Tears of Pollen

My allergy season has come! Grass and weed are what get me :')

Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel borderless comic strip of a girl with a braid, sitting in a park, flowers blooming. In large caps, the heading reads "Spring has come." In panel 1, the girl sniffs and an elephant asks, "Tears of joy?" Panel 2 zooms in on her face and red, watery eyes, as the girl responds, "No, mixed feelings of spring -- tears of pollen." Webcomic by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

A Social Contract

Our social lives are so weird now. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[Single panel comic about "Adding someone you sort of know on social media." Cartoon illustration of a girl with a braid typing into her phone. Messaging word bubble text reads "hellooo! I would like to stalk you a little, " while the reply reads "yes that's fine". She taps an icon, indicating "add friend." This is, in bold text, "A Social Contract!" Webcomic by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Single Girl, Honest Friends

I love my life and my friends, and this is also a true story.

Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[3-panel comic strip about being a forever-single woman with honest friends. In panel 1, a girl with a braid says directly to the reader, "We can't always have what we want in life, but I still hold on to the hope that - somebody, somewhere will love me someday." In panel 2, the girl looks off-frame and the background color changes from a muted purple to a warm coral, while a speech bubble indicates that friends are speaking to her: "Yes, but have you frozen your eggs?" They continue in panel 3, saying "Knowing you, it might take a while." The background color changes back to a muted color, while the girl shares a comical look of pained resignation with the viewer. Comic is titled, "Single Girl, Honest Friends," by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Life Suggestion Box

Does life EVER get any easier?? I have suggestions :)

Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel borderless comic of a girl with a braid, pen in hand, about to write something. Looking at the reader, she asks "Is it just me - or does everything feel unreasonably hard these days?" Panel 2 zooms out and we see her scribbling something down at a standing table with a sign that reads "LIFE SUGGESTION BOX." The text of what she is writing is magnified in panel 2 as a torn piece of paper and reads, "Share your feedback!" In handwriting, it says "Could you ease up a bit? I think you've made your point." Sketchbook comic strip by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Brain Disagrees

My brain can be very loud and disagreeable just when I need it to be quiet and still. Is this the crux of all our attempts to live in peace? :)

Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel borderless cartoon of a girl with a braid sitting on a yoga mat, trying to meditate. Heading text reads: "A lot of my day is spent convincing my brain that -" and in a thought bubble, "Everything will be okay, I think." In panel 2, a large pink brain imposes on the peaceful scene and declares in all caps, "WELL, I DISAGREE!" Comic strip by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

The Love We Need

May we all find what we need eventually, even if it's in pieces.

Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[1-page borderless comic of a sad red heart that is broken apart into pieces, each with its own sad face. In the second to the last image, the heart is drawn stitched together with visible scars. In the final image, a girl with a braid is hugging the now bandaged heart. Text reads: "The love we get is not always the love we need, but hopefully, we all get enough of what we need - eventually - in whatever shape it comes. Cartoon illustration by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Low Bar Pep Talks

It was a hard week. Hope the weekend is better and that your brain gives better pep talks!

Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel borderless comic of a girl with a bun, looking into a mirror, giving herself a pep talk. In colorful speech bubbles, she says, "You're not a total basket case. Society doesn't hate you. Your friends aren't all secretly mad at you. You're probably not the worst person in the world." In panel 2, an elephant enters the frame and, after a beat, observes, "That's a pretty low bar for pep talks." The girl and her reflection turn toward the elephant and says in explanation, "It was a hard week." Comic strip titled "Low Bar Pep Talks," by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.] 

Deep Focus (Creative Notes #58)

This is episode 58 from my biweekly comic strip, "Creative Notes."

Thanks for checking it out! https://tinyview.com/connie

[5-panel comic strip of an artist at work. In panel 1, daytime, girl with a bun gets up from her desk and announces, "I need some music to focus." In panel 2, she has large headphones on, with musical notes playing, and says "Ooh I love this song!" In panel 3, she takes a "dance break." In panel 4, she does a "karaoke sing-along." In panel 5, she looks out the window at a nighttime cityscape with a crescent moon overhead and says "oosie." Caption reads, "Moment of Reckoning." Cartoon titled "Deep Focus" which is episode 58 from "Creative Notes," a webcomic series by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022, for Tinyview comics.]

Nature's Pain Reliever

Dark chocolate and exercise are supposed to help too. Pulling out all the stops. Still recovering. 

Take good care of yourselves. Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[Illustrated sketchbook page about how crying has pain relieving properties. Image 1 is a cartoon of a girl with a braid, holding a child-like heart in her arms. Caption reads, "I got into a bad argument the other day that was very painful and unresolvable. It caught me off guard." Image 2, she holds the heart tighter and has a look of comical concentration. Caption reads, "I heard that crying can have pain relieving properties though." Arrow indicates that she is "trying to cry." Image 3 is a close up of a large cartoon eye, welling up. An arrow indicates, "a single tear." Cartoon titled "Nature's Pain Reliever," by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

A Daily Check-in

I'm not very good at meditation yet. Some days, therapy would still come in handy! And yet, the show goes on. 

Hope you have a relaxing weekend. Thanks for reading. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[4-panel borderless comic of a cartoon girl with a brain holding her brain in her hands, the top of her head, open like a lid (but comically, not in a gruesome way). The cartoon is in grayscale monochrome, except for the brain, rendered in pink. Panel 1 text caption reads, "Therapy would've come in handy today." In panel 2, a beat, then the girl asks brain, "You good?" In panel 3, she says "okay then" and nonchalantly plops the brain back in her head. In panel 4, the girl walks off, head intact, with a flat expression. Caption reads, "And the show goes on." Cartoon illustration titled "A Daily Check-in" by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Light Versus Dark Mode

People, like smart phones, have light and dark modes ^_^

Thanks for reading

[3-panel vertical comic of a sullen-faced, tired-looking girl with a braid and an elephant in the background. Panel one is in color with a bright white background. Elephant asks, "What's with you today?" Panel 2 is pitch-black, with only the eyes and tusks of the characters visible. Girl responds, "I'm in dark mode." In panel 3, elephant says "Ooh scary" and girl deadpans, "It'll pass." This is meant to be a play on how our devices have a light and dark mode and so do people. Webcomic titled "Light versus dark mode" by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Valiant Attempt, Meditation

There's loud construction happening in my building ;)

Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel comic of a girl with a braid, sitting on a yoga mat, trying to meditate amidst the din of honking, drilling, clanking, crashing, buzzing, and beeping. In panel 1, she has a look of steely determination and is "blasting the sound of ocean waves from speakers plugged into an outlet, as the noise of society (read as a metaphor for news of the day) blares around her. In panel 2, the noise of honking, drilling, crashing, and beeping persists and she visibly grimaces. The comic is titled "A Valiant Attempt at Inner Peace." Cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Third Googly Eye

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" is a wild ride of a movie about the multiverse, worth seeing in theaters if you can! The acting, story, and effects are fun, poignant, raucous, and superb. 

Here's the trailer. I didn't know what to expect going in and it blew me away. 

[Cartoon of a girl with a braid, putting a googly eye on the center of her forehead, based on a film still of iconic actor Michelle Yeoh in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," a 2022 movie by the Daniels. Cartoon caption reads, "Trying to channel my third googly eye." Fan art by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Connie on Ko-fi

Unsung Heroes (Creative Notes #57)

In anything creative that ever gets done, there are unsung heroes. 

Full comic on Tinyview https://tinyview.com/connie/2022/04/21/episode-57-unsung-hero

Thanks for reading!

[Image 1 is a simple cartoon drawing of a stopwatch with tiny legs, preaching that "Deadlines are the great unsung heroes of everything that has ever been accomplished." Image 2 is a simple cartoon illustration of a girl with a tired look of exasperation, hunched over her work desk, glaring at the stopwatch without saying a word. Excerpt from "Creative Notes" #57, a biweekly webcomic series by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022, for Tinyview comics.]

Mental Distractions (Tinyview #56)

If you're interested in seeing more comics, I've been publishing a webcomic series for Tinyview. It's basically a biweekly illustrated status update on how my book project is going!

