It’s May, which means it’s Mental Health Awareness month. It’s especially important for artists and creatives to keep track of their mental health — making art is often a solitary activity, and often involves putting ones intense feelings into our work. That’s it’s crucial to seek out inspiration and positivity, and to make sure and get support when it’s necessary.
Jacqueline Chen knows this. She’s the illustrator and creator of Chibird, a positive and motivational series of drawings, comics, and animations. She even made this little comic just for Wacom and for artists:
Here’s what she had to say about the drawing: “I started out drawing nearly 10 years ago, and I would have never imagined back then how many people I’d be able to reach with my art. You don’t need expensive gear to start — I used the smallest, cheapest Wacom tablet for years. This comic was created with the Wacom One. The world needs more art, so please create if it’s in your heart!”
She had more to say about her experience with Wacom products in a conversation with us: “I started with a Wacom Bamboo in 2010 and moved to the Intuos CTH-480 after I won it at a design competition in college in 2016. I’ve been using that since then (pros: fits into my backpack when I travel!). The new Wacom One is great!”
One of the best ways to support independent artists is through their Patreon pages. In the below interview with Patreon, Chen discusses how direct support through a service like Patreon helps her stay creative:
If you want to support her, Patreon is a great way to do so — you’ll also get access to digital goods like wallpapers and physical goods like pins. You can also follow her on social media; check out her Instagram, X (Twitter), or even buy a super cute plush or other goodies from her store!
