Bored Panda reached out to Amee once again to delve deeper into her world and creative process. In the vibrant world of comics, Amee's work stands out for beautifully portraying LGBTQ+ life. We were intrigued to learn more about how the artist decides which specific aspects or topics of LGBTQ+ life to bring to life in her artwork. "Lately it tends to be topical - what's going on in the news," Amee shared. "Then, I like to balance it with simple or joyful ideas inspired by my followers or my own experiences."
Starting a creative adventure often opens doors to new perspectives and insights. As we explore Amee's captivating comics, it makes us wonder: how has making these cartoons changed the way she thinks about the LGBTQ+ community and its many different stories? For the artist, it's a constant educational journey. "There are so many perspectives and experiences in the community, and so there is always more to learn. I try to push myself to share as much breadth as I can - and have learned a lot along the way, even about my own identity. Julia Shaw's book 'Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality' helped me a lot in that way. And then more recently 'Rainbow History Class: Your Guide Through Queer and Trans History' by Hannah McElhinney was also a book that also opened my eyes a lot."
According to Amee, an improvement in LGBTQ+ representation across underrepresented parts of the community would be incredible. "But first and foremost, we need to tackle the way the media and government are attacking parts of our community. The way the trans+ are currently represented in mainstream media has deadly real-world consequences. We need to uplift voices from the community to tell their stories, counteracting the lies that are being told on a much larger scale."
Amee revealed that she would like to continue broadening the topics in her art and work more with other creators to showcase their perspectives, using her platform to help uplift those voices.
Amee has released a vibrant and uplifting book titled "Queer Chameleon and Friends". This collection of comic illustrations portrays LGBTQ+ life, catering to both the community and a broader audience. So if you're interested, definitely check it out!
