Sequential Artists Workshop

What movements do you do every day? What shapes and motions do you NEVER make? What about when you're drawing?This practice is a gentle space to observe your movement habits in drawing, to not judge them, and to play with other possibilities of motion and feeling.This practice aims to teach your brain that moving, and drawing, can be safe from tension and pain.Let me know how it feels by leaving a review - I read them all, and I'd love to hear your experience!=Our theme music is Magic Hours by Aaron Comeau made for the Main St. Music Library. The Main St. Music Library hosts instrumental music created with simple parameters, with scores and instructions for listeners to recreate the music themselves . Musicians, artists, & listeners are encouraged to borrow freely from the library and return the materials in a different form than they found them. Find out more at mainstmusiclibrary.com.DisclaimerThis podcast is for information and exploration purposes only and is never intended as medical advice. Every viewer and listener is encouraged to seek medical attention at their own discretion. This podcast and the guided practices are tools for listeners to support their whole health, and should be used with care. Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

When you are interested in mental health and your own well-being, if you keep following that theme, sooner or later you’re going to get radicalized.This episode’s guest is YUMI SAKUGAWA!Yumi is a comics artist, meditator, creativity leader, and lovely human being. On my first ever podcast interview, she kept asking ME questions! Such is her curiosity and supportive nature.Our conversation roams between our (villain) origin stories, meditation, activism, personal and collective healing, and the many forms of creativity that happen in every day life.In each episode, I ask our guest if they have an offering for the listener, something to try themselves to explore and experience. Listen to the end to hear Yumi’s offering!Youtube link:=Episode Links & Resources:Yumi’s Website: https://www.yumisakugawa.comYumi’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/yumisakugawaYumi’s new COSMIC AFFIRMATIONS deck! https://www.yumisakugawa.com/cosmic-comfort=About the podcastDrawing Health is a podcast about the intersection of comics and health, also called Graphic Medicine. Through community interviews and guided audio practices, we explore the worlds within ourselves and without, nurturing your creative practice, inspiration, and personal health journey. Health and creativity are not at odds, they are two expressions of you.About the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW)The Sequential Artists Workshop is a grassroots, non-profit comics school and creative community. At SAW, we teach people how to tell stories and make comics in Gainesville, Florida, USA, and around the world via our online courses and resources. Go to www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org or www.drawinghealth.com to join our community of learners and artists today!DisclaimerThis podcast is for information and exploration purposes only and is never intended as medical advice. Every viewer and listener is encouraged to seek medical attention at their own discretion. This podcast and the guided practices are tools for listeners to support their whole health, and should be used with care. Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

DHPOD Episode 2: Listening Now (body awareness practice and guided meditation)If you’re just starting to listen to your body, it’s gonna hurt. Why? Because your body has been trying to get your attention, crying out in pain or numbing out in helplessness. The first thing you’ll hear, when you start listening, might be aaaaaaaallll that pain at once. It takes strength and patience to face that pain, and hear it, and feel it, and keep coming back. So this is a practice to build your strength, to start with acknowledging the pain, and to not shame yourself for how hard it all is.Join me for a gentle, guided meditation to connect with your body, tune in to what it needs, and tend to those needs as best you can. This practice is all about expanding your awareness and beginning to cultivate a kinder relationship with your body.As with any Drawing Health practice, get comfortable, take what feels good and supportive for you, and leave what doesn't. Reflection questions:- What is one small action you can take, in this moment, to tend to your physical needs?- How does it feel to tune in to your body's signals? - Did you notice any changes—physical, mental, emotional—while listening to this meditation, or after?Get comfortable. Really, really cozy. Don’t hold back on comfort now — it’s your first resource of strength to face the discomfort of feeling.=If you loved listening to this episode, or if it stirred something new in you, I'd love you to leave us a review. Sharing your experiences is a gift to yourself and others, and definitely me. I love learning how my offerings land in other people, and it really helps the show to find those who need it. If you want to connect with myself and others who are practicing Drawing Health in community every Saturday, just go to drawinghealth.com and sign up for the weekly live class.This is the Drawing Health podcast, a resource for your well-being and inspiration. I’m offering you ways to connect your creativity and your body, so that your health is never at odds with your art. Every Sunday, a new episode, alternating between graphic medicine interviews and guided audio practices. Listen, subscribe, and most of all: give feedback. Tell your stories, and experiences, by leaving a review or comment or sending an email. What I say doesn’t matter nearly as much as what you hear, feel, and learn about yourself. Your story matters, and sharing is a gift! =Music acknowledgementOur theme music is Magic Hours by Aaron Comeau made for the Main St. Music Library. The Main St. Music Library hosts instrumental music created with simple parameters, with scores and instructions for listeners to recreate the music themselves . Musicians, artists, & listeners are encouraged to borrow freely from the library and return the materials in a different form than they found them. Find out more at mainstmusiclibrary.com.DisclaimerThis podcast is for information and exploration purposes only and is never intended as medical advice. Every viewer and listener is encouraged to seek medical attention at their own discretion. This podcast and the guided practices are tools for listeners to support their whole health, and should be used with care. Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

