Celia Jacobs

Ask a Therapist

An ongoing series of illustrations for the column “Ask a Therapist”, tackling reader’s questions about their mental health and well-being.

When is quitting the right decision?

Is it okay to be a “soft” dad to my son?

How is sleep related to brain health?

How can I control my anger?

Why do my adult children keep fighting?

How do I manage my fear?

Can I let go of the idea of an ideal self?

How do I become more of a morning person?

How can I cope when I’m forced to act outside of my morals?

Why do I sleep so poorly after a breakup?

How can I overcome my issues with dieting?

Why do I keep lying to my therapist?

How do I avoid depression?

How can I process my father’s hurtful words to me on his deathbed?

Why do I keep waking up when it’s still nighttime?

How can I let go of my shame?

Is it okay to fall asleep with the TV on?

What do I do about my financial anxiety?

Why do I keep holding grudges?

How can I see the good in a troubled relationship?

Why do I feel guilty for thriving?

What are the good things about aging?

How do I drink less?

Where can I find hope in difficult circumstances?

Why are older men so lonely?

How can I find joy where there’s been none?

How can I reframe things to reach my goals?

What do I do about someone who talks too much?

Is my insomnia a form of performance anxiety?

When is anxiety reasonable and when is it disordered?

How can I sleep well during the holiday season?

How can I find the good in difficult conversations?

Can I overcome my pattern of bad relationships?

How do I let go and just accept things?

Is it more hurtful to disclose infidelity?

How do I deal with relationship anxiety?

Am I being gaslit?

How do I find hope amidst ecological disaster?

Can I break free from intergenerational trauma?

What exactly is making it so hard for me to focus?

How do I handle my partner snoring all the time?

How can I be more compassionate to myself?

How do I cope with the loss of a loved one?

Abbot Kinney First Friday

Tote bag design for a First Friday event at Adidas’ Venice Beach location, celebrating the character of Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

Op-Eds

A selection of illustrations for the New York Times Op-Ed section.

“It’s Time To Talk About Death”, in the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A woman reads the love letters her dad wrote to her mom 70 years ago.

Childcare can be a form of healthcare.

Hysterectomy patients may be left in the dark about their own bodies.

The growing number of women in ISIS.

The author’s experience with divorce after her husband “decided that he no longer wanted a wife with a disability”.

How the EPA under Trump is hurting the environment it’s supposed to protect.

For a collection of readers’ opinions about what voices we need to hear more of in the national media.

Aries Horoscope

Illustrations of my star sign for a year of horoscope illustrations by female artists.

A Clock in the Forest

For an essay about using nature as a means of telling time.

Redefining Infertility

Illustration about redefining infertility and helping couples and individuals of all kinds access treatment for it.

I Don't Wanna Be Your Hooligan

An ongoing series of invented portraits reflecting on the present state of self-expression.

This selection was shown at Hashimoto Contemporary San Francisco in January 2020 as part of the group show Lately.

René, 14” x 17” acrylic on canvas

Mona, 14” x 17” acrylic on canvas

Frankie, 14” x 17” acrylic on canvas

Cherry, 14” x 17” acrylic on canvas

Preview of 2020

It’s Nice That asked me to draw my vision for the US presidential elections as part of their 2020 Year in Preview. I decided to make a narrative about mobilizing and uniting the people to defeat Trump in the style of a series of political posters.

Literary Illustrations

Illustrations for six stories in Catapult Magazine’s September 2019 issue.

The author’s experiences of men behaving badly, including stalking her in a car while she went running as a teenager.

A woman makes shadow boxes of her life with her overbearing mother.

A man meets a ghost of his past.

A writer compares herself to and eventually meets her favorite Instagram author.

The author’s changed relationship with her children after her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

“I am the African American adopted child of two white lesbian moms, and when I was a child, I was often afraid for us.”

Forest Bathing

For WSJ. Magazine on how spending time in the forest improves mental health.

Once More, With Feeling

Album and single artwork for the Los Angeles band EXES.

Once More, With Feeling EP

“Burnout”

“Daughter”

“Promises”

My Body My Choice

A shareable piece of artwork made in response to the abortion ban passed in Alabama in May 2019.

Picnic

A small series of paintings for Potluck, a food-themed group show at Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco. These were inspired by long, lazy picnics with friends and summer sunsets (literal and metaphorical).

Install shot by Shaun Roberts.