A self-published book/zine I created in 2025 about my 2023 mental health episode. It was accepted to be part of the first LDComics online fair and was sold digitally during July 2025.
Find out more about my making process from my talk for LDComics online monthly global October 2025 (I am the last speaker and you can find my section at the 43 minute mark).
I used watercolour, pen, pencil, prose, Punjabi, and visual vignettes to create my exploration. I assigned a colour to each sense and how these develop in the graphic narrative represent the journey of the episode.
BUY THE ABRIDGED ZINE / DIGITAL DOWNLOAD HERE
The digital download is a 52 page pdf
The abridged zine includes the small sections of prose and has a poster of the cover on the back
Read my Colour Manifesto to find out more about the meanings behind the different use of colours.
Here is a very thoughtful description from my friend Lynn:
“Your work with colours, patterns, and composition is striking as ever. I like how you’ve split the comic into different senses, and how each sense has its own palette and pattern language. I also like how you’ve cut the pages into quarters, like you do with your zines, but then keep splitting and merging them into halves or a full page. It’s very a simple idea but looks like such a great structure in practice. The order of the colours is also a really nice choice, with how they get cooler as the narrative moves to things getting a bit better for you. Your writing is extremely evocative and deceptively simple, and you’ve got great control over its rhythm. I like how it’s not all constrained to a tiny box in the corner, and speaks with your drawings rather than alongside them”
BUY THE ABRIDGED ZINE / DIGITAL DOWNLOAD HERE
Reviews
- “Pam the comic is beautiful and so moving. Well done! Xx” – Charlotte
- “Pam! What an extraordinary piece of work!! Beautifully written, designed and illustrated. … glad that you found a way to process this through your creativity and your mother language. 👍👍🤩🤩” – Kerri
- “Hi Pam, I downloaded your excellent and inspirational work and was very moved by it. I am very much a visual person, so I loved the combination of words, colours and images. Words alone would not be so affecting and it is a wonderful way of giving the background to bipolar disorder.” – Karen
- “It’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing your experience so honestly. I love the way the colour schemes for each sense develop” – Jenny Robins
- “I love how you fusion between both languages – incredible and inspiring. This would be a brilliant resource for anyone who would love to learn the language. As well as those who would know the language too. The use of colour was really cool too.” – Cherish York
- “Everything you said about senses is so relatable.. since I am from India and know Hindi, I could engage more with the Punjabi letters and its design. I am surprised by how similar yet different Punjabi is from Hindi. It was a delight to enjoy your comic. I appreciate the support you are providing to people who have similar mental health concerns. Well done Pam
. The sense of hearing is my favourite part because silence has a lot of importance in our path of spiritual journey
.. all the best with your comic Pam
” – Sharan
- “It’s really cool art – love that you’re using lots of different mediums x” – Donna
- “I loved it so much – structuring it around the senses gives it so much clarity, but within that it’s actually really complex. Also just fascinating from a neuroscience perspective. You’ve described the experience so well. ” – Cat Andrews
- “Intense and vibrant – each page brought out the senses so vividly! For me [the pages on smell] connected so so closely to my experiences
As an immigrant, so many memories come back by just the whiff of jasmine flowers / mehendi
” – Devi Menon
- “It’s really good – really well done. I love the page layouts and the use of colour and shape to give the reader a sense of how you were feeling.” – Holly Burrows
- “Thank you for bringing together all these aspects of yourself and sharing them. The way you think, feel, see, reflect, so beautifully and generously expressed. I can’t stop thinking about the green and the pink” – Wallis Eates
- “I love your use of colour as representation, your use of Punjabi is beautiful, both in meaning & the shapes of words— I feel I can really step into some experiences with you, I feel invited in, there is such a tenderness & care in your words & images” – Tara Singh @shadedwriters
- “The artwork, the use of Punjabi, the colours, the text…. what you have created is extremely moving and powerful.” – F D. Lee
- “I actually sat and went through it twice. I was hugely proud that you were able to articulate your feelings into words. It is a brilliant piece of work and I’m very proud of how far you have come and appreciate that you could share that part of your life. I loved the art very much.” – Gemma-Louise
- “I thought you conveyed the experience of hypo mania really authentically and brilliantly. I really understood it. The style is super unique too. After reading your whole story, I also wanted to give you a big hug.
”- Mandy Norman
- “This comic is both a pleasure and an education, a visually stunning exploration of mental health through the senses. Each section is beautifully illustrated, rich, and inviting. I especially love that it’s written in both English and Punjabi. This enriches the reading experience, making it feel both familiar and unfamiliar, like a journey that’s safe, but at the same time adventurous. I know I’ll be dipping in and out of this comic for many years to come.” – Zina
Stuff by Pam 