Erin Nations is a former student of mine, who picked up a publisher deal with Top Shelf Productions, which i founded and ran for over 15 years with Chris Staros, natch. He just attended his very first San Diego ComicCon, where issue #3 of his comic book Gumballs debuted. I did this interview with Erin back in October, and it sat in my in-box this whole time. With Erin's work starting to find an audience, this seemed to a good time to roll it out. Also, the comics and illustrations here are a little older. If you want to see his current work, go buy Gumballs!
Brett: Erin, where did you grow up, and how did your surrounding affect you as you started to understand your evolving gender identity?
Erin: Growing up, I was never stationed in one place for more than 2 years. I was born in St. Louis, Missouri and lived in Overland until I was 8-years-old. I spent a couple years in Houston, Texas, and I've lived all over Oregon since the age of 10. As a kid and a teenager, I don't think the small towns I lived in really affected me as I came to understand my gender. If anything, it was my peers, family, and the media that affected me.
My parents were fine with me being a tomboy, yet I understood kids at school would probably make fun of me if they knew I was interested in things that were traditionally associated with boys. And even though I knew my parents were ok with me wearing the hand-me-downs from my male cousins and playing with G.I. Joe's, I feared what they would say/think if they walked in and saw me trying to pee standing up in the bathroom. I could have been living in a small rural town or a big city, I still would have felt the same way. I was coming of age in the 80s and 90s, during a time when there wasn't much trans visibility and whatever representation was being broadcasted on TV or printed in magazines, portrayed trans lives as anomalies.
That's how I came to understand what transgender is, from watching talk shows and primetime TV news programs. I understood that I could relate to trans people, but seeing them sensationalized or treated like oddities worried me, so I repressed my feelings. When the media's depiction of trans people started to shift over time, and as trans lives became more visible, and peoples' attitudes began to change, I began to feel more comfortable with my gender identity. I finally felt ok with accepting it and I felt better about coming out. I will say, location has been more important to me as adult.
I moved to Portland 10 years ago at the age of 24. When you're queer or trans, there's a need to find people like yourself. It's probably why a lot of us escape to bigger cities. There are far more LGBTQ people here compared to anywhere else I've lived (not counting the 6 months I lived in San Francisco). For me, I think Portland is more accepting. It's a queer friendly city. I've never been discriminated against at work.
I go to an affordable clinic that provides services to trans patients and has physicians who specialize in trans medicine. I have many trans friends and I was able to turn to a couple of them when I needed advice on where to find a therapist and where to go to start HRT. Even the hospital I had top surgery at, has a transgender health program. I completely understand why trans people would want to relocate here.
Brett: When did you start drawing as a kid, and at what age were you when you really grabbed onto comics? Who were you art inspirations in general, and comics in particular?
Erin: I began drawing around age 9. I enjoyed re-drawing characters from the cartoons I watched. Matt Groening and Hanna-Barbera were huge influences on me. At that age, I dreamed of one day becoming an animator. My interests in comics really didn't take off until I was in college.
I loved Ghost World (the film) and one day, my best friend stopped by my house when I was watching it and he said to me, "You know this is based on a comic book, right?" I had no idea. I didn't know comics like that existed. I bought Ghost World (the comic book) and instantly, I became a fan of Clowes. It was my friend who really introduced me to comics. He let me borrow his Ashley Wood and Chris Ware books. He'd invite me to go get pizza with him and then we'd hang out at More Fun Comics in Ashland. I was overwhelmed by the selection, but I enjoyed browsing. I'm pretty sure that was the first time I ever entered a comic book store.
A professor of mine at SOU, Miles Inada, taught a comic book class and during the first week of class, all we did was read comic books. It was fantastic! Through that course, I discovered Adrian Tomine, Craig Thompson, and the Hernandez Brothers. I was inspired by all of them. In addition to the cartoonist I already mentioned, other cartoonist and artist I've been inspired by include Lisa Hanawalt, Julia Wertz, Jillian Tamaki, Jay Howell, Michael Sieben, Travis Millard...the list goes on.
Brett: What is it about the comics medium that you chose to use it as your primary form of artistic expression?
Erin: I always wanted to be a cartoonist. For the longest time I don't think I had the patience for it, which is why I didn't start creating comics til my late 20s. I still enjoy other mediums, but I really love the storytelling aspect of comics. I like the combination of images and text. It's visually appealing to me.
Brett: We live in a strange, sometimes toxic environment; do you have any insights or words of wisdom for younger people who might be grappling with gender identity?
Erin: Understand that it's perfectly normal to question your gender or sexuality. It's okay if you're not totally sure who you are or how you identify. Don't feel pressure to put a label on who you are. Gender and sexuality can be very fluid for some of us and it may change throughout your life. Before I came out as a lesbian (in my early 20s), I thought I might be bisexual. Before I came out as a trans guy (in my early 30s), I thought I might be genderqueer.
Also, gender roles, gender stereotypes, and who you are attracted to, do not define your gender. Most importantly, you're not alone and you are totally normal. There are many people in the world just like you. Because of social media, it's so much easier to connect and make friends with other trans people. I didn't have when I was a kid. Reach out to those folks if you don't have anyone else too. It's important to have support and someone to talk to.
Do what I did, make comics and share them. Art is amazing therapy.
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