Liana’s Newsletter

Articles

Small Head Scare

2 weeks ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

Dear PeopleI'm sorry I️ missed my usual Wednesday post last week. I’ve had very little time to myself since two Fridays ago, when the baby had a routine pediatrician's appointment. The check-up went fine, and I️ laughed about my baby's small head measurement, which seems to run in the family.
Dog People

1 month ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

Hiya,How was your Memorial Day? I️ used to hate these random holidays because I️ liked to work every day, but on weekends and holidays PEOPLE seemed to want to crowd up the sidewalks and parks having FUN and it cramped my style, made it stressful to go out for a run or sit in a cafe or etc. Now I️ see how wrong I️ was. No one is having FUN on Memorial Day weekend. Everyone is in survival mode trying to entertain their kids on the fiftieth long weekend of the year. My son is a little sick.
Seven Deadly Things

1 month ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

This is the first long thing I️ drew after the baby was born. I’m interested in how work comes out differently while you’re occupied with a baby - it’s way driftier, you expect readers to understand more without your having to spell it out. This type of work is more fun to make; you feel a bit high. I️ also think it’s objectively less good - harder for anyone to understand. There’s also, let’s be honest, less of it. If I️ make one small thing a day lately I️ consider myself a great success.
A Beautiful Week in Many Ways

1 month ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

Morning!I’m sitting in a café in Brookline, MA, with the baby in a stroller. Here for a fellowship gathering. Delightful to be away – among people, away from routines. I keep wanting to tell you (you: working artist who is planning to have a kid) that since I had my older kid, it’s not that I’ve been having any fewer ideas – it’s that the follow-through feels less urgent. Ideas don’t always get written down. When they do, they don’t always get turned into drawings.
Life of Body, Life of the Mind

1 month ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

Dear Everyone, Hi –I’ve been losing a bunch of paid subscribers and I have two theories. 1, I’ve been doing way too much and way too vacuous book promo. 2, the economy. If it’s the first, I want to offer an apology. My venture into being more PR-ish and business-woman-who-gives-keynotes-talks-y than comes the least bit naturally to me – let’s chalk that up to a midlife/new-to-parenthood/fear-of-losing-my-career crisis.
Questions Without Answers. None.

2 months ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

Today is the day this book I️ illustrated steps into the world. Existential questions, and very essential philosophy from the pre-K set. I’m mordantly happy to say it’s been giving everyone a tiny slice of wonder amongst these turbulent times. Kirkus Reviews says, “This is a book that will appeal to anyone who has raised humans or is thinking of raising humans—or is a human.
Questions Without Answers

2 months ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

Hi Everyone,I wanted to let you know that my and Sarah Manguso’s new book Questions Without Answers will be out next week. It’s a litany of questions asked by children, chosen by Sarah, illustrated by me. They’re intuitive, existential, and funny – the perfect thing to if you want to induce a dream-like, expansive state (no transcendental meditation necessary). Kids seem to like it too. I just got my copies – it came out gorgeous.
Weekly Cartoons

2 months ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

Hi Everyone,First of all, thank you for being here — I’m so grateful that you are. I’m sorry I️ missed my post last week. I️ can somehow never foresee that school vacation might = an even slower pace of work. Brains are fascinating that way. It was a nice week, though. Having two kids makes me want less to get away from my son in order to be with my work and vice versa, and more want to get away from one kid to be with the other kid - which is less mind-bending, more of a good multitask.
Drawings of this Moment

2 months ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

Hi Everyone,This is a post of drawings, which my occupied/unoccupied brain has been thinking in feverishly - weirdly, being home with a baby puts me back in the pre-kid state where I️ spent a lot of time wandering around, riding subways, going to and from things, idly coming up with little drawings. (The hormones don’t hurt, either).
Feelings

2 months ago | lianafinck.substack.com | Liana Finck

First, before my post-partum brain forgets, Bookshop has given our readers a delicious 15 percent discount on my and Sarah Manguso’s new book Questions Without Answers. You can pre-order here and use the code QA15. This is a bit from a project I’ve been working on for the past couple of years. I’ve been wanting to show it to you for a long long time because I’ve been working on it quietly and I’d really like to hear what you think of it.