Show Your Working is a regular column exploring how some of our favourite writers get things done. This month, we take a peek into the creative practice of writer and comics artist Mandy Ord, whose graphic novel When One Person Dies The Whole World is Over (Brow Books) was longlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize.
Mandy’s studio. Image: Supplied
What does your workspace look like?
I work in a small upstairs studio looking down into my back yard. The walls are plywood and covered in a mix of favourite pictures as well as the story I’m currently working on. I love that I’m high up in the trees in this small cozy space. It has everything I need including stacks of comics and graphic novels for inspiration. For many years I created my work in various share house bedrooms, but now I have this separate studio and it’s fantastic.
I write and draw best in my studio but get most of my ideas out of the studio. Popular locations include the shower, walking or when I’m out and about driving. My desk faces away from the window so I don’t get distracted when I’m drawing. I have a little couch that I can sit on to read, stare out the window and daydream on when I’m having a break from drawing.
I store my finished work neatly in folders and clean my working space as a ritual before starting each new story.
I am neat. I store my finished work neatly in folders and clean my working space as a ritual before starting each new story. I like a sense of order—though in saying that my drawing desk is unapologetically splattered with ink. I use the same palette until it’s unusable. I become attached to a particular pen and eraser and if I lose them I find it difficult to work with anything else.
Are you an analog or digital writer?
I am predominantly an analog writer. I write in a sketchbook to record ideas and to work out my stories—I do, though, keep stories in a folder on my computer.
To stay organised I have a small whiteboard in my studio to record current and future comic writing projects, commissions and teaching jobs as well as ambitious projects for the future. This way, with just a glance, I know where I’m at.
What sort of software and hardware do you use to get your work done?
I search the internet for reference images when needed, and use a work document to write and store stories and scripts. I use a scanner to send work out into the world. Otherwise I don’t use any software.
Mandy’s studio. Image: Supplied
Describe your creative practice?
I am an early bird. I work best before evening hours. If I attempt to work after an evening meal I would be useless. Thinking about stories on the couch in front of the box is more productive when I’m tired. I do my creative work when I can between my other jobs out in the world. I’ll work in the morning before I leave for work and then resume when I get home. I’ll also take specific days off to work on comics and other projects if I have a pressing deadline. I edit as I’m writing and as I’m creating the panels for my stories. I’ll also edit in my head away from my studio when I’m out. I see where the writing takes me but also set up structures regarding panel arrangements and story length. I follow a loose script and allow plenty of room for spontaneity and shifts in the story. More often than not I make most of the crucial discoveries in my story content during the act of drawing.
I respect the feeling of discomfort when something isn’t quite working, because that feeling will then point me in the right direction.
Has your creative practice changed over the years? If so, how?
I find that now I’m more relaxed and comfortable creating content that will arise within the framework of a rough script. This makes the creation of stories a mixture of trust, exploration and tension. I bring everything I have experienced and learned as a cartoonist with me to the present moment and see what happens. Each time I start a new story I’m curious and a little nervous about what will happen. In saying this I do also experiment, research, practice and problem solve but I also follow where the story wants me to go. My method has become more intuitive and my style has developed into a kind of visual grammar.
How do you encourage inspiration to strike?
A deadline is fantastic inspiration, whether that be self imposed or from the outside. I like to make connections in my work so anything out in the world that I see or experience will get me thinking about how it relates to other timeframes, people objects or events. Themes are great for sparking ideas and I will often self impose a theme to get things going. If I’m struggling to create stories I read comics and novels, walk in nature and do exercise. Though the best strategy for a cartoonist is always to sit down with a sketchbook and doodle. I find following my own interests, being curious and doing things the the way I like to do them the best way to work. If I feel a resistance to something I am working on then I stop or change direction because creating comics for me is a joyful energising process. I respect the feeling of discomfort when something isn’t quite working because that feeling will then point me in the right direction.
What’s next for you?
I’ll be publishing a book of short stories with Gazebo in 2022.
