It's finally summer and I feel a strange melancholy about losing something that has only just begun.

We’re in the middle of a heat wave, and I couldn’t be happier. The older I get, the more I feel like I’m more or less alone in enjoying temperatures above 26°C. Everyone around me seems unable to stop complaining about the weather, while I’m actively looking for excuses to spend more time outdoors.

At the same time, I’m already dreading autumn and winter. Summer feels so fleeting, like a brief moment that has to be embraced as fully as possible, because the other three quarters of the year are always waiting just around the corner, when everything feels less beautiful, less interesting, and less full of possibility.

Summer is the most life-affirming time of year, and I’ll do my best to make the most of it.

Anyway, let's get into last week's comics!

Monday

I’m a huge fan of the EU and genuinely think it’s an important force for human-first legislation in the world. Not every decision is a complete banger, but when it comes to pushing giant corporations like Apple and Meta towards less batshit-insane policies, we’ve been one of the leading forces.

But there are two wolves inside me: the one that loves the EU, and the one that loves unregulated technology because it’s fun to play around with new shiny toys. Unfortunately, those two interests aren’t aligning very well at the moment. Apple’s recent keynote, where it showcased Siri AI but said it won’t be available in the EU, was only the latest symptom of that.

Tuesday

Sometimes quality time together means doing things separately, but side by side. And I love that. I tend to want to do too much, especially in someone’s company. So working on my little projects while Anna works on hers is, to me, about as cosy as it gets.

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I’m very pleased with the first drawing here. The focus on the giant trees, the contrast, and the little character hopping along all came out nicely.

Wednesday

My bike-boy transformation is still ongoing. I’ve yet to take a trip on it that I didn’t somehow enjoy. Traffic can be a bit spooky at times, but the more I ride, the better I handle complex crossings and left turns.

Disclosure Day was incredible. I went in with zero expectations and wasn’t prepared for how confused, surprised, and emotional the ending would leave me.

There’s something about the idea that we might not be alone—something I strongly believe, because it just seems too probable—that makes me feel hopeful and happy. Somehow, everything feels a little less serious if Earth isn’t the only planet with intelligent life. It’s okay if we mess up. Somewhere out there, some species is doing a better job than we did. That nuclear war that turned our planet to ash becomes just a footnote in a universe full of life.

(Does this feel hopeful to anyone else? I have a feeling it may come across as a bit bleak to some.)

Thursday

If you don't know Lisa Hannigan, watch this, this, this and finally this. If none of these appeal to you, feel free to unsubscribe from this newsletter. I want nothing to do with you.

I loved her with Damien Rice, but she became my favourite artist of all time when she went solo. I’ve already seen her live twice, and her concerts are few and far between these days. But travelling to London just to see her might be a bit much.

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I discovered @hierbutaujourdhui on Instagram this week, and her expressions and gestures inspired me to start incorporating more of that into my own work. This comic is a little copycat-ish in places, but I really like it because it feels so dynamic and expressive.

Friday

Life is better when you’ve got things to look forward to. I don’t really care that much about any of these games, but knowing there’s one on tonight—and having a reason to watch because one of your friends built a betting game and you want to win. Fun all around! Plus, I love learning about things. Why should that stop just because it’s weird trivia about soccer clubs and players? It’s just another topic to nerd out over.

Saturday

Escape rooms are great. They’re like video games in real life, and I love both video games and real life. That’s really my whole point here: I love escape rooms. And the fact that I’m able to write this right now proves that I escaped from every single one of them. I’m something of a natural.

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Of all 164 days I’ve drawn something this year, up to and including this comic, this one is by far my favourite. I love how it tells a little adventure story and feels a bit confusing at first, especially because my comic journal hadn’t shown anything that wasn’t “real” before. I also really like how the twist is revealed through that person opening a secret door into the behind-the-scenes world.

Sunday

In Germany, we have the concept of the Innerer Schweinehund, the internal “pigdog” you have to fight because it always pushes you towards the lazy, less constructive choice in any situation. Defeating the pigdog is one of the best feelings ever. You’re arguing with yourself over something you don’t want to do and, at the same time, do want to do. Metacognition in action!

This is where most of you will leave us. That’s okay. I hope you have a great week. Members, please read on to find out how a picture frame fundamentally changed my relationship with my own art.

Put it in a frame

On my birthday, I was FaceTiming with my father and his wife when they caught me sitting by the Alster, painting a small scene of what I saw in that moment. I held it up for them briefly, and then the conversation moved on.

A couple of hours later, my father texted to say that his wife had mentioned how much she would love to have that painting. I replied with something noncommittal and let it pass.

My relationship with my own art still isn’t particularly healthy. That’s my main goal in this first Year of Art: I want to feel good about what I’m doing in my creative practice. I still belittle it too much. I don’t see anything I make as having real value, and I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps it’s because I’m not suffering over here. I’m simply painting and drawing happily, seeing what happens. Of course I’m practising and trying to improve, but it still feels like a sweet little hobby rather than a serious endeavour.

But is it? Should it be?

I’m actually quite serious about my Year of Art. I draw every day. I intend to turn it into a Life of Art. I don’t want to stop. Ever.

So at what point will I start taking the results seriously?

I didn’t actually plan to give my father’s wife that painting. I’d have to cut it out of my sketchbook, which would ruin the whole chronology, and anyway, why would anyone want that stupid little sketch? I can do three of them in an hour.

Then two things happened.

First, I thought I’d be a better stepson if I did her this favour.

Second, I didn’t like how precious my sketchbook felt to me, how reluctant I was to cut pieces out of it. I want to fill enough sketchbooks with enough paintings like that that it won’t matter if one or two go missing. Wanting to hold on to this one felt like a symptom of something I needed to get better at.

So I did. I cut out the painting and... framed it.

This should not have had such a big impact on me, but I was completely flabbergasted (one of my favourite English words. What a beauty.) by how much it changed the way that little sketch felt. It suddenly felt tangible. Like something with inherent value.

Note: This is a very cheap frame from Amazon. I mean really cheap — like €4 cheap. The value isn’t in the frame itself, but in the fact that this piece of art was considered worthy of being framed.

This changed something inside me. Apparently, I can’t really trust myself to assess the quality of my own work. I should listen to others more often and maybe frame a thing or two so I can see what they see.

A frame to reframe.

Poetic!

Cheers,
Marcel

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