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Some artists choose to use their talent and creativity to contribute to larger causes, focusing their work on common social issues. There's nothing wrong with dedicating their crafts to something as light-hearted as humor, as everyone needs it from time to time! Then there's a third group of creative minds, attempting to combine both approaches to create something light in form yet with deeper meaning, discussing important matters in a lighthearted way to make them more approachable to a wider audience.

Today, we're excited to introduce you to the work of Henry James Garrett, a writer, illustrator, and the creator of the wildly popular Instagram account formerly known as Drawings of Dogs, now simply named after him. Through his heartwarming drawings featuring animals and everyday objects, the artist focuses on expressing thoughtful ideas about wellness, social justice, equality, LGBT identity, and more.

More info: Instagram | henryjgarrett.com | twitter.com

Bored Panda reached out to Henry to find out more about his work. We were wondering what inspired the artist to start creating his heartwarming cartoons. The illustrator shared with us: “I began creating comics in earnest when I dropped out of academic philosophy due to anxiety. I wanted a way to talk about morality - what doing the right thing consists of, and why we don't always do it - that was more accessible, had a wider reach, and was more likely to connect with people emotionally; in my drawings, I've found just that.”

Henry continued and told us more about his first creations: “The initial inspiration for drawing animals and objects was my dog, Billie, who was always with me and had such personality and warmth. Ideas delivered by animals act a bit like a Trojan Horse, people let their guard down due to cuteness, and then wham! I confront them with their complicity in violent forms of structural oppression.”

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Asked about recurring themes and motifs in his cartoon series, the artist answered: “It's nearly all politics. But so is life. Dogs feature most regularly in terms of who the actual characters are. But thematically, I touch on gender, race, colonialism, capitalism, queerness, disability, fatness, and the Israeli genocidal campaign.”

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Dick Fint
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's what should happen to anybody who disrespects ladies. Stood on their head with a stick up their you know where.

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Juan Tenorio
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Hello adult, you're a child." Doesn't fit as well when properly translated.

Ragnarok (UR/re/tar/ded)
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

False equivocation. Caterpillar and butterfly are more akin to child and adult categories and virtually no one disagrees that you inevitably transition from one to another. It's more like the butterfly is saying "I'm a lady bug" and the snail is saying "no you are clearly and obviously a butterfly". That's not phobic it's just a description of reality.

Anonymous User
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5 months ago

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Jaya
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A trans man is mentally a man, and doctors can change his body to be very masculine. Feeling ánd looking like a man is meaningfully different, it's way more than just making a statement.

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John Smith (he/him/xy/️)
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5 months ago

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Jaya
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What functionality is that? Trans women are mentally already women, trans men are mentally already men. And you can change the body to work perfectly fine as the opposit sex. The only difference in functionality is fertility and the ability to breastfeed, but plenty of cis women also can't breastfeed, plenty of cis men and cis women are infertile too. Are they not really women and men n'either, because they lack the functionality of their sex?

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Jason Chambers
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing to do with humans and trans, it's transform phobia, godddddd!

Silviu Leibovici
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nah, you can't compare natural development to desired transition... It's like wanting to remain with first teeth you had through adulthood... Them wings grew on the body , nobody glue them on and said... I'm not crawling anymore...

anonymouse
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Me and my family are conservative. My father acknowledges the LGBTQ community, but he raised my siblings and I to know right from wrong. We don't discriminate, but we don't follow. This isn't showing transphobia, it's truly just showing someone being rude to another human being. Sure, a confused human being, but a human being nonetheless.

Type--(kg/m3)
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5 months ago

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R41PH3A1
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5 months ago

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No, the butterfly will always be a caterpillar in the inside, but will always be a butterfly on the outside.

Rodney Sumner
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5 months ago (edited)

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Oh for heaven's sake!! Since when did a caterpillar require the surgeon's knife and the expectation everyone else use suspension of disbelief?! Caterpillars transform themselves on the genetic level while human beings just hack away at the fringes, so to speak.

Kelly H. Wilder
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rodney, you have made many repugnant comments on this listicle. This particular comment, however, is not merely disgusting...it is scientifically inaccurate. The genome of a caterpillar is unchanged by metamorphosis. Only the physical morphology of the insect is changed. The illustration is apropos because the science stands behind both comparisons. The butterfly doesn't change its identity by changing its DNA, nor do trans humans. There is so much more to life than genetic sequence.

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Lastly, we wanted to know how Garrett comes up with ideas for his new illustrations, and we found out: “I ask myself what I'm angry about today. I try to contend with what tragically mistaken habit of thought has allowed a group of humans, all of whom I believe to be capable of courageous kindness and atrocious cruelty under the right circumstances, to head down that latter path. My comics are of course sardonic (and some might even say, glib) but I do hope to take seriously the harms I'm commenting on, and the material factors that motivate the ruling class, and those fighting for liberation.”

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ElfVibratorGlitter
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bunnies devoured my vegetable gardens, I gave up and just planted clover all over. Adorable destroyers. (Also related to the cartoon that is indeed what the "haves" tell the "have nots".)

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The artist mentioned he hopes that in some way, his work is inspiring and plays a role in pointing the way to greater solidarity: “The drawings can be this kind of motivational, reassuring, connection-building, and argumentative-strategy-providing resources at their best and that function makes me ecstatic to be doing this work.”

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flower petals
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

👆🏻The *truth*. Being/living somewhere safe is a huge lottery win that those of us who ‘won’ have done nothing to deserve, so let’s count our blessings and try to help those less fortunate. 😢😌

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Dick Fint
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And this just goes to show you that the US is getting dumbed down, which is just how the politicians want it. A stupid population is an easily controlled population.

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ElfVibratorGlitter
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But if you move too slow do you miss out on the opportunities to be kind? 🤔

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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but heartless words cut deeper/For bones may bend, and someday mend; the price for words is steeper.

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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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5 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once found a shell and dropped it in a tide pool because I noticed a hermit crab with a broken shell, and I accidentally started a whole shell changing chain. It was really cool to watch.

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flower petals
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For the people of the world that don’t belong to the privileged groups, there are doors that are closed in life and that you constantly have to push open in order to pass through. Some of those doors are permanently locked. For the privileged people, the doors are always open, and they can pass through their lives not even noticing the doors exist. The utter arrogance lies in not considering the situations of others, and not listening when they tell you.

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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

True. I always find it ironic that the people accusing others of predatory behavior are the ones freaking out about kid’s genitals

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Note: this post originally had 79 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.