In her new book The Little Book of Life Hacks: How to Make Your Life Happier, Healthier, and More Beautiful, the illustrator and comic artist Yumi Sakugawa draws her tips for post-grad survival — like how to unshrink shrunken jeans, get rid of a headache, and decorate an apartment. The book (Sakugawa’s fifth) arrives ahead of graduation season as an ideal gift for college seniors, and it focuses on clothing in particular.
“Fashion has become this spiritual, conscious practice for me,” she said in an interview, tracing her own style evolution throughout her 20s. Rather than representing a certain lifestyle in her illustrations, she said she wants to help women find their own ways of dressing with intention and freedom. Illustrations outline how to approach a favorite celebrity’s style in your own wardrobe, or take bold risks with accessories and patterns.
The book’s advice is largely drawn from Sakugawa’s experiences and she finds inspiration in those of her friends, including Krista Suh, an organizer of the pink Pussyhat Project, and Connie Lim, a singer who goes by MILCK and whose song “Quiet” went viral as the unofficial anthem of the Women’s March. Beyond useful tricks on dressing, skin care, and interior design, the biggest takeaway Sakugawa offers readers is in the last section of the book — how to recenter and focus on yourself. “It wasn’t until I learned how to really value and cherish my own life, my mind, my body, my spirit, in my particular way, that I really felt inspired to take care of the rest of my life, to exercise and maintain a clean home,” she said.
Sakugawa hinted that her next project will likely be a self-help memoir for Asian-American women aspiring to be creative artists, drawing from her own experience as a daughter of immigrants. Click ahead to see more images from the book, published by St. Martin’s Press.
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