I’ve been working on a few more memories over the last couple weeks. I kinda like how this one turned out (though I’m not sure how it “reads” and, too, I need to be careful of taking the meta aspects of the story too far). Thanks for visiting. :-)
These pages feel a little unkind. What I want to make sure of in creating this story, though, is not to idealize my mom as a patient-victim. We had a complicated relationship—and she was often unkind to me. I, in turn, often rebelled against her. Her illness brought us together in ways that confirmed our mutual love despite all that; it brought out the best in us. It also, though, concentrated the years of tension that existed between us. I want to capture a series of memories that will tap into these complications as well as address the difficulties involved in confronting them.
This whole creative process can be so isolating and self-indulgent … so I want to give special thanks to MK and Ian for an amazing visit to Chicago last week. Hearing them speak a couple times on Graphic Medicine, being around them as they collaborated, and just spending good time with good friends helped remind me of the bigger picture at play in what I’m working on here. Hearts.
Mita Mahato 