Fran Meneses’ Comics is a Spoonful of Sugar

We’ve lately taken to Fran Meneses’ pastel-colored webcomics. Delightful as it is heartwrenching, Meneses has a way of translating everyday struggles into aesthetically pleasing illustrations that are highly relatable. A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, right?

Aside from her webcomics, she also runs an online shop and films videos for her YouTube channel. But even the most talented of creators find themselves in a creative rut from time to time. “I think many illustrators are going to relate to this, but every time I get stuck in a creative rut, I watch a Studio Ghibli movie,” she told the Patreon blog.

“I also love going out and walking… When I’m having a tough time, I also try to take it easy and read, draw stuff I like, take a bath, work at a cafe, meet up with my fellow illustrator friends, and talk with my husband Ed. He’s a creator, too, so we go through the same emotions that surround creativity. In my opinion, talking with someone can be one of the fastest ways to overcome a tough time or a creative crisis.”

Living with her husband, who works as a writer, the two also work together on a graphic novel. “In 2013 my husband Ed and I made this crazy decision of selling everything we owned, pack one suitcase each, and moved (with our two fat cats Hamburguesa and Cereal) to Europe, in the search of our dream city/place to live,” she explained on her website. “We’ve been living all over the world since then: Cologne, Berlin, London, Hastings, and less than a year ago we moved to New York City.”

But wherever the world takes her, we know she’ll do good. Here are some highlights from her Instagram page.

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Checking up on people (who hurt you), an essay

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Scary things I don't like thinking about

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