Welcome to Saturday Morning Cartoons, a segment where four artists take turns delighting you with their whimsy, facts and punchlines on Saturday mornings! Our esteemed cartoon critters are Cameron Glavin, Anna Bongiovanni, Megan Praz and Yao Xiao. Today’s cartoon is by Yao!
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Yao Xiao is a China-born illustrator based in New York City. Yao Xiao creates artwork depicting a poetic visual world where complex concepts and human emotions are examined, amplified, and given physical form.
Her work has helped people all over the globe connect at unique moments, from the celebration of the 20 Year Anniversary of the SXSW Interactive Festival, to the grand release of pop singer Katy Perry's single 'Dark Horse.' She has created deeply emotional and beautiful graphics for editorial print publications, pop music record covers, concert posters and book covers.
Yao Xiao's serialized comic Baopu currently runs monthly on Autostraddle. It is an original comic exploring the nuances in searching for identities, connections and friendships through the fictional life of a young, queer emigrant.
Baopu stands for 'holding simplicity,' a Taoist ideal of wishing to return to a simpler state.
Find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Etsy or her website.
Yao has written 134 articles for us.
Brb, printing this out so I can look at it forever
The bao pu comics are some of my favourites here. I’m similar to this; when I make I decision, I act right away. When I notice I’m doing something I deem undesirable, I resolve to be different, and I start behaving differently. I can’t change the past, but I can be more conscious of my present. If I do it enough, and string together all of my presents, then that becomes who I am. Thanks for the early morning reflection. I hope you’ve been successful on what you started.
Goosebumps.
This is beautiful <3
<3 <3 <3 x infinity
I could really use this reminder – like, everyday. Will you be selling a print of this one? Pleaseeee?
This is just great. So beautiful and capturing.
@kearnsjosie, this made me think of you :-)
Aww and in creepy AS-relationship fashion I’ve already seen and saved it! I wonder what percentage of our communication is simply quoting this website at each other.
This is beautiful, and the perfect thing for me to read this evening <3
Oh, I love this so much! Thank you. <3
Officially starting at my new job tomorrow, so it's feeling quite apt!
This one made me tear up <3
thank you. All the Baopu comics are so wonderful, the cadence and rhythm is as lovely as the message
I loved this so much that I printed it out for my wall at work, as a little reminder.