As an illustrator and artist suffering from imposter syndrome, as many creatives do, this still is one of my favourite illustrations of all time. Largely because of the following reasons

A) I love both people pictured in this illustration (Karan and Mesh, if you’re reading this, you’re both so loved!)

B) Karan commissioned this. Do you know how great it feels when someone recognizes your work as inherently valuable and WANTS you to capture and preserve a memory they only have int he camera of their minds? For eternity?! Yeah, this was one of the first times I had the chance to feel that way, and my friend made me feel that way. I am so grateful that I had the chance to do that!

C) I love being abl to draw platonic queer expressions of love. I have had the great fortune of being loved by friends in ways that are so sacred, deep and whole, that it leaves me speechless most of the time. I find it hard to communicate and express that through my own work sometimes. And to be honest, I keep a lot of it to myself. The fact that someone chose me to portray their love, and wanted to share it with the whole world like a proud parental figure makes me incredibly happy.

Thanks for the trust, thanks for your love and friendship. It makes my life so much richer.