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The Dark matter of Mona Starr
Laura Lee Gulledge is the Eisner as well as Harvey award nominated designer of the young adult graphic novels page By Paige as well as will & Whit, she encourages imagination with Sketchbook Dares: 24 methods to draw Out Your inner Artist, as well as is a mentor artist as well as guest speaker. Her most current work, The Dark matter of Mona Starr, tells the story of a extremely sensitive teenager as well as her struggles with depression, which she phone calls her Matter. Westfield’s Roger Ash just recently spoken to Gulledge to discover a lot more about this appealing book.
Westfield: Where did the concept for The Dark matter of Mona Starr come from?
Laura Lee Gulledge: It started as a totally other story. I was trying to make a tale about hope as well as healing, however it was less personal. It was a lot more of an ensemble story with wonderful elements. My publisher said, “we don’t want all these bells as well as whistles. We just want this depressive violinist. We want her story.” It’s always the thing you don’t want to talk about that people want from you. As an artist, my brand is not cool, it’s vulnerable. So I stripped away whatever as well as just sat with Mona, which is truly sitting with past tense me. It took a couple years of believing about it to work as much as truly getting into her story. I didn’t want to get depressed making a story about depression. exactly how do we discover the hope in her story? This is not a story about depression, it’s a story about hope as well as healing.
The Dark matter of Mona Starr preview 1
Westfield: who is Mona?
Gulledge: Mona is a 14 year old geek woman in northern Virginia. She is based on high institution me. She appears like me. She’s in orchestra. She is creative. She’s wise as well as funny however she’s extremely sensitive. Her finest good friend moves away. A issue I always had in institution was that between elementary, middle, as well as middle of high school, all of my good friends went to different institutions so I always had to begin over. It felt pointless. Why do I try to make new good friends when I’m just going to lose them? She’s like me in that we can get isolated, a bit stuck in our heads. But, of course, there’s a new woman that pertains to her institution as well as Mona falls in artner like with her as well as that pulls her out of her isolation.
It was a difficulty since I was not depressed in high school. I got hit a lot more in college. Taking a few of the emotions I felt later as well as adapting it to a younger person was difficult. I feel like people are getting depressed earlier now since the world is a lot more overwhelming as well as frightening as well as difficult in these times versus in the ‘90s when it was a lot more of a time of abundance.
Westfield: who are a few of the other character’s in the book?
Gulledge: Her finest good friend Nash has moved away however they still keep in touch. Her standmate in orchestra is Aiesha. They’re not incredibly close at the beginning since they both have their own stuff going on, however they ended up being much better good friends throughout the book. In my life, I would feel alone however believe “why don’t you reach out to the person who’s already there?” The new woman is Hayley, who plays the cello. It kind of is about the three of them. It’s like three loners coming together to produce a friendship. To produce community. I always felt like a bit of a loner so linking with other people who feel isolated is positive. There’s likewise her therapist, her parents, as well as her orchestra teacher.
The Dark matter of Mona Starr preview 2
Westfield: You’ve dealt with anxiety before in your book Drawn Thru: drawing Thru Depression. What is there about anxiety that keeps you bringing it back as a story element?
Gulledge: I don’t like the word anxiety since I don’t want to act like I’m an authority. I’m not clinically depressed. I don’t want to pretend to be somebody who’s dealing keeping that day to day struggle. My label is I’m a extremely sensitive person; an HSP. That just indicates that I feel the feels. I have highs as well as lows as well as things truly impact me. I have had periods of anxiety in my life. The Drawn Thru collection of artwork was absolutely a period where I was depressed. I was down a well. I’m not always that way. It’s absolutely the ups as well as downs.
I believe that’s why I label anxiety as The matter as well as personify it that method in the book. Also, I like to comprise new words for things for myself. I don’t like the word collaborator; I utilize artner. I feel that specific words have different significances to everybody as well as anxiety is a extremely charged word. In some ways, as an artist I feel like discovering new methods to talk about things is part of my job. I’m not a licensed mental health and wellness professional, so I I try to address it mental health problem a extremely personal way. That’s the very best I can do. however it’s not the exact same experience for everybody. Sure, I have a great deal of feelings as well as emotions. I don’t have a lot more than other people, I’m just truly great at drawing about them. When I am feeling depressed, it’s a time when I can do some reflection. I can tell myself this is not going to last forever. I understand I don’t should have to feel like this. I understand I’m selecting to isolate myself, it’s not that other people don’t like me. I’ve been up as well as down enough, now I can manage being down a bit a lot more since I can check out why I feel like this. Journaling about it when you are feeling down, for me is an incredible resource. You feel a lot more like doing that spirit browsing when you’re down rather than when you’re up as well as you feel great. When you feel great, you don’t want to sit as well as draw about it, you want to go out as well as online life. people tend to associate a lot more to my art that is unfortunate or having a hard time rather than the happier art. I dislike to state it, however that’s what resonates a great deal with people. people are taking care of a great deal ideal now as well as words often just don’t cut it. So if I can discover a method to draw photos about it to ensure that it can assist somebody else with their experience, then that’s my gift.
The Dark matter of Mona Starr preview 3
Westfield: any type of closing comments?
Gulledge: It’s absolutely my a lot of personal book yet. For example, I observed in my previous books that I didn’t have scenes in bathrooms. I didn’t have scenes with characters taking care of the physicality of being human, even eating. I tried to do all the things I hadn’t explored before. Mona’s crying a lot. She’s likewise vomiting as well as in the hospital. I have a lot more characters with glasses since glasses are difficult to draw. even having the character in orchestra indicated I had to draw the entire orchestra. Basically, I composed a script that terrified me. What would be finest for the story however a lot of intimidating for me? That’s what I’m gonna write. then I was drawing as well as it was like, “who composed this script?” considering that the material was so vulnerable, I felt I needed to be as prone as possible as a designer as well as not keep it simple for myself. I believe it taught me a lot.
I hope that other people can discover her story hopeful. In the back of the book I have my selfcare plan as well as a blank one to ensure that the visitor is motivated to take account of what they understand assists them. Who’s in their support system they can talk to. I’m hoping it’s not as well self helpy, however I believe it’s truly crucial to have some action steps with this story. Mona is kind of modeling what to do when you get hit by all the feels; exactly how to climb back out of the well. We’re all going to autumn down the well sometimes. however understanding what to do when you’re in that circumstance as well as believing ahead is important. When I’m not feeling well, I don’t believe straight. I can’t make wise decisions; I’ll select things that are poor for me. having a post-it with “take a shower, make some tea, light some incense, as well as put on some music” produces a scene change. I hope it can begin some conversations.