Bored Panda reached out to Alex to learn more about the origins of "Haus of Decline" comics and their creative process. Alex shared with us that the comics were mostly inspired by COVID-19 boredom and named Keith Haring, Ernie Bushmiller, Gahan Wilson, and Nick Gurewitch as major influences. "I wanted to combine Haring's ability to depict a peaceful, placid Queer existence and make it appealing to a mainstream audience, Ernie Bushmiller's accessible, immediate visual gags, Gahan Wilson knack for chunky, grotesque facial expressions and Nick Gurewitch's gentleness and astonishing variety of format. I think these four really inspired me to express myself through this medium."
When asked about their creative process, Alex said that sometimes a joke comes to them fully formed. "Sometimes you can force one through a process of applied free association. Often coming up with a joke involves thinking of any random subject, letting your brain link it to another vaguely associated subject, and the logic of how one relates to the other is where the humor lies."
Alex shared that seeing others inspired to pursue their own creative work is the most rewarding part of the creative process. "There is an amateurish, self-taught quality to my comics. Often people are intimidated to follow their artistic pursuits because they compare themselves to people with a great deal of technical skill. People look at my stuff and think 'Hmmm, I could probably do that.' And then some of them actually DO and it turns out great. Getting someone to express themselves when they may have not otherwise expressed themselves is the best."
Alex often depicts queer couples spending time together nude, aiming to capture the sense of true comfort and complete peace that comes with a loving relationship. "As corny as it is, I believe this sense of peaceful comfort is the thing that we must strive to protect. It is worth fighting to preserve the beautiful mundanity of devotional love," they shared.
