okey-panky

Read a Moving Comic about Art, Doubt, and Dreams by Sophia Foster-Dimino

COMIC: MY GIRL, BY SOPHIA FOSTER-DIMINO

Read a Moving Comic about Art, Doubt, and Dreams by Sophia Foster-Dimino

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Panel 1: (Woman, in large, luxurious bathroom, putting on makeup.) I recently got a new job in addition to the five jobs I already have. Panel 2: (Woman, sleeping with head hooked up to a small recording device.) I'm a dream director, which just means I tape my dreams every night and upload them to social media in the morning. Panel 3: (Series of dreams)
Panel 1: (Woman, sitting at computer.) I started two weeks ago and I'm already doing pretty well. One of my dreams about satanic possession went viral and got featured on a popular content aggregator. Panel 2: (Woman, walking through apartment.) People tip a few cents if they like the dream. As supplemental income, it's not bad. My other five jobs are... Panel 3: (Woman, rolling out dough in kitchen.) One: I run a very small bed and breakfast out of my home. My special edge is in my gluten-free baked goods...
Panel 1: (Woman, making bed in eccentrically decorated room.) ...And my impeccably decorated guest bedrooms, which are themed "Hobbit Hole" and "Triadic Ballet." Panel 2: (Woman, walking by fountain.) Two: I designed and built a decorative fountain that faces the sidewalk running alongside my house. Every month, my girl and I harvest the change and go out for a nice meal. Panel 3: (Woman, at the cashier's desk of a gift shop.) Three: I own and operate a shop that sells zines, socks, sex toys, and artisanal chocolates, as well as miscellaneous gifts and supplies.
Panel 1: (Woman, drawing at a cafe. Barista approaching with a beverage and snack.) Four: I draw a daily strip for a respected publication, usually from a local coffeeshop where all the kind-hearted, cool-haired baristas know my usual. Panel 3: (Woman, making ceramics by a large craft table.) Five: I have a small studio on the outskirts of town where I do printmaking and ceramics in my free time.
Panel 1: (Woman, biking in the middle of the night) My girl's a celebrity. But she's modest about it. Panel 2: She has to travel a lot for her lectures and book tours. Woman, biking, on phone: Hi sugar muffin. How was your day? Panel 3: (Woman hanging bike on wall of her house.)
Panel 1: (Woman, washing dishes) Which is fine by me I love her but I also love being alone. Panel 2: (Woman soaping and rinsing dishes.) And if she were here all the time then maybe things wouldn't be going so well. Panel 3: (Woman, walking through her small, studio apartment) This is where I actually live.
Panel 1: (Woman, scrolling through the internet.) I moved here with my soon-to-be husband in early 2012. He moved out a few months ago. Panel 2: (Woman, washing her face in a small bathroom) I recently started going to therapy because my life stopped making sense to me. Panel 3: (Woman, sleeping in a small bedroom) I experience spells of intense psychological pain that in the past have driven me to injure myself. Panel 4: (Woman, doing a series of strange things.) Lately, I've been confused.
Panel 1: (Woman, pulling on sweatshirt.) Unable to make decisions. Panel 2: (Woman, sitting on the train.) Unable to understand the decisions I do make. Panel 4: (Woman, walking out the door.) Panel 5: (Woman, sitting in darkness.) My overactive imagination and needlessly intense sensitivity have shaped who I am as an artist.
Panel 1: (Woman, sitting in darkness, blowing noes and tossing out the tissue.) But they developed as a defense mechanism when I was in the weeds of a dark childhood. And now they prevent me from living my life in a healthy way. Panel 2: (Woman, biking down a hill.) My girl Panel 3: (Woman, stopped at the bottom of the hill.) Is a celebrity. Panel 4: (Woman, chaining her bike to a bike rest.) But she's modest about it.
Panel 1: (Woman, sketching.) When I think about the future I get scared. Panel 2: When I get scared I think about my fantasies. Panel 3: (Woman, reading.) She comes home. I've made her a decaf latte and a ginger carrot cupcake. Panel 4: (Woman, reading, back against her chair.) What's the version of this dream that could theoretically exist in the real world? Panel 5: (Woman begins to draw.) And can I see myself there? Panel 6: (Woman bending over book, beginning to draw. Flower bloom behind her.) And will i?

About the Author

Sophia Foster-Dimino is an illustrator & cartoonist living and working in San Francisco. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2010 with a BFA in illustration. Likes comics, videogames, biking, food, zines. See more of her work at www.hellophia.com.

More about the author

About The Commuter

The Commuter, arriving every Monday morning, is our home for flash fiction, graphic narrative, and poetry. Sign up  for The Commuter newsletter to get every issue straight to your inbox, or join our membership program for access to year-round submissions. EL’s lit mags are supported by the Amazon Literary Partnership, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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