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Dana Ate Oatmeal!

Brand · Paper goods

dana ate oatmeal! is an illustrator, pediatric nurse practitioner, and former professional cyclist currently based in california. growing up, my family would go on rock hounding trips all over utah. my mom would bring a journal and every night in our hotel room, she would write about what happened, what rocks and fossils we found, and i would draw pictures of our day and the rocks, fossils, and crystals we found. this habit followed me throughout my childhood and adolescence; i would write journal entries and decorate with drawings to go along with the journal entries. i blew through so many notebooks. during my teenage years, professional cycling took the forefront and i would travel to all corners of the u.s. and then to various countries to race and train. i never left home without taking at least 2 notebooks to record all my travels and continued to write and draw daily. when i wasn’t napping/training i was drawing or writing. when covid hit, i was struggling my way through nursing school. when i started working as a pediatric psych nurse, drawing quickly became my escape from the harsh truths of some of my patients’ lives. when possible, we would draw or color together while they told me about their moods and thoughts, and after a shift i would go home and pour out my own thoughts and emotions in my drawings, and started making comics about every day life. i create to express the complex emotions of life, the silliness that the day-to-day can bring, and to remind myself (and perhaps others!) that every single day is special, even if it doesn't feel very special at all. when i'm not drawing, you'll find me running, riding my bike, or hanging out with my wiener dog, bumi.