Why Now? Why Zen?

A post about why you're at this party.

Now & Zen is a weekly comic about living through the now/living in this world with some degree of stillness.

For a long, long time my work was about the Now - i.e, covering the news.
As the global women’s rights reporter for BuzzFeed News, I wrote about the ways in which the world was terrible to women, and how despite it all, women persevered (if you like, you can read some of that writing here).
A year before BuzzFeed News closed down and much before the New Yorker began talking about the media going extinct, I realised that the news was starting to feel a lot like holding a fire hose of trauma directly to my face,
and that I needed a change in direction.

This newsletter is about finding my way after that. It’s a collection of illustrated guides through which I make sense of the world. It’s me looking for meaning, purpose and even joy, despite all of the ways in which the world can feel like a hopeless place. It’s also free.

What You’ll Get Here (in addition to comics)

Writing and art about the things I am currently obsessed with, eg:
* Female archetypes in folk tales, urban legends, and reality television.
* Artificial Intelligence and what it means for human creativity
and culture.
* Artists who make my heart explode with joy.
* Occasionally, thoughts on Bollywood (my problematic fave).

Weekend playlists — because algorithms are exhausting and the best way
to discover new music is through people who listen to music all their waking hours (like me).

Made-up Magazines, Books and posters I want to see in the world.
Like this travel magazine for unconventional tourists that I made in graphic design school, or the poster below which I made about Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone, when she was being trolled for saying (deep breath) she and her partner were in an open relationship when they first met as two consenting adults.

A thing I find I often do is issue a disclaimer immediately after I make something I put effort, thought and creativity into.

For example, a part of my brain might be nervously muttering right now —

Hey! this newsletter is a colossal experiment and it’s possible you will hate it! I’m sorry if I upset you with this attempt at expressing myself freely! I’ll try to tone it all down!

But I’m learning to recognise that urge as me pre-emptively placating the naysayers (real and imaginary), the tsk-tskers, the pooh-poohers and the no-pointers. I’m also learning that the urge to placate them is unnecessary, because I’d rather be making this newsletter than not making it, and I think you’ll have more fun reading it than not reading it.