023 ✿ Expressing Queerness Through Comics and Growing Through Self-Doubt ft. Jett Allen (@jettdraws)

Episode 023 ✿ Expressing Queerness Through Comics and Growing Through Self-Doubt ft. Jett Allen (@jettdraws)

For this episode I had the pleasure of speaking to Jett Allen (they/he) who is a nonbinary/trans cartoonist, illustrator and writer. Jett’s work is incredible, thoughtful and funny and in many of his pieces he reflects on his experience as a nonbinary/trans person as well as films that have had an impact on him. Jett’s work has been published in the New Yorker, the LA Times, Into, the NYU Press and more! I got to talk to them about how and when they started making comics, dealing with feedback, criticism and self-doubt, expressing your queerness through your art, navigating family reactions, his process, and his current project which is a graphic memoir.

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Topics discussed:

-Jett introduces himself

-Jett’s experience with creativity as a child- doodling, creating stories with his sister, but not exactly being encouraged to be creative

-The connection between poetry and comics

-Being in and eventually quitting a PhD program for film

-Jett’s love for and relationship with film

-Deciding to start making comics and illustrating despite not feeling skilled to do so

-Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

-Black Hole by Charles Burnes

-The trans-ness of Black Hole

-Starting to create published work

-Jett’s first project Never Forget Femmes

-Balancing your goals and growth vs. your self-confidence and your value

-How your work if perceived is not your business, creating your art is your business

-Good criticism vs. bad criticism

-Good criticism opening up questions

-Bad criticism being vague and unthoughtful

-The fear of working on bigger or new projects

-Jett’s series Trans Classic Movies

-Jett’s creative process- starting with a question, writing, sketching, editing and then drawing

-The movie Big and transness

-River Butcher

-Jett’s current project- a graphic memoir

-Writing about your family and their reactions

-Call Me By My Name, Mom- Jett’s comic about their relationship with their mother

-Expressing queerness through art

-What Jett does for fun-relaxing, tarot, video games, etc.

-Having a comic bought by the Criterion Channel and getting to visit their offices

https://jettallen.com/

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