"Lessons from Inkwell" is a graphic memoir that features the character Inkwell, who represents the most emotional, traumatized, and sometimes subconscious parts of me. With him, I delve into my tumultuous relationship with my father and the impact of a painful break-up, exploring how the past influences my current struggles with moral perfectionism, care, and activism. As I learn to face my father’s contradictions alongside my own, I weave my past into a new vision of my future.
In these two chapters, I show my journey towards accepting my humanity—contradictions and all. In further additions to "Lessons of Inkwell", I will seek a new understanding of care and activism, ending with an invitation for readers to work towards healing together. These will be released in Fall 2024.
My acceptance of Inkwell was once conditional on the form he took—I saw him as unwanted and monstrous unless he was small and convenient. Now I see that he—and I—deserve love and care in all of our forms. I hope this comic inspires others to think critically and compassionately about what healing means for themselves and the world we share, just as making it has done for me.
