You Can’t Save The World On An Empty Stomach
ELLA KASPEROWICZ IS AN ILLUSTRATOR BASED IN NOTTINGHAM. HER WORK TAKES INSPIRATION FROM HER OWN EXPERIENCES, FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS AND MENTAL WELL BEING. WE CAUGHT UP WITH ELLA IN MARCH 2022 TO CHAT ABOUT HER WORK, HER LIFE AND HER INFLUENCES.
The first step to becoming an illustrator felt like a huge rebellion for me, I chose to go University as far away from home as I could go, 300 miles from where I grew up in Uttoxeter. As a teenager I was having a tough time receiving treatment for Anorexia. I was an outpatient for two years, but in reality had been struggling with an eating disorder and mental health for a long time before that. My A levels had been the absolute death of me, and I always knew that I wanted to do something creative. So, the thought of being able to go to Falmouth University, this bright, sunny place by the sea and do something I loved every single day was such a driver in motivating me to recover.
Shortly after I started my degree course, I got discharged from the outpatient unit. It had taken a while for me to accept help, I was quite stubborn and thought no one could possibly understand what I was going through. So, my recovery was super slow, but I did it and I know that I’ll never be in that place again. Although part of the illness never goes away, you learn what you need to do to ensure you don’t end up in that place again.
I loved University, as I’d imagined I would. I worked hard but played hard too. I met the best group of girlfriends that I’m still close with, in fact they’ve influenced my personal work a lot and continue to do so. I knew I wanted to do freelance illustration when I graduated and got a few commissions, but my Mum encouraged me to get another job too for stability. So, I got a job working at Tesco, along with loads of other graduates who had also moved back home. I thought I’d applied to work on the checkouts but it turned out to be on the meat counter, which wasn’t ideal as I’m vegetarian. I remember crying on the way to my first shift but ended up seeing the funny side of it all. It became the inspiration for a comic that I made about this time called ‘Meat and Greet’. I met some of the funniest women and great friends there, who still support my work.
The year after I graduated I managed to get a book deal, an editorial director saw my work at my degree show, followed me on social media and then invited me to pitch to her. I went back with some sketches, and they said “cool, can you make 96 pages in three months?” I have no idea how I pulled it off, but I did. The book was called Squad
Goals and was about the power of female friendships. I based it on the amazing friends that I’d met at university and throughout my life. It was an amazing opportunity and I thought it would set me up for life, but obviously it’s a lot harder than that. You have to keep going and keep pushing your work.
Like many people I found the 2021 lockdown difficult. I had a job that wasn’t making me happy, and I found myself slipping into some old habits which I needed to get myself out of. I realised that I’d loved University, I loved working on my own projects, and I loved making things. So, I thought let’s do that again. I’m now studying part time for a masters in Textiles and I’m still a self-employed illustrator for the rest of the time.
I’m very ideas driven. I think people are either process or ideas driven. I get most of my ideas when I’m walking. I’m always making notes on my phone of little things that I find funny which means I’ve always got a surplus of ideas. This can sometimes feel quite overwhelming to try and bring them all to fruition. I always sketch out stuff first, my sketchbooks are really messy, and the drawings are rubbish. If you looked at them, you’d probably not think that I was an illustrator! I then usually create the final artwork on my iPad, but now I’m back at University I’m hoping to return to risograph and screen printing, those more traditional print methods really influence my work and the colours pallet that I use. I’ve just finished a print called ‘Anxiety Bingo”, I’d had the idea in the notes section of my phone for about a year before I finally made it.
I love being an illustrator, I love drawing and I love telling stories and much of my work has similar themes. There’s a lot of women depicted and although it’s not intentional perhaps it’s because my personal experiences and struggles are shaped by being a woman, or perhaps it’s because I find women more interesting to draw. I do always try to focus on the positives and the wonderful things about being a woman. Friends and family are really important to me, and so is being a woman. I’m proud to be one.
My favourite piece of personal work is “You Can’t Save the World on an Empty Stomach’. It was originally a risograph printed zine, and now it’s a print. Creating the zine was the first time that I had properly started talking about what I’d been through with Anorexia and it felt easier to talk about it through drawing. It took me a few years after I’d fully recovered before I started to process what had happened. Making the zine, which was full of little reminders to eat and nourish your body was a big step, and it meant a lot to me that I could make something that could help others too. At first glance it’s quite fun and silly but the message behind the zine is important. I’m hoping to use what I do to put some good in the world.
@ELLASTRATED