What a Way to Make a Living

Bhabna Banerjee, 9 TO 5, Illustration - Series, 2020 Student Awards winner. 

Sometimes captivity can be calming.

In her song “9 to 5” the absolute gift to humanity that is Dolly Parton sings, “ Well, I tumble outta bed and stumble to the kitchen / Pour myself a cup of ambition / Yawn and stretch and try to come to life.” In our quarantine era, our days occasionally start with going back to bed, which is now your office, studio, classroom, etc.

In her 2020 Student Awards winning entry in the Illustration category, also titled “9 to 5,” Bhabna Banerjee illustrates what her eight-hour day looks like while locked in a three-hundred square-foot studio apartment.

Rather than dwell on the more tedious aspect of these “unprecedented times,” Banerjee presents rich, sumptuous summer images to illustrate the occasionally Arcadian nature of confinement.

If you have an equally idyllic illustration, or other piece of creative work that you believe is award-worthy be sure to enter it in the 2021 Student Awards. The deadline is May 21, 2021.