Tom Hart and I have been working together for years, and as Founder and Director at SAW, Tom is the reason this podcast exists at all. What better way to start than to hear us in conversation, as we often are, but with microphones this time, discussing what Drawing Health, and our passion in graphic medicine, is all about.Topics include: Can comics heal? Do I hate making comics? What if I don’t understand what’s happening in my body? What if I draw the feeling? Drawing, sudden death, disability, capitalism’s grind, the importance of noticing our health when it’s GOOD, and more.Reflection questions:* What is YOUR definition of health?* What would it be like for you to draw with some simple constraints?* Are you interested in learning more about graphic medicine, with support?Episode links!SAW’s website: www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org Tom’s favourite book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/blossoms-and-bones-drawing-a-life-back-together-kim-krans Georgia’s book, Dumb: Living without a Voice: https://www.fantagraphics.com/products/dumb Graphic Medicine Summit 2025 Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6nZBKexfhvvSR2esA0uDSgCPCPRXSFXnMaureen Burdock’s Graphic Medicine Deep Dive course: https://www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org/graphic-medicine-deep-dive-with-maureen-burdock Graphic Memoir & Medicine Working Group: https://www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org/memoir-medicine-groupMusic acknowledgementOur theme music is Magic Hours by Aaron Comeau made for the Main St. Music Library. The Main St. Music Library hosts instrumental music created with simple parameters, with scores and instructions for listeners to recreate the music themselves . Musicians, artists, & listeners are encouraged to borrow freely from the library and return the materials in a different form than they found them. Find out more at mainstmusiclibrary.com.DisclaimerThis podcast is for information and exploration purposes only and is never intended as medical advice. Every viewer and listener is encouraged to seek medical attention at their own discretion. This podcast and the guided practices are tools for listeners to support their whole health, and should be used with care.#creativity #health #personalgrowth #graphicmedicine #comics #drawing Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

