As part of Fest2Fest, 49th Shelf is checking in with authors and illustrators appearing at one of many Canadian fall literary festivals.
Ashley Spires, creator of the Binky the Space Cat series (Kids Can Press), delights audiences in Saskatoon as part of Word on the Street, Sunday, September 22, 2013. Learn more at the official festival website: www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/saskatoon.
Follow all Fest2Fest coverage on Twitter: #Fest2Fest.
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Julie Wilson: First, how's the new home in BC?
Ashley Spires: I've moved back to my home province after four years on the prairies and I'm in heaven. There really is nothing like home. It is a new perspective to move back after such a long time away, especially since I brought my born-and-bred Saskatchewan spouse with me. His views on us West Coasters is sure to give me lots of new perspectives. I just have to figure out how to make a children's book about road rage.
JW: With the conclusion of the Binky the Space Cat series, tell us how that feels as an artist, and how you knew it was time to move on for creativity's sake ...
AS: It felt terrific to complete a five-book series. It's so cool to see them lined up on the shelf! But I didn't want to become a one-trick pony. I love the graphic novel genre and I'm trying now to come up with a new concept for my next series. That's where creativity for creativity's sake comes in. I admit to forcing out an idea when I need to, but for something like a comic series, it needs to come more organically, namely as a random thought or doodle. The best ideas come from happy accidents, right Bob Ross?
JW: Is an illustrator someone who knows how to draw or someone who knows how to tell a story?
AS: An illustrator is someone who knows how to tell a story through drawings. I was once told that book illustrations should not just represent the actions as described but help further and add to the plot. In most of my books I try to tell another small story through just pictures. As adults, we read the words, but kids read the pictures. I love having teachers tell me about all the little things their students pick up from the drawings that the teacher might never have noticed.
JW: What kind of inspiration do you draw, in life and art, from each of your many domestic animal companions?
AS: There is nothing like a little furry friend to bring a person joy and comfort. That is—whtegggr4444—that is, when they are NOT walking across the keyboard. Not only are they my great friends who make me laugh, their varied personalities and quirks have helped my imagination go nuts. Binky the Space Cat was born from my first strictly indoor cats, Gracie and Charlotte, who have had to resort to hunting the odd insect that flew into the apartment. I imagined them narrating their lives and viewing their insect snacking as heroic and suddenly I had a whole secret life for house cats. Gordon, our dog, is madly in love with the cats. He raised the youngest, Fran and Penny, and their hilarious friendship—from washing each other, to chasing, to full-on wrestling—added a dimension to the house dynamics that I just had to add to Binky's world.
JW: Cats are generally presented as aloof and unimpressed with the human species. Did you always know Binky would care about humankind?
AS: If you met the real Binky, you would get why I created the character as I did. My sister adopted him from a shelter but we believe he originally came from a cat mill. He is a munchkin cat with short legs, built like a football, and, due to over-breeding, is mostly deaf, mostly blind, has respiratory problems, and is missing most his teeth. Despite all this, he loves EVERYONE! He is so happy to be in a home where he is loved that he can hardly stand it. He throws himself at anyone who is close by, so wildly happy that he can't stop purring even when he eats, which leads to choking on occasion. Cats might not always show it the way Binky does, but, ultimately, I think they are on our side.
JW: How do you and your editor discuss Binky's farting? I picture a scribble in the margin: "Motivation?"
AS: We've had amazing conversations about farting. A lot of them included sound effects because we had to figure out how to spell the noises. Yeah, they pay us for that.
JW: Back to your youth, how important was it to have parents who supported your career in the arts? Did they follow your lead, or did you need encouragement?
AS: I totally needed encouragement and would be miserable in a day job if it weren't for them. It never occurred to them that I would do anything but pursue my creative inclinations, and, as a result, it never occurred to me to do either. It was a tough go. After art school I figured I should be sensible so I applied to the education program at UBC. A month before my program started I was offered my first book illustration contract—the book deadlines were going to collide with my school schedule. It was my Mom who said quite simply, "This is your dream. School will always be there. Drop out." Best parents ever.
JW: Could you offer some business tips for the burgeoning art entrepreneur?
AS: If I have a good business sense, it's completely because of my dad. He is a wildly successful entrepreneur and I've learned everything from him, namely how to work my buns off. The most important thing as an artist trying to make a passion into a career is DO THE WORK! Do the work on time, be reliable, and accept criticism graciously. Artistic pursuits in the professional field always become collaborations, so work with people, not against them.
It's a failing in the writing and illustrating community that there is no forum for new creators to ask which publishing houses are good and which should be avoided. We all have an "I wish I had known" story from the beginning of our career when we were green and hungry and signed a contract that we regretted later. If you are new and about to work with a publisher, I would see who is on their back list and contact the authors/illustrators that have collaborated with them to make sure they were treated properly, and paid fairly.
JW: Finally, Bookaboo and Bret Hart teamed up to read your book Larf for Kids' CBC. Can you list three other things you never thought you'd live to see?
AS: Hammer pants coming back in style; finding a spider SO BIG that it scared my husband as much as it did me; and, finding an anti-humidity hair product that works! (Hang on, I'm still waiting for that last one.)
JW: Ashley, for your viewing pleasure.
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Ashley Spires was born and raised in British Columbia where she resides still with her cats, Gracie and Charlotte. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and a Graduate Diploma in Illustration from Sheridan College. In addition to her illustration, she founded Chicken Tika Creations (which she named after her dog, not the food) and is selling her hand-felted items across Canada. Her books include Small Saul and the Adventures of Binky the Space Cat series.
Visit her official website: www.ashleyspires.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ashleyspires.