The Suspension of Disbelief

I started this project on March 10th 2020. That was the date of my first interview. I was workin in the restaurant industry in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. My friends, coworkers, and I were already witnessing the onset of the devastating economic effects of COVID-19. Our establishments were seeing a significant decrease in sales, and patrons, and I wanted to document the impacts of these changes on career service workers.

When the Governor of Washington announced the immediate closure of all bars and restaurants on March 15th 2020, I was out of a job, along with every other service industry worker in the state. The comics I had begun less than a week earlier now seemed more pressing. I decided to expand the scope of the project to include as many working people, in as many industries in the greater Seattle metro area as I could. I never intended to write and illustrate an entire book of stories; however, I also never expected the pandemic to last this long. Or to disrupt so many more industries and working peoples livelihoods.

I want to thank the interviewees who too the time out of their busy days and lives to talk to me and share their stories.