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For My 30th Birthday, I Made 24 Comics About My Workaholic Lifestyle
I knew I wanted to do something special hitting that big 30. I had always wanted to try my hand at slice-of-life webcomics and figured this would be as good a time as any. How fitting it was that my special gift to my workaholic self was more work.
Keep Busy is a semi-autobiographical, dark comics. The drawing ideas often come from real experiences, fears, and thoughts I have or have had. While the cartoon drawings have given me more work which I already had plenty of, I don’t regret making these funny comics, for it has been a wonderful place to turn frustration into comedy. This dark humor makes me laugh and maybe – just maybe – it makes you laugh as well.
In the end, all I ever hope for is that it entertains you.
More info: tapas.io | Instagram | helgemonster.com
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I made this one for Valentine’s Day
Deadlines – handle with care
When you’re a freelancer, money comes in bulks. Saving isn’t always easy
Me and paperwork have a complicated relationship
Ideas show up anywhere, but mostly in bed
When something bad happens, think cosmic!
The beginning
How many projects do you have in your closet?
Energy drinks are healthy… right?
Sometimes I show you some helpful business tricks!
We’ve all been there. Some things were not meant to be…
A very useful technique for handling paperwork!
I’m a designer, and sometimes. SOMETIMES. Logic just doesn’t work
Grim Jr. is probably my personal favourite character in Keep Busy
Learning what mistakes to let go is an important step in becoming a better artist
DistraCATions
My random art folder is a mine field
Sometimes a good idea consists of old ideas reimagined!
I’m learning Japanese in my spare time, some things are easy, some… not so much
My diet would have most dietitians screaming
Meta humor about the creative process is one of my favourites
I don’t work for the sake of money, but it sure would be nice if I didn’t have to worry about it
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What do you think ?
GodOfHyperdeath 5 years ago
This...is...awesome. grim reaper jr is now my favourite comic character.
Random Panda 5 years ago
The guy gets paid to do what he loves all day. Sounds like a dream and you sound like a sad jealous person.
Flame Phoenix 5 years ago
So? It makes he / she happy, and that's what they like. Let them enjoy this, no need to make fun of them.
Kururi.Orihara 5 years ago
As some one who is also trying to learn Japanese (with Duolingo, I don’t have enough for text books), I can relate to the kanji one on a personal level.
Lars Erik Helgemo (Post author) 5 years ago
Duolingo is pretty nice - I've tried out WaniKani for Kanji and vocabulary, and can say it's been working really well so far. It costs money, but it's free in the beginning. Just thought I'd mention it :)
Load More Replies... 
Gonzalo Terán 5 years ago
I really like your character designs. Waiting for more of these. Drawing... NOW!
Dilly Millandry 5 years ago
When you are 40 you'll look back and think 'wtf was I worried about'.
Lena Hudson 5 years ago
The one where he is getting comforted by the cosmos made me laugh out loud. Relatable.
Juan Alcorta 5 years ago
By the time I was 40, I realized that deadlines were put by insecure bosses to feel safe in their places. Never been a workaholic again.
Jennifer Erdossy 5 years ago
The monochrome scheme might be a mistake ... it literally took me 90% of the way through the series to realize he didn't have an extremely oddly-shaped mouth, but a goatee.
Lars Erik Helgemo (Post author) 5 years ago
Thanks for checking out the comic! I understand that this comic is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. I'm happy for your input, it's nice to see the other side of the coin sometimes. I'm definitely not sharing my philosophy as in: "I wish more people did this" - I strongly suggest that they do not, as long as they can avoid it. The comic displays a very extreme version of myself, but I love working, so that part is true. Not sure what replying to this gives me, but anyway - I'm not going to eat up your time any more. Have a good day :)
Load More Replies...
Amr Mohamed 5 years ago
Such class! Nailed the response. Much respect. Keep doing what you love. I did find these relatable. While my work is of a slightly different nature, Im doing my best to juggle both: playing with my toddler, bathe her, put her to sleep, then sometimes work until 3 and regret it for the next few days, but getting awesome stuff done keeps me going =). And the money, that helps too =p.
GodOfHyperdeath 5 years ago
This...is...awesome. grim reaper jr is now my favourite comic character.
Random Panda 5 years ago
The guy gets paid to do what he loves all day. Sounds like a dream and you sound like a sad jealous person.
Flame Phoenix 5 years ago
So? It makes he / she happy, and that's what they like. Let them enjoy this, no need to make fun of them.
Kururi.Orihara 5 years ago
As some one who is also trying to learn Japanese (with Duolingo, I don’t have enough for text books), I can relate to the kanji one on a personal level.
Lars Erik Helgemo (Post author) 5 years ago
Duolingo is pretty nice - I've tried out WaniKani for Kanji and vocabulary, and can say it's been working really well so far. It costs money, but it's free in the beginning. Just thought I'd mention it :)
Load More Replies... Gonzalo Terán 5 years ago
I really like your character designs. Waiting for more of these. Drawing... NOW!
Dilly Millandry 5 years ago
When you are 40 you'll look back and think 'wtf was I worried about'.
Lena Hudson 5 years ago
The one where he is getting comforted by the cosmos made me laugh out loud. Relatable.
Juan Alcorta 5 years ago
By the time I was 40, I realized that deadlines were put by insecure bosses to feel safe in their places. Never been a workaholic again.
Jennifer Erdossy 5 years ago
The monochrome scheme might be a mistake ... it literally took me 90% of the way through the series to realize he didn't have an extremely oddly-shaped mouth, but a goatee.
Lars Erik Helgemo (Post author) 5 years ago
Thanks for checking out the comic! I understand that this comic is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. I'm happy for your input, it's nice to see the other side of the coin sometimes. I'm definitely not sharing my philosophy as in: "I wish more people did this" - I strongly suggest that they do not, as long as they can avoid it. The comic displays a very extreme version of myself, but I love working, so that part is true. Not sure what replying to this gives me, but anyway - I'm not going to eat up your time any more. Have a good day :)
Load More Replies... Amr Mohamed 5 years ago
Such class! Nailed the response. Much respect. Keep doing what you love. I did find these relatable. While my work is of a slightly different nature, Im doing my best to juggle both: playing with my toddler, bathe her, put her to sleep, then sometimes work until 3 and regret it for the next few days, but getting awesome stuff done keeps me going =). And the money, that helps too =p.
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