This Comic Artist Opens Up About Her Life In 6 Deeply Personal Stories

Salma, the artist behind Shiki’s Cozy Comics, comes from Tunisia and for years has been creating a series illustrating relatable stories – from silly moments to more heartfelt ones that touch on mental health. You might remember her work from our previous posts.

Today, we’re focusing on a few stories from the cartoonist that went viral on her Instagram and are deeply personal. The artist features moments from her life when she was struggling, when she could rely on the support of others, and while the stories may seem sad at times, they ultimately show that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Scroll down to read these heartfelt stories by Shiki.

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Salma opened up about her background and how her artistic journey began: “I never studied art, in fact I graduated as a software engineer. But I ditched my engineering degree for the art path, and that's one of the best decisions I've ever made.”

She also spoke about what first inspired her to explore cartooning and comics: “Since I was a kid, I loved drawing and crafting. But making comics started as doodling caricatures for my friends in high school. They made them laugh and that made me happy. They did get me in trouble sometimes, I got suspended for one week for drawing my high school teachers. But no regrets,” shared Salma.

To better understand the core of her work, Salma revealed the main themes that frequently appear in her comics. “My comics are inspired from my daily life, my friends and family and my mental health. I love to draw silly situations that happened to me or to my friends, deep stories about my past experiences and mental health awareness."

We then asked about her creative process and how ideas come to her. The artist explained: “I could be doing house chores, working or in bed when a comic idea hits me. I immediately doodle it in my sketchbook and later, draw it on my tablet. The ideas are really random, it could be something that happened to me that day, a conversation I had with someone or a past memory that I remembered.”

Salma also shared what she hopes readers experience when engaging with her comics: “What brings me satisfaction and happiness about making my comics is when someone tells me that it made their day or that it helped them in some way. I would hope that a comic would put a smile on someone's face, or even if it makes them cry, it would be in a peaceful and kind way. I also hope people would be more aware of mental health and more understanding of it.”

Finally, the artist reflected on the challenges of choosing art in a society that doubted the path: “Growing up with crafty hands, everyone was reminding me that art in Tunisia won't get me anywhere. So I pursued a path that I didn't like and that never fulfilled me. Taking the decision to switch to the art path wasn't easy, the road was bumpy and full of mental breakdowns. But it was worth it. And I'm happy I'm here.”