Some projects take forever and some just happen. I've been wanting to do a book about my family history stories for a long time. In fact, I had made an outline and a collection of drawings for this project in 2012. I also made a plan and a schedule in 2020 that would lead to me finishing the project in 2022. Now I think it will be a project I will finish before 2030. In the meantime, while I've been thinking about this project in the background, making notes and drawings, and doing research into my own genealogy as well as the history and cultural milieu of the places where my ancestors lived. In my mind, I call this project “Tangled."
So am I distressed that this project is not done or not even close to being done? No. In the meantime, I have created and self published these other comic- and art-related projects:
Two essays with illustrations and knitting projects about my maternal and paternal family stories in my book Stories in Stitches 3, self published in 2014.
A series of essays, paintings, and knitting projects using the original writing and drawings I did about my family history called “Finding my Roots through Knitting” published as individual booklets in 2020.
Folktales of Lithuania: Six Comics inspired by Traditional Stories, self-published in 2021 as individual booklets and now on Amazon as a single book.
A series of cards and knitting projects inspired by Frida Kahlo, self published as individual booklets in 2023.
Mummies and Me, started as a daily comics journal about Ancient Egyptian mummies celebrating USA holidays in a Hobonichi Tech planner, self-published on SeeSAW Comics in 2024 and now also on Amazon as a single book.
And right now I am in the process of publishing Croneville Carnival as a serialized graphic novel here on Substack.
I've been reading Maira Kalman's newest book, Still Life with Remorse over and over again and beginning to understand the structure that my own family stories will take as a collection and I can start to see how I never could have completed this project before. I had to wait and do research and draw and write and think for a decade first.
So the point is, don't get discouraged if a certain project is not coming together. Work on other things and keep the "problem child project" in the back of your mind for when you're ready.
I loved seeing your project ideas. I hope you move ahead and get this dream accomplished.
What a wonderful body of work! And I'm very excited about the long term project. and love the sample art work you're showing here. Let me know the shtetls where your ancestors are from in case we have any locations in common. Also, where do you do your genealogy research?