Chuck Mullin of ChuckDrawsThings Uses Pigeons to Illustrate Anxiety

When you think about anxiety, pigeons might not be the first animal to come to mind, but for Chuck Mullin, the city-dwelling birds are the perfect fit for illustrating her anxious thoughts.

 

“Pigeons have always been my favorite animal, partly because I think they’re cute, partly because I find them to be loveable, silly and relatable,” Mullin, 22, told The Mighty. “They’re generally looked down upon for eating trash and being everywhere, but they’re weirdly funny to watch. I think everyone can relate to being kicked about despite having so much personality to offer, so they seemed like fun little emblems for comics.”

Mullin, who shares her illustrations on social media as “ChuckDrawsThings,” lives with anxiety and depression. Illustrating her anxiety, she said, is cathartic.

“It’s mainly as a coping method, a way to express my feelings in a constructive manner,” the London-based illustrator shared. “Having anxiety means I struggle to vocalize what I feel sometimes, so if I draw something about it, I feel liked I’ve vented in a relatively healthy manner.”

Although it’s hard for her to pick a favorite, one illustration Mullin particularly loves is a cartoon of a pigeon going to therapy. “Extreme close ups always make me laugh,” she said. “I think it captures the sense of futility and the struggle that comes with trying to get help.”

Beyond allowing Mullin to express her thoughts, her illustrations have helped others living with anxiety as well. “I really wasn’t expecting it,” she said of the positive feedback she’s received. “It’s been lovely receiving such nice messages from others and connecting with people going through the same thing. I never thought I’d be able to do that on such a massive scale.”

If she could share one thing about living with anxiety, Mullin said she’d want others to know she’s not being shy or rude. “I genuinely can’t control my anxiety,” she said. “It’s so much more than just being a bit nervous – the mental and physical side effects are overwhelmingly powerful.”

Header image credit: Chuck Mullin.