Undignified

“Undignified” is the word I’d use to describe myself, if I had to pick just one.

I love the undignified moments, they’re the ones I most want to capture in stone (well, comics) and share back with the world because that is when we are most relatable to each other as the simple little human ape creatures that we are. 

I mean. You read about the incredible people— the ones who stop a runaway baby carriage from careening into traffic, or who land their first book deal, or who survive another round of chemo, or who are pinned Star Baker for the week on the reality TV baking contest— and it’s like, could you have replicated that accomplishment if you had been in their place? Maybe, maybe not.   But you know what unites us all and connects our shared humanity?   We’ve all wet-farted.   WE HAVE.   At some point in everybody’s life, we’ve all misgauged what felt like it would be a fart and we’ve all felt that hot, sticky horror as you experience the sensation of realizing your mistake, and we’ve all scuttled as discreetly as possible to the nearest bathroom to check— because maybe, JUST MAYBE, what you know has happened possibly has not actually happened (BUT IT HAS)— and then we’ve all had to desperately claw out a plan for What To Do Now. 

Sharing this example kinda implies that I’ve gone through this experience recently, but I actually haven’t. (Not within the last calendar year, anyway) It’s just one of the examples I think of when I picture a universal experience that unites us all in our undignified humanity.   ...I guess I could have gone with “brushing your teeth” or “urgently calling after a cat who won’t acknowledge your existence.” But why conjure those mental images when I could make you think about lightly shitting your pants instead?

I share my highlights publicly. I used to share more of my lowlights, too, until The Internet punished me enough for sharing my flaws my mistakes my vulnerabilities and then I was like woah I better knock that shit off. But when the only accomplishments you have on display are your successes, then The Internet punishes you again because how DARE you think you’re better than anyone else? For your own good, let’s take you down a notch, you self-righteous show-off. 

I brush my teeth. I call after my cat urgently while he won’t acknowledge my existence. I wet-fart (on occasion).

I’m not better than anybody else who does the same and I see us all on fairly even ground when it comes to being a flawed, vulnerable human being. That’s why I liked to share my indignity and why I like seeing it in others, I like seeing our commonality, I like seeing our connection even if our paths will never cross. 

But they do, our lives overlap in the realm of the undignified. 

Because we may not all get pinned Star Baker but we're all gunna wet-fart some time.

(All these photos are from my daily self-portrait project I've been doing the last few months, where I take a picture on my phone with the ten second self-timer. I started it back up for myself after beginning to serialize my original one from 2011 here for you guys. Maybe in 2025 I'll share the full version of this year's!)