Tom Hart and Georgia Webber want to help comics creators by helping the people around them understand what they do. This first of four episodes is very informal, Tom and Georgia gathering their thoughts. Think of it as listening in as two professionals meet to try to improve their industry. In this wide-ranging talk, we talk about the Canadian grant system (they have grants there!) and jury assessment toolsWe get into teaching visual literacy in comics editing and fair compensation for artists and then a little bit about audiences and impact and a digression into Graphic Medicine. Free-ranging. Come join in!Other topics, according to the Zoom Bots:Canada's Artist Grant Evaluation CriteriaImproving Comics Grant AssessmentComics Creation Process UnderstandingChallenges in Comics EditingUnderstanding Health Through Cultural LensesComic Creation and Medical CollaborationGraphic Medicine and Comics ReviewFair Artist Compensation in GrantsThanks for being here! Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode fourteen and our finale of this season of Comics Karma, we welcome back Michael Aschner after MISSING his deadline and quitting another project, but after lots of processing and discovery. We talk about those artistic and personal discoveries on this episode. Plus Michael shows us how using AI to be silly helped him turn agony to laughter.Give it a listen ! This is the end of this season! Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode thirteen of Comics Karma, Lauren tries real life, and then we talk with the amazing Dante Gabriel Hookey who asks what comics mean, why are we telling stories, are we connecting at all, and what does empathy have to do with it?This one goes deep! Give it a listen ! And come back for more. We’ll be answering a different student each week for a few more weeks! Recorded at SAW on Zoom Thanks for listening! As always, you can participate live, by joining us in the COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH section of SAW Comics, or just visit us at sawcomics.org Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode twelve of Comics Karma, Lauren talks about an editor helping slash away at unneeded parts of her memoir. Then we invited Falling expert, Jim Hamilton to talk about social media, and finding one’s audience and being seen. I think we settle in on: do the thing that’s working and don’t worry about the thing that’s not working! Meanwhile, you’ll hear stories about life and death, about broken bones, about Nascar and more! Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode eleven of Comics Karma, Lauren is finishing up her 2nd to last chapter and we welcomed SAW member (and EISNER NOMINEE!) Pam Wye, who has been working on a stunning memoir, Water I Have Loved, a project that has been serialized in Mutha Magazine for may years. Pam wanted to talk about traumatic sense memory in comics, and we discussed the difference between a feeling and a narrative memory, and we discussed the role of adult and child, and her she serves both roles, as her main job is art teacher in New Jersey high school. And how learning how to handle the teens there has helped her help her childhood self needing expression. Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode ten of Comics Karma, Lauren is back from her art adventures and finds herself in balancing art and “real life.” (Hint: cleaning toilets isn’t that bad.) Then we welcomed SAW member Michael Aschner. We talked about finishing our work, about why Michael has loads and loads of unfinished work on his computer, and we talked at length about adult diagnoses of ADHD. Give it a listen ! And come back for more. We’ll be answering a different student each week for a few more weeks! Recorded at SAW on Zoom Thanks for listening! As always, you can participate live, by joining us in the COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH section of SAW Comics, or just visit us at sawcomics.org Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode nine of Comics Karma, Lauren calls in from Yaddo, where she is in a totally intense headspace and is finishing a chapter with the luxury of not having to worry about daily, ordinary tasks. We caught up with her for an hour to talk about this experience. Then we welcomed SAW member Janice Goldberg, to talk about imposter syndrome, and about when it’s ok to take a break on a very intense, personal story. This led to a discussion about “telling our story” vs daily therapeutic aspects of drawing and writing, about catharsis, about improv, about personal transformation, and about all the things we go through when tackling intense situations in our art.Give it a listen ! And come back for more. We’ll be answering a different student each week for a few more weeks! Recorded at SAW on Zoom Thanks for listening! As always, you can participate live, by joining us in the COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH section of SAW Comics, or just visit us at sawcomics.org Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode eight of Comics Karma, Tom and Lauren talk to Robert Danberg, who has been a student for so long, practicing and growing for so long, he wants to know, What is my path from Student to Author? We really explored the usual path of becoming published. Turns out the MFA Poetry World has more gatekeepers than we do in comics. Robert is hitting that point where he knows when something is finished, now he just needs to make the thing, put it into print, bind, it post it whatever, and build a network. We give him lots of tips! Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode seven of Comics Karma, Tom and Lauren talk to Kayte Young who spent a year on an 18 page comic, and is wondering, if this piece took so long, how am I ever going to finish my book? This episode went deep, as Lauren described “un-fact-checking” with her old friends, and what it’s like to time travel as you make a memoir. We agreed Kayte needed new energy, new ready-for-it, excited-to-be-working energy, and she’s got it. Give it a listen ! Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode six of Comics Karma, Tom and Lauren talk to Emil Wilson, who knows something is pretty good, maybe good enough, but wants to know at what point it's FINISHED. What’s holding him back from calling it done? “Is it perfectionism?” He asks. “Is it control? It it connected to who I am and wanting to present the best version of myself? Is it me ‘not wanting to let go?’ "Lauren, calling in from Ireland where she is secretly spying on her old high school friends, gives great advice as always, and Tom tells a story about how he felt after finishing his grief memoir, a story he’s never shared with anyone. Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode five of Comics Karma, Tom Hart and Lauren Weinstein are talking about comics and addressing students’ questions directly. Tom and Lauren talk to Jeannie Mecorney, who is telling a story of a troubled childhood, but she also caused trouble for her children as a result. How do you tell this story? Lauren as always, gives great advice, about drawing some work with no intention of showing it to anyone, and Tom recommends a couple approaches to bringing the children into the process. Give it a listen and come back for more. We’ll be answering a different student each week for 1 or maybe 2 more weeks! Recorded at SAW on Zoom Thanks for listening! Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 4 - I'm making a Frankenstein's monster of identity and memory. How do I do it?! With guest SAW member Dusty McGowan!In episode four of Comics Karma, Tom and Lauren talk about to Dusty McGowan, a genuine therapist! -who is having a crisis of identity.Dusty is doing a comic about a toy he remembers from his childhood but seems to be a figment of his imagination. Or is it? Is this a story about a toy or about identity or what? We get into it, giving therapy to the therapist!Lauren as always, is an expert in this stuff and gives her really good advice. Give it a listen and come back for more. We’ll be answering a different student each week for 2 more weeks!Recorded at SAW on ZoomThanks for listening!As always, you can participate live, by joining us in the COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH section of SAW Comics, or just visit us at sawcomics.org Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode three of the newly christened Comics Karma, with Tom Hart and Lauren Weinstein are talking about comics and addressing students’ questions directly.Tom and Lauren talk about their own work, and in the case of Lauren - a project that has taken more than 20 years, and then they welcome Lynn Bernstein, who has been doing a fascinating memoir about series of events in her marriage over 30 years ago. Lynn wants to know how to not feel the awful feelings she was feeling then, while revisiting these moments in her memoir. She also doesn’t want to out particular players in the story; she wants to know how to avoid these things.Luckily, Lauren is an expert in this stuff and gives her really good advice. Tom just stands by waiting to bad mouth an old friend. (Joke! We love you Ed!)Give it a listen and come back for more. We’ll be answering a different student each week for 3 more weeks!Thanks for listening!As always, you can participate live, by joining us in the COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH section of SAW Comics, or just visit us at sawcomics.org Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

