Issue #25: Visits from Our Past

​Recently, a former student reached out to grab some lunch. So we met up at a local cafe when she was finished with her college classes. 

Having been out of the classroom for over five months, I felt like I’ve been shedding my “teacher” identity. No longer reacting to the bell each hour. No longer grading papers every single day. But hearing her exclaim, “Mrs. St. Amant!” brought me back to that part of myself. 

Me hearing “Mrs. St. Amant” for the first time in months.

We chatted about our lives and what we were up to. She told me how she was enjoying her college experience and meeting new people with similar interests. When she asked me about my job, I shared how much fun I was having working in such a different world, but I also mentioned the feeling of uncertainty and how uncomfortable it felt to grapple with more unknowns nowadays.

She smiled and said, “I remember when you talked to us about college…how we were so anxious and worried about getting an acceptance. You said that things have a way of working out. Remember?” 

Yep. I remembered saying that. How easy it was for my old self to say. If only the old Desi knew what was in store. 

Then she continued, “Once we made our college decisions, we were still anxious. But this time, it was about our future and whether or not we made the right choice.”

I smiled. It was all coming back to me. And it felt so bittersweet this time. I sipped my tea and listened. 

She added, “You told us that we don’t change when we’re comfortable. When we experience discomfort, we can grow into our better selves.”

I chuckled. Dang, that Mrs. St. Amant could be wise…sometimes. 

At that moment, I realized that I needed to hear those words. And I was so filled with gratitude that my former student gave me such a helpful reminder from my past.

Sometimes our past comes back to haunt us. But if we’re lucky, our past will come back to guide us just when we need it. 

I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite poets, Maya Angelou: “I have great respect for the past. If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going. I have respect for the past, but I’m a person of the moment. I’m here, and I do my best to be completely centered at the place I’m at, then I go forward to the next place.”

Writing Update:
Jon has finished penciling the comic. People, he has FINISHED. 

​Life was wayyyy busier than we had predicted. Now he’s inking the pages. The more complex pages take a bit longer (due to more detail), but things are moving along. 

We’re also working on strengthening a concept for Ruby & Copper, a story we’d been chewing on for the past year. We love the characters and have been brainstorming concepts, and we finally feel like we have a solid idea. 

​Working logline: Ruby wants nothing more than to be accepted by her community, and she feels that winning the local baking competition will get her there. But her inner monster, Egara, keeps getting in the way. She must learn to tame Egara or she’ll lose the last connection to her town.

Here it is, our very first peek at an Egara sketch! 

Recent Read: Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon

This book was such a fun, quick read! I finished it after two days (I could’ve finished it in one day if I didn’t have work). 

Kleon’s writing style is accessible, engaging, and funny. I dog-eared many pages as I read his insights. Furthermore, I also appreciated how Kleon included illustrations to make each point super clear and memorable. 

Beyond his life lessons and insights on creativity, what I loved most was how the book gives us permission to seek inspiration from other ideas. Unlike imitation or plagiarism, we’re giving the inspiration our own twist and making it new and fresh (hence, “stealing” like an artist). 

This is a book I’ll definitely re-read when I’m in a rut and need some quick inspiration to get going again!
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Pet Pics: 
Finn and Amelie are back to being besties despite Finn hanging out with Lilo more often lately. 

​Meanwhile, Lilo loves to get snuggly in her blanket on my work from home days. 

Sanity Corner:
This is a little late, but Jon and I watched Fantastic Fungi a few months ago and found it so fascinating. We had no idea what to expect, but it was such an engaging and intriguing documentary. The complexity of fungi and the potential implications for helping people suffering with mental illness gives me hope. I look forward to seeing more research on this plant’s potential for healing. 

That’s it for now. Thank you so much for reading! I’ll be in touch again in December. 
If you have a bestie (or even a frenemy) who’d like this newsletter, don’t hesitate to share this with them. :) 

Take care,
Desi