Welcome to Momlife Comics: This is Personal.

(Why this + why now?!?)

Hello friends, it’s me, Mary Catherine: a once-blogger-turned-IG-cartoonist (?) who is now returning to the world of the written newsletter so that I have a personal space to share my work. Have I come full circle? Perhaps. But let’s back up a little bit…

I stopped blogging regularly after having my second child, Teddy, in 2019. A few months later, I started making comics about motherhood. I was originally inspired to start making these comics because I was frustrated, overwhelmed, and exhausted. I was SO sick of feeling alone in motherhood (despite having a loving partner) and I often felt anxious and angry.

[At the time I called this anger “postpartum rage,” but I’ve come to realize that it’s actually very justified rage that stems from a system and a society that tells women they can “do it all” but then doesn’t support them in doing much of anything…while also telling their husbands that they’re doing an amazing job even when they’re simply doing the bare minimum. Like I was saying: it makes me mad.]

So I started making comics about motherhood as a therapeutic outlet for my frustration and they slowly began to catch on. I made a new Instagram account called @momlife_comics and it began to get some traction. Then one of my comics went viral (so exciting!) and trolls came after me (not exciting!) and they were horrible and blah blah blah I had to stop being so personal on my Instagram feed because I didn’t want the trolls to come after me and my family. Duh.

But where have I always gotten most of my inspiration for my comics (and before that, for my blog)? My personal life. That’s what I love sharing and that’s where this Substack comes into play: I wanted a safe space (alway from the misogynistic trolls) to go deeper and talk about my personal experiences with the people who get it.

This newsletter will focus on household inequality and being the default parent, the carrier of the mental load, and a woman—married to a man—trying to raise good people in a patriarchal society. Through personal, autobiographical comics (and writing) we will explore these subjects in depth and connect over our shared frustrations (and hopefully, solutions!) when it comes to motherhood and marriage.

Why subscribe?

Because you’re a woman, a mom, or a supporter of women + moms who wants to explore these subjects in more depth with me. Because you want to laugh, because you want to feel less alone, because you’re looking for a community of like-minded people off of social media, because you want to support my work, because even though you already have too many emails in your inbox this one feels like one that you’d actually look forward to reading (I promise you will!).

PLUS you’ll get a lot of great content! Like…

FREE SUBSCRIBERS ($0/month) get access to:

• 1 new exclusive autobiographical comic per month (not shared to IG!)

• Monthly newsletter containing curated lists of the simple pleasures that are bringing me joy (formerly #simplejoysoftheweek for OGs!)

PAYING SUBSCRIBERS ($5/month or $55/year) receive all of the above AND: 

• 4 new exclusive, autobiographical comics per month (1 per week, none of which are shared elsewhere)

• Q&As and community conversations (in the comment section of the newsletters + beyond!)

• My gratitude! Because being a subscriber means that you believe in me and my work and that means the world to me. 

• *Hopefully starting in February, 2024: 1 podcast per month!*

FOUNDING MEMBERS ($150/year) receive all of the above AND:

• A 10” x 10” print of any of my 1-panel comics that speak to you–I’ll even customize the hair color + skin color so it looks more like you!

• This option is designed for people who want to support my work at the highest level and for that, I am so, so, so thankful!

No matter what kind of subscriber you are, I am so glad you’re here.

Thank you for being here.

xo,
Mary Catherine