In episode two of the newly christened Comics Karma, with Tom Hart and Lauren Weinstein are talking about comics and addressing students’ questions directly.Tom and Lauren talk about their own work, and in the case of Lauren - a project that has taken more than 20 years, and then they welcome Sally Charette, who has been working on a long story about her long-lived parrot, Dodger, but she has other ideas too.We talk about all of these things. We talked about life, death, politics, loss and rowing and crew! Lauren gave us the metaphor of the Coxswain who is in charge of the rowing crew. We all need a coxswain!Lauren also guided us through her 5 questions about whether it’s worth it to do a side project. * Is it interesting work? (Will I learn something new, is it related to what I MOST want to do?)* How much TIME will it take? Be honest.* Who will see it?* How much does it pay?* How much will it take away from my big project ?Tom said stuff too!Give it a listen and come back for more. We’ll be answering a different student each week for 4 more weeks!Thanks for listening!As always, you can participate live, by joining us in the COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH section of SAW Comics, or just visit us at sawcomics.org Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

While the Terrible Anvil takes a break, Tom Hart and Lauren Weinstein are taking the reins to talk about comics for a few weeks, and to address students’ questions directly.Tom and Lauren talk about their own work, and in the case of Lauren - a project that has taken more than 20 years, and then they welcome Brandon Hankins, whose webcomic Autumn Wing is delightful, fun and sincere. We love it.Brandon wants to know how to define success, how to keep going, how to know if it’s right to want validation, and how to finds an editor who won’t chop out the heart of his story. We talk about all of these things. We talked about sentiment, nature and silence in comics too. Give it a listen and come back for more. We’ll be answering a different student each week for 6 weeks!Thanks for listeningAs always, you can participate live, by joining us in the COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH section of SAW Comics, or just visit us at sawcomics.org Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe

Our very last episode of The Terrible Anvil (Season One) was recorded this week! With Tom and Jess together in the same room! We tried to tie a bow around the business of comics by offering ideas on HOW TO KEEP GOING (FOREVER), AKA making your own sustainable comics practice amidst inner/outer turmoil and also remembering to wash the dishes. A big takeaway from this episode: CELEBRATE SMALL WINS! Other thoughts from the call: * Forming bonds with others and keeping each other going is a great form of sustainable accountability * DEADLINES also keep us going - we can't forget the TERRIBLE ANVIL! * You can have accountability buddies in near strangers too, like SAW's organically-formed online meeting spaces * Body doubling is a great hack! * Wanting to impress your friends can be a great motivator too (you don’t have to impress the whole world!) There's more from this final episode, so check it out—and catch up on any others you've missed! And don't worry, this isn't goodbye. It's see you later! Stay tuned for a sequel season of The Terrible Anvil podcast! In the meantime, consider joining the SAW FLOW + PUBLISH member group, where you'll get access to a supportive community and expert guidance on getting your comics published! Sign up here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/comics-flow-group As always, happy making!! 💬 DONATIONS SAW Comics is a 501C-3 non-profit and we thrive on your support and donations to keep arts education accessible! You can support us on: ➡️ Patreon:   / sawcomics  ➡️ PayPal: https://learn.sawcomics.org/pages/donate➡️ Or become a sustaining donor: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/s...Thank you for being here! Get full access to How to Make a Graphic Novel at sawcomics.substack.com/subscribe