Thanks for checking it out! https://tinyview.com/connie

[Image 1 is a cartoon illustration of a girl, sitting against a tree, feeling a little sad, but cheered by spring tulips and a butterfly. Text reads, "Sometimes a little distraction is your friend." Image 2 is a cartoon illustration of with a sword and shield, fending off the distraction of a giant, maniacal, larger-than-life smart phone. The phone taunts, "Come on, I know you want to check me!" Text reads, "And other times, it's your mortal enemy." Excerpt from "Creative Notes #56," a biweekly webcomic series by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022, for Tinyview comics.]

Sketchbook: Remembering to Breathe

I'm trying to find ways to ground myself more in uncertain and sometimes stressful times. These are just some personal sketch notes of a breathing exercise that I tried for the first time yesterday. 

What do you do to calm down and center yourself when frazzled?

Thanks for reading. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[Sketch notes about feeling frazzled and remembering to breathe. First image is a girl with a braid, frantically running around and holding her own detached head in her hands, high above her body. Arrow text indicates, "My mental state lately." Caption reads, "I've been having trouble focusing and my thoughts are all over the place." Second image: girl kneels on a yoga mat, looking harried, but head is reattached. Thought bubble reads, "Maybe I should try breathing. That might calm me down." Third image shows the girl sitting cross-legged on the yoga mat, with a thought bubble that contains a cute cartoon drawing of a star. There's also a color diagram of a 5-point star, with arrows indicating instructions for breathing in and out. The girl is trying to meditate by visualizing a 5-point star. She is visibly calmer and, in parentheses, the text reads, "This is not awful." Autobio comic sketch notes, titled "Remembering to Breathe," by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Sketchbook: Dogs I Saw in Brooklyn Yesterday

I'm sharing a sketchbook page of cute dogs I saw yesterday, drawn from memory. 

Hope you are enjoying a light, sunny, breezy day. Happy holiday weekend, if you are celebrating anything. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[A page of simple-line, sketchbook illustrations of different breeds of dogs in bright colors, by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022. Caption reads, "Dogs I saw in Brooklyn yesterday, drawn from memory."]

Lunch and Cat Memes

Cat memes to get through the week!

Connie on Ko-fi

[3-panel comic of a girl slurping noodles. In panel 1, a cute cartoon cat slurps noodles from a red bowl. In panel 2, a girl with a bun also slurps a bowl of noodles without utensils, like the cat. She's also looking at her phone. Text reads: "Life is hard...but there's also lunch...and cat memes." In panel 3, an elephant appears behind her and observes, "You get weirder everyday." Webcomic by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Everybody In Therapy

I'm taking a break from therapy right now. Next time around, I'll have a better idea of what to look for in a therapist and what I need out of it. Still the best, hardest thing I've ever done for myself. It's a process, but I would recommend it as a resource to anyone who's open to it. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[Single-panel cartoon of a girl with a braid in a zoom therapy session, sitting in front of a laptop screen. The heading reads, "Why everybody needs to be in therapy." With a mildly bemused expression, the girl says to the screen, "Literally, nobody else seems to care about my problems...[a beat] It's weird." Comic illustration by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.] 

Sun Is Out (Haiku #2)

I drew a comic haiku about spring rain yesterday. Here is another weather update! 

Wishing you moments of peace and calm over the weekend...

Connie on Ko-fi

[Single-panel cartoon of a girl with a braid, napping barefoot on a grassy lawn, under blue skies on a sunny spring day. Yellow galoshes are off and umbrella is folded. Cartoon text is a haiku: "The sun is out now; / I am at peace with being / Alone forever." Haiku # 2 in a series. Comic illustration by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.] 

Rainy Days in Spring

I wrote a poem for the occasion :)

Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel comic of a figure standing in rain with a comically resigned expression. She's wearing a bear hoodie with yellow galoshes and is holding a folded umbrella. She's standing in a puddle; there are some background daffodils. In panel 2, she starts walking off-frame, umbrella open over her head. Caption reads: "Rainy days in spring / Make me wish I had someone / Hot to make out with." In parentheses, "a haiku." Webcomic by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]