throw together some advice on how to get started.

So without further ado:

My Advice On How To Get Into Drawing

1. Let yourself make ugly drawings.

There’s no way around this. If you don’t let yourself make ugly drawings you’ll never draw. My sketchbooks are full of ugly drawings. Do I share them online?

Of course I don’t! They’re hideous!

But I still enjoy making them.

They are my ugly, bastard children and they are very dear to me.

Share

2. Don’t overthink your art supplies.

Any pen or pencil you have is great.

If you can’t enjoy drawing with a generic drawing tool, it’s unlikely that expensive supplies are going to compel you to start drawing.

If anything, fancy supplies can create an even greater block because it will make you feel like you need to be precious with your tools.

Recommended Exercise:

Go hog wild with with a no.2 pencil on a sheet of cheap printer paper.

Draw fast, draw slow, draw upside down, draw on top of your drawings, cross-hatch inside a random shape you made, make gradients from light to dark, draw butts, draw eye balls, draw something perverted, draw something really big, draw something really small— just be a messy bitch.

NOTHING MATTERS! BE FREE!!!

I tried my own exercise to make sure it wasn’t bad advice. I enjoyed it!

Share Shit for Breakfast

Addt’l Drawing Exercises:

1. Draw something with lots of tiny, sketchy lines.

   1. When you draw this way it allows you to “find” the shapes you’re trying to create by allowing yourself lots of tiny mistakes that eventually blend into a looser structure. It also looks cool and stylized, so that’s fun too.

   2. If you don’t know what to draw you can pick an object to draw that’s right in front of you (I do this A LOT. It’s called observational drawing and it’s a great way to get the juices flowing).

2. Make a “blind-contour line” drawing.

   1. This means draw a subject with one, long continuous line while looking directly at the subject and not at your drawing until you are finished. This technique results in lots of goofy final products.

If S4B has brought you joy, if you find this space of artsy reflection comforting, if you value the work of small, independent artists— please consider going paid today!

Subscribe now

3. Figure out what YOU like to draw.

Everyone who draws has preferences for what they like to draw.

I love drawing facial expressions, expressive body language, landscapes/plants, and really loose urbanscapes.

You can draw from life, from photo, or something straight out of your brain.

You can draw people, places, mechanics, faces, animals, cartoons, abstract shapes, patterns, textures, etc.

Anything you want to draw is a valid reason to draw. Don’t think about what would impress other people— draw what brings you satisfaction.

4. Find artists who draw in ways that inspire you and COPY THEM.

Most illustrators and cartoonists started with fan art. I still make fan art sometimes. It’s really fun. One of my first cartoon characters was a rip off of Rocko from Rocko’s Modern Life.

And some more recent versions of fan art I’ve made just for my own entertainment:

5. Maintain the habit with portable supplies.

I find the best way to start a new habit is by making it as accessible as possible.

If you keep a small sketchbook and drawing tool in your purse/tote/backpack you’ll be able to access it on a whim.

You can do a quick 10-second doodle of a dog while standing on the sidewalk. You can sit at a café and make a wonky, yet detailed sketch of a classic car parked by the road.

I mostly just advise you to not be precious about your drawings. At least when you’re first starting out. The biggest roadblock to starting a drawing habit is simply being hard on yourself.

I’ve found in my own practice that the looser I let myself be, the more fun I have.

And if it’s not fun, what’s the point?

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Are you interested in starting / getting back into drawing?

  • Or is it not for you?

• Do you know anyone who’s curious about getting into drawing?

  • If so— Don’t let me stop you from sharing this post!

Share

• I’ve been considering doing a Substack Live where I draw subscriber suggestions and just generally doodle with y’all.

  • Show of hands, who’s interested in that?

Leave a comment

Listening to:

Subscribe now

I find myself pondering alternate versions of myself.

Not because I don’t love my life.

But because I find it to be an empowering thought experiment.

We constantly ask children who they want to be when they grow up.

But why do we stop asking ourselves who we want to be?

I like to think about alternate dream selves because it helps me to understand my evolving values and desires.

Modern life is a whirlwind.

Many of us are so overwhelmed that we don’t even realize we’re unwell.

We compulsively numb out on our phones, or alcohol, or weed, etc.

We disconnect from our bodies and ourselves.

Before you know it a year has passed— then another, and another.

Most of us are not giving ourselves the space to process and to remember who we are.

What we authentically want vanishes beneath the weight of our addictions.

So why not reflect right now?

Let’s Dream Together!

Who Is Your Alt-Dream-Self?:

1. Where do you live?

2. What do you do for a living?

3. How do you pass your free time?

4. What does your social life look like?

5. How do you present yourself physically?

If you’re interested in this exercise go ahead and ask yourself any additional questions (or scrap any of mine that don’t resonate).

One of my dream selves owns a coffee shop in San Francisco.

The shop fosters community through open mic nights and other events. We sell simple, well-crafted espresso drinks and local baked goods.

A part of me wonders if I’d ever give up my art career for such a pivot.

There is no version of myself that ever stops drawing, but maybe there’s a version of me that stops trying to make money from it.

Maybe this would be good for me. Maybe not. I don’t know.

Once you flesh out your alt-dream-self you will likely find that there are elements that are unattainable to you, in your real life.

That’s normal and still worth the reflection.

But I believe most of us will find mini-dreams within that are actually achievable.

Buy Me A Coffee

Becoming Your Alt-Dream-Self

I’ve been reflecting on different versions of my own alt-dream-self for a while.

I have many iterations that I like to visit and reflect on.

Some are vastly different; others are only slightly altered in particular ways.

Several months ago I saw a fellow New Yorker cartoonist, Jason Chatfield, draw live alongside comedians in NYC and I thought:

“Wow, that’s bad ass as fuck.”

Then I thought, “Alternate Dream Erika would definitely be doing that.”

“Wait. I should do that. Can I do that? I can do that!”

And guess what my friends? I FUCKING DID THAT!!!

I got to hang out with super cool comedians and cartoonists in the green room. It was truly a dream! We all had notebooks filled with notes and drawings. It was incredible.

And I got to meet Aparna Nancherla!!! My name was on the same performers print out, haha. Sorry, I have to geek out on this or I’ll burst into flame.

I was extremely nervous about doing this show because I am a shy cartoonist, not a stage performer. I basically draw as a means to connect while simultaneously hiding.

But it has become increasingly important to me to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I find it really bolsters my self-esteem to do scary things.

It felt so good to be so bold and brave. I am very proud of real-life-Erika.

Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Who is your alternate dream self?

• What is something scary you did recently that made you feel proud?

• I’m trying to figure out thoughtful offerings for paid subscribers. Is there anything you think sounds worth going paid for? Example ideas:

  • Private chat for paid subscribers with recurring arts & culture-related questions and prompts from yours truly.

  • Drawing tutorials.

  • Extra behind-the-pay-wall sketchbook art.

  • Regularly scheduled drawing on Substack Live.

    • Happy for any and all feedback!

Leave a comment

Listening to:

^My friend Inés just dropped this bomb ass single.

Give ‘er a listen. Add to a playlist.

Share on your social media!