It’s that Monday feeling… the joy of another Changeling interview! This time, let’s sit down with artist Rochelle Asquith.
Emmy: Hello! Tell us a little about yourself.
Rochelle: I’m Rochelle Asquith, based in West Yorkshire, and I draw, make comics, and sculptures.
Emmy: What inspired your Changeling comic, “Old Lady Troubles”?
Rochelle: With this particular comic I had a punchline in mind about someone turning experiencing a bad thing, into the bad thing experiencing them, and so this came out of that. But more generally, I’m mostly inspired by nature, and funny word plays.
Emmy: How long have you been creating art?
Rochelle: Since I could hold a pen/pencil.
Emmy: Where is your favourite place to create?
Rochelle: My little desk in my bedroom, or a sunny garden.
Emmy: Who or what brought you joy when you were young?
Rochelle: I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer with all my heart, and also Freddie Mercury!
I was really obsessed with tattoos when I was a kid, and was always drawing on myself and making sheets of tattoo designs in my school books (which my teachers didn’t love), and I’m still inspired by a lot of tattooing culture.
Emmy: What is your favourite thing about being neurodivergent?
Rochelle: The fact that my brain works at 130 miles per hour (metaphorically speaking). I think my neurodivergence has made me a quick and witty thinker, which is invaluable in life.
Emmy: What is your favourite thing about creating?
Rochelle: Turning a complex emotion into a piece of art. I think a lot of art is just translating various emotions into different ways of seeing those emotions, so learning how to draw becomes like learning a language, and that stretches your brain in some really interesting ways that ends up being beneficial in every corner of life.
Emmy: Do you think being neurodivergent impacts your creativity in any way?
Rochelle: It absolutely does! My parents always said I have an ability to look sideways at things, and I think this is vital for creative people. You have to be able to look at things in a different way to be able to observe something different about it, so my neurodivergence has massively helped and become a secret weapon of sorts.
Emmy: What would you say to encourage any young, aspiring creatives reading this?
Rochelle: Keep feeding yourself with every form of art; read as widely and watch as widely as you can, even stuff you don’t think you’d be interested in, and try to find something interesting about it.
Follow Rochelle on Instagram @rochelleasquith & buy her a coffee!
Changeling Annual 2023 will be published in Spring — keep an eye out for updates by following our Instagram.
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