Anthea Yang is a poet from Perth, Western Australia. Her work has been published in Hypertrophic Literary, The Rising Phoenix Review, and -Ology Journal.
Music doesn’t inspire me as much as I’d like, it just puts me in different moods. I love music and I love to sing but if I had to choose between being able to see or being able to hear, I’d choose to see because colours and nature and people’s faces and clothes inspire me so much more.
(what moves you to make your work)
The best way to get myself to draw is just by putting a sketchbook next to me while I do something else, like watching a movie or playing a game. I often try to sit down with the intention of just drawing, but that makes me sometimes feel stressed and like I don’t want to draw, so I guess it’s better to trick myself and keep it fun.
A thing that also helps a lot is having a deadline and knowing people depend on me finishing something in time. That way I don’t have time to wait for inspiration, I just gotta do it! I’ve learned that you can’t wait for inspiration to strike, it’s better to start drawing and don’t stop until you get that “creative flow”.
I’m inspired by things people say and do, and the emotions of myself and others. I’m a pretty quiet person unless you know me well, and I do a lot of quiet analysing of my surroundings.
(how did your art career start)
I’ve been drawing since early childhood but I would say I became the artist I am now my first year at comic art school in Malmö, 2012. It was when I first started making comics and selling zines, and the year I started my tumblr blog. But I suppose I was an artist even before that? I was more interested in oil painting and more “artsy” art before I became the comic artist I see myself as today.
(what kind of work do you make)
As mentioned, I see myself as a comic artist. I recently studied a year of animation and it was really fun, but my passion is comics and comic artist is my favorite title, haha.
(what are your dreams, what are your visions)
If I’m dreaming big, (and if I had less anxiety) I’d love to move to L.A and maybe start my own animated tv series! I really want to move to USA or Canada some day, but I’ll also be very happy freelancing and doing comics. I want to make tons of comics! And start painting again.
(what advice would you give to other aspiring artists)
Draw what you love and have fun. Allow yourself to obsess about your favourite tvshow/game/anime and make tons of fanart! I used to be a huge Naruto and Kim Possible nerd myself and it helped my art to make fanart.
Keep a secret diary comic! You can just draw whatever you want because no one will see, and you will also have a cool collection of comics that you made and maybe you can print them when you are super old.
(do you believe in the internet)
It’s a little mixed! Internet has helped me so much with my confidence in comics and my art, and with getting job offers. I believe it’s really good to put yourself out there, have fun and share something you love doing.
But having a lot of followers has also made me a little nervous and it feels like I’m making art for other people now, rather than making art for myself. It’s still fun of course, but it’s filled with more anxiety. It’s also annoying when your art gets reposted somewhere without any credit. (Always sign your art! I forget sometimes)
I just tell people I'm an illustrator. I don't really like to try to explain my work. I'd rather show someone. I'm not the best at articulating myself. I am much more of a visual person.
I think what moves me more than anything is the process of creating. It's what makes me feel happiest & like I'm doing something that I thoroughly enjoy. It relieves stress and anxiety and depression. Maybe it's somewhat of an escape from real life. I am always listening to music while drawing. Usually nice, calming instrumentals, sometimes psych or grunge rock, sometimes hip hop. I work best at my own desk which has everything I need next to my window where I can watch the sunset or hopefully some rain. & hopefully I can be all alone.
I literally can't remember a time I wasn't drawing. I've been doing it since I could pick up a pencil & i've never really felt like I wanted to do anything else.
As of now, I'm trying to figure out what this means for the future. Being the type of person I am, I wish I could just draw and be fulfilled as an adult, but the world doesn't work that way and I have to earn money. So I'm trying to figure out how I can earn money while doing what I love. Learning that commissions aren't my favorite thing to do. I'd rather work for myself. Maybe turn this into a brand.
Don't ever compare yourself to anyone else because we all are different and have our own unique thing to put on the table. Us artists need to be allies, not competition. We all learn and work at a different pace to. And to ALWAYS practice, art does not get better over night. And always art for yourself.
If it weren't for the Internet, I wouldn't have met wonderful like minded people, nor would I have the recognition that I do now. I wholly believe I the Internet and it's magic powers.
Samira Mahboub & Ania Catherine, Artist/Scholar Duo
(what moves you: to make your work, to get up in the morning, to feel what allows you to create)
Our initial motivation to collaborate was a desire to visually translate subjects we studied (gender, sexuality, postcolonial theory, politics, media) into a medium that was digestible to a wider audience. We still incorporate our academic backgrounds into our work, bridging academia with art, performance, and film, and more recently have also used our daily life experiences and questions as inspiration.
(how did it start: your art career, your love for it, how old were you when you Became An Artist are you still Becoming One how does one claim that identity)
We met in London; we were both doing our postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics Gender Institute and had a few classes together. We both had performance backgrounds, and decided to collaborate on a film so that year we made our first piece “cloth” which we directed and performed. Everything started there and we have continued working together as a duo ever since.
(how does the internet/your online presence function in the creation and distribution of your work)
Social media is very useful; it increases accessibility to art and is an effective tool for mobilizing younger generations and raising awareness of social/political issues. A strong online presence should not be the goal, but as artists we see the value of its use as a means to an end—our end being spreading our work and message.
(advice)
It is really common to see young female creatives, young and old, downplay their talent and seriously question their abilities/potential (see impostor syndrome). We’d like to take this moment to say create if you feel called to do so, reach out to people who inspire you, and collaborate with people who believe in you. You never know who could be waiting to experience your work or whom it may touch. Also, use your voice and speak up in situations, even (especially) if it causes some discomfort.
(what are your Dreams what are your Goals what are your Visions what is your Favorite Work)
We hope to not only bring our academic research subjects/gaze as gender scholars into the art sphere, but also to bring art into academia. Not everyone learns the same way, and we believe that if universities took the educational value of film and photography seriously, it would be much easier for the world to analyze/understand complex subjects from personal identity to war. We would love to see our creative work shown in academic settings, and our academic work in museums. We hope people are challenged, moved, and empowered by what we do. It is also our aim for people to identify with our work—ideally, in unexpected ways.
Anthea Yang is a poet from Perth, Western Australia. Her work has been published in Hypertrophic Literary, The Rising Phoenix Review, and -Ology Journal.
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