FML Comics Cartoon Museum Event

Symbolically for me the occasion also marked the end of a chapter in my life; when I started making comics in 2016 it was really just a side hobby but over the last 5 years it has actually turned me into an artist. Making comics has taken me on the most wonderful journey of my life so far. 2021 in particular marks the pinnacle of that journey; a collection of my comics was published and I have enjoyed a summer exhibition at the Cartoon Museum. But even more than that I have been a professional working artists with numerous commissions to my name, fantastic arts projects and public appearances. Never would I have imagined that I could get this far in the industry.

But ironically this year I have hardly written any comics. At the peak of my comic making I would make a strip once every 2 weeks, if not once a week. This year (8 months so far) I can count the number of comic strips I have made on my hand. One glaringly obvious reason is that I live in London and to make ends meet I just don’t have as much time as I used to. I also have a partner which means I no longer spend evenings drawing comics alone in my room. But another big reason is that I don’t feel the same impulse and sense of urgency to express myself in that way anymore.

I’ve recently been accepted into a Masters programme in Global Creative and Cultural Industries at SOAS. It feels like something new is starting and there is a real possibility that comics won’t be such a big part of my life anymore. So that’s why I wanted to make a big bang out of the occasion.

I am immensely grateful to The Cartoon Museum for hosting the event and helping me organise it. Holly Burrows, especially, has been instrumental in the many wonderful experiences I’ve had there this summer. I couldn’t have imagined a better exhibition or event. I’ve said to myself many a time the past few weeks: If I never have another exhibition, I will be entirely fulfilled by my experience at the Cartoon Museum.

Photography by External Flash Photography