Huh? Writing about myself? This should be fun! It was 4 am during the first COVID lockdown in the UK. I couldn't sleep so I decided to make the 'clever' decision of opening Instagram. Surely the blue light burning my eyes will help me sleep, right? There I saw a series of comics in my feed that really lifted my mood. I thought to myself "I can make these... I mean... how hard can it be?" So I downloaded the first sketching app I could find on the Play Store and got started... but wait... who am I? I mean... I know who I am, but who will this comic character be? What would be unique, make me stand out from the crowd of all the other comic characters?
There I am, hiding under my blanket in total darkness with my phone being the only source of light. I pathetically slid my finger across my screen in the attempt to make my main character and, to be quite honest, it kind of came out okay. First try! Guess I got lucky. She had a pastel orange hijab with a little bit of brown hair showing (hehe naughty) and a cute pink dress with contrasting blue shoes. She was perfect and I knew from that moment, she was the face of a new chapter of my life: Sakiki Comics.
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The Birthday Bill
Because it was lockdown, I had a lot of free time. So much so, that I managed to create 45 unique comics. They weren't all that great, but some had potential. At this point I thought to myself "Is it time to share these comics with the world? Yeah, why not? What's the worst that could happen?" I started my Instagram page on the 3rd of August, 2019, where I uploaded my first 3 comics.
If Only
My growth was... slow, but that didn't stop me from making more comics. I had too much free time to stop now anyway. I continued to post on a schedule and interacted with the small community I had. After a month (or so) I had my first 1000 followers. I was amazed, people actually like my comics! Could this be something more? And yes, as usual, I got overexcited and started to plan big things e.g. merchandise, Discord servers, wallpapers, etc. but then it hit me. My Ph.D.
Best Buds, I Think Not
You must be wondering... "Who is the person behind these comics? What do they do? What do they look like?" Yes, even I am laughing, I doubt anyone thought these questions, you're just a stranger on the internet who stumbled across this page. I'm going to talk about myself a little bit regardless because... I can. I'm a British Muslim girl living in the UK where I've studied a great deal... oof... a BEng, MSc and now a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. I've always been in touch with my artistic side but never really found the time to ever delve deep enough into it.
Life In Hd
I'd say I'm a quiet person, an 'introvert', someone who'd stay at home with her cats and watch some baking. I wouldn't say I'm the most popular of people. I have a few friends, an amazing family and that is okay. I'm happy. Heck... I am lucky for the people that I have in my life and they know who they are! Okay... I'll shut up about myself now. The purpose of introducing myself was to link how not being able to fully express myself in the real world has now been enabled through the creation of comics. That is all.
Do Not Try This At Home
So let's move on to the theme of my comics. Why did I choose a light-hearted, humorous theme in this dark, crazy world? Well, that's just it. My purpose is to provide a portal away from the world to lift people's spirits and to focus on the good. I always ensured I replied to as many comments, messages, etc. as quickly as I could. Some people would just like a friend, and if that meant just listening to what they say, then isn't it worth the effort? My comic community is important to me and it always will be.
Doc: What's Up?, Me: Heartbreak
Okay, I've gone on long enough, maybe I'll continue my story in another article. I'll just summarise (promote haha) what I've done up to now. It's been over 1 year and I have reached over 21,000 followers with a very strong, loyal fan base (my Stalkikis). I have a Discord server, Giphy stickers, and merchandise on the way. I have so much to tell you. I hope you can stick around and join me on my journey, but for now, here are a few sample comics. I truly hope that you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them for you.