GRAPHIC ZINE
I am depressed
For a few days, I felt slightly untethered, unproductive, unmotivated, and unable to push through it. Trying to push through the feeling only made it heavier. Instead of forcing momentum, I decided to sit with it. What began as a short poem became this zine.
The publication explores that quiet, looping negotiation between obligation and exhaustion. The small “buts” that accumulate throughout the day. Rather than resolving the feeling, the zine holds space for it.
Visual style and illustration
I wanted the illustrations to mirror how I felt: present, but not fully participating. The visual language is intentionally minimal. The simple line drawings grounded in everyday domestic space, overlaid with a ragdoll-like ghost figure that haunts the space.
I initially wanted the ghost to feel like a physical stamp layered over the illustration. Without access to a scanner, I experimented digitally to recreate that stamped texture and separation.
All text is handwritten to preserve a sense of irregularity and unpredictability. The slightly askew nature of the lettering mirrors the emotional imbalance, subtly unsettled.
I wanted the zine to feel quiet rather than dramatic, allowing the repetition of the text and the presence of the ghost to carry the emotional weight. Reflecting how I felt at that moment.
