This month I had my 25th
birthday (yeah, just put all the cards and presents in the corner over
there). On this milestone, I look at all
my friends and I see some of them getting their own places, having kids,
getting married, etc. while I’m still mulling by. It’s stuff like that makes me begin to wonder
what this whole adulthood thing is about.
Am I even adulating the way I
ought to be? Are there certain
benchmarks I’m supposed to be reaching by now?
Boomers and X-er’s constantly tell us how “Back in my day, when I was
your age, I had a job, a house, and [insert thing here].” Now I’m not trying to go into start an
argument over which generation is more horrible (you guys know how to do that
on your own), I just find myself asking more of those questions when I hear
that sort of thing.
 |
| The awkward and lovable Sarah |
Over last year and
this year, I’ve become a fan of the webcomic series Sara’s Scribbles by artist Sarah Andersen. These delightful comics follow the day-to-day
life of the character Sarah, as she deals with entering the new world of
adulthood. These escapades range from
love, socializing with people (ugh), and the trials that adulthood and life
likes to throw at you. With her boyfriend or pet bunny by her side, Sara faces the world head on, with an air of anxiety and melodrama. Recently,
Andersen has published a selection of her comics into a book entitled Adulthood is a Myth.
The greatest strength
that Andersen’s comics have is their relatability between the work and the audience. Many of these comics deal with things that you
and I face in some form or another. I’ve
always had some connection to the book oriented comics that Andersen draws periodically,
these include the love of smelling books and prioritising my money to buy them.
I find a connection
with these examples because I have a love – teetering on obsession at times –
for books. Going even further,
Sarah’s interactions with the world around her shows how much of a joke the
concept of adulthood is just by the fact that she is still childish in her
reactions to certain situations, a thing we all can relate with.
I should say that
Andersen is not a voice of her generation even if her generation can relate to Sarah’s Scribbles the most. I think that any generation – whether they be
a Boomer, X-er, or Millennial – can simply relate to Andersen’s work because these
are comics that anyone can relate.
In closing, I highly
recommend Sarah Andersen’s webcomic series and even her book Adulthood is a Myth. The character Sarah is someone we can see and
think to ourselves “That’s totally me!” and good laugh out of our follies. At the same time, it softens the idea that
adulthood is this black monster that need you to give up on what makes you… you…
by saying “hey, don’t worry, adulthood is a myth so have some fun and enjoy
yourself!” For that, Sarah Andersen – if
you are reading this – I thank you for that up lifting message.
If you want to check out more:
Official Website: http://sarahcandersen.com/
Illustrative Work: http://www.sarahandersenart.com/
**All art used in this post are the property of Sarah Andersen and her respected associates.**
Bibliography
"Robot Check." Robot
Check. Accessed November 23, 2016. https://www.amazon.ca/Adulthood-Myth-Sarahs-Scribbles-Collection/dp/1449474195.
"Sarah's Scribbles." Sarah's
Scribbles. Accessed November 23, 2016. http://sarahcandersen.com/.
Andersen, Sarah. Adulthood is a
Myth. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing. 2016.
Andersen, Sarah. "Sarah's Scribbles." Pinterest. Accessed November 23, 2016. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/401735229239719070/.
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