Artist Inspo #6

Julia Wertz

Good morn’ my little hamster babies!

Welcome to the sixth installment of ARTIST INSPO— where I let my fangirl flag fly with complete geekish abandon.

Welcome to the NO CHILL ZONE!

Me waiting patiently to talk about my favorite artists all week.

This week I am highlighting the cartoonist who literally inspired me to get into comics professionally:

Julia Wertz

I can still remember stumbling upon Julia’s comics like it was yesterday

(and by yesterday I mean 2010).

✨Preface✨

I had virtually no knowledge of the comics world at the time.

I had assumed, like many, that it was all super hero content— which did not appeal to me at all.

I had, on the other hand, been drawing comics my entire life.

(I just didn’t call them comics. I literally didn’t know what to call them.)

Baby’s first comic book.

✨📖Storytime: My First Comic Book📖✨

I was aimlessly perusing the aisles of B&N as I did on a near daily basis back then, when I came upon the comics section.

“I like books and drawings. Sure, why not.”

I mostly saw what I expected to see— hyper-sexualized drawings of women in skin-tight leotards performing male-gaze versions of empowerment.

I could already hear the voices telling me,

“—but the stories are so good! You just have to see past the hyper-sexualization and one-dimensionally written female characters who are lazily assaulted for plot!”

It’s too painful. I can’t. I put the comics down.

Me drawing in 2010 having zero concept of art as a career goal.

Just then I see a section titled “memoir”.

I looked down and saw the title, “Drinking at the Movies”.

“Hey wait, I’m self-destructive! What a relatable title!”

I opened the comic book to find hilarious depictions of personal shortcomings, messy intimacies, and thoughtful reflections on life in your early 20’s.

I had never felt so seen. And the drawings were so goofy and playful.

And they were written and drawn by a woman my own age about her own life.

WTF?! You can do that?!

After buying the comic I immediately researched Julia and her work online.

I found her email and reached out asking how to become a cartoonist.

She emailed me back quickly and thoroughly. She said that making a reliable income on comic art is extremely rare and difficult.

(13 years later and, uh, yeah. Accurate.)

One of my comic shelves dedicated to the women cartoonists who originally inspired me.

✨A Completely Unnecessary Aside✨

I swear there’s a panel in Julia’s newest book “Impossible People” that depicts her sending this very email reply to a fan and I CAN’T FIND THE PANEL (it’s a really big book). So I’m sad now.

It’s fine. I’m fine (not fine).

I love Julia’s architecture drawings and bedroom layouts. As someone who monetarily toyed with the idea of becoming an architect, I feel seen, yet again.

Look at this incredible mural Julia made for the NY Transit Museum. LOOK AT IT!!!!!!! It’s so cool!

✨Reflections & Think-y Poos✨

Representation is an interesting thing.

You’d think we could see ourselves in whatever roles currently exist because other humans are in those roles and we’re all human, but it often doesn’t play out that way.

If you’re interested in a field where no one looks like you it subconsciously signals that you don’t belong in that space.

To persevere regardless takes a lot of self-esteem, which is hard to come by when you experience a chronic sense of not belonging.

I’m really grateful for artists like Julia who pursued comic art despite the odds and continues to be an excellent creator in the field.

Today it feels like there’s a lot of women cartoonists and I am very proud to call myself one of them. ✨

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Comments (Let’s Chat!):

• Were you familiar with Julia’s work before?

• Do you have any personal experiences of feeling like a future wasn’t possible until you saw yourself represented in the field?

• What was your gateway comic book?

  • Or any art that opened your mind to an entire new medium!

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Listening to: