We can’t run away from our demons – they always find a way to creep upon us. If we want to get rid of them, we have to sit down with them, look them in the eyes, and have an honest conversation. This is exactly what the artist Skullbird has been doing afterlife hit them hard, in the form of funny comic series, called Chats with the Void.

The full-time graphic designer got the idea for the webcomics project a couple of years ago. “I had a lot of rejection all at once. Career rejections, love rejections, one after another,” Skullbird told Bored Panda. “Life’s just like that sometimes. When you end up in situations like that, you can get a lot of intrusive thoughts about your life and your value as a person. A little voice starts creeping into your head telling you bad things about yourself when you’re trying to sleep at night. I eventually got so worn down by this I just started having mental discussions with these negative thoughts instead of shoving them aside.”

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Image credits: skullbird

“I mean, ignoring it wasn’t working, so why not. I think by regularly confronting myself whenever that voice kicked in, I started changing the voice from being cruel into being constructive. That’s where the idea of the talking-void came from. Turning these negative perspectives and feelings into a kinder constructive force. I really enjoyed the idea of everyone having this little shadow of positivity waiting to be let out. In a way, depression and sadness are tools nature gave us to get out of bad situations, they’re just very difficult tools to learn how to use.”

Image credits: skullbird

The artist describes his comic strips as optimistic nihilism with animals. “Animals are my favorite thing to turn into cartoon drawings. There’s a lot of symbolism and associations tied to certain animals, and part of the fun is deciding what species fits a drawing idea the best. It’s a great way to slide in a little extra meaning to anyone looking for some. There’s a lot of media out there already that shows humanity confronting the void, but we’re not the only living beings out there that have to deal with an uncaring universe. Humans just probably think about it the loudest.”

Image credits: skullbird

Skullbird believes that a lot of fears are best dealt with by exposing yourself to them. “Concepts like death and meaninglessness are things that we all have to confront eventually. It’s certainly easier and more enjoyable to distract yourself from these things, but they’re ultimately inescapable concepts you’ll have to deal with eventually. It’s better, in the long run, to acknowledge them, accept them, sit down, and get to know each other. I think that’s a healthier approach. To look fear in the face and say ‘Hi, I see you.'”

Image credits: skullbird

Image credits: skullbird

Image credits: skullbird

Image credits: skullbird

Image credits: skullbird

Image credits: skullbird

People had a lot to say about Skullbird’s comics

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