COMPOS MENTIS

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Artist Statement

Cue Instant Karma, and imagine that these words are the rolling end credits. Having never created a graphic novel before, I had a feeling this would be an abstract endeavor, but I wasn’t really sure where it would take me. As of this writing, I am a first year Art Education PhD student at Northern Illinois University. I’m curious where I’ll be by the time you’re reading this. That excitement in the future, and a humbled sense of the present is probably my biggest takeaway as an art educator.

Speaking of education, I am a junior high art teacher. I am happiest when my students take creative risks and critically reflect on what’s in front of them, so I certainly hope you do the same with this story, but here are a few themes and stylistic decisions found throughout:

I chose to make this story in response to
- The villainization of students who are deemed “different”
- Unachievable expectations being considered the “gold standard”
- The hidden curriculum unknowingly being perpetuated in some art classrooms
- The lack of gender neutral depictions in popular culture
- A personal reminder to listen more to my students
While not revealed until the ending, the first 3/4 (ish) of the graphic novel is written and drawn from the perspective of a teen student struggling with who they want to be, verses who they think people want them to be. There are three different drawn versions of the main character, Nex. One is more cartoon with traditionally male features, one is more female, and while more classically drawn, is more blurry in nature. The final page shows a more realistic version and is drawn in color with different digital materials. The background texture also changes from wrinkled sketchbook paper to thicker watercolor paper.
Music and drawing have always gone hand in hand for me, and I couldn’t create this graphic novel without also creating the playlist above. Click here to see which pages the songs land on in my mind, but please share what you would add or change.
The cover is meant to look like a worn journal with ‘Composition Book’ turned to COMPOS MENTIS.
Compos mentis is Latin for “having full control/mastery of one’s mind” (www.law.cornell.edu). I chose it as the title to represent Nex’s struggles interpreting their telepathic powers, and also a sarcastic take on not only Mr. Michels’ ability to control Nex’s mind, but also the emotional invalidation that happens throughout the story.
The drawings are disjointed, and some images and tape textures were used to create a collage effect that represents Nex’s worsening depression symptoms.
The text on pages 30-31 are actual statements 8th grade students have said to me when asked “Do you think teachers listen?” and “Do you feel supported at school?”
There is a great deal of space around the frames, and the gutters are larger than most of the drawings to represent Nex feeling small and isolated. Pages 58-59 are crowded because it is one of the only times they felt close to someone. Unfortunately, Evan takes advantage of that closeness.
The superhero’s costume is unfinished to represent Nex’s unfinished comic book.
The “Secret Lair” building on pages 78-79 does in fact make Ty Inc. stuffed animals in real REAL life. This was used as a tribute to Ty Warner Park; which is where I was when the idea for compos mentis came about.
Compos mentis’ version of real life is black and white as a tribute to The Wizard of Oz, which, along with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles, are my two earliest memories of what creativity is capable of, and why I started creating my own art as a child.
The marbled Composition Book design used for the cover also makes an appearance on page 101.
Pages 104-105 share the same layout as pages 42-43 to represent the teacher’s concerns with Nex’s comic book, and incessant worrying about what his next steps should be.
The overlapping speech bubbles, whether covering the teacher’s words, or beginning to cover the teacher’s face entirely, represents both the doctor and Nex’s father’s skepticism in the teacher’s concerns.
The windows in Nex’s bedroom on page five are the same windows in the hospital room on pages 108-109 and 112-113.
The phrase “there’s no need to hide” on page 116 is a quote from the song I am Mine by Pearl Jam, and represents the idea that while art may not always save the day, it will always encourage someone to be their true self.
Nex is not shown in compos mentis’ version of real life until they use art in the process of finding themselves on page 117.
There will (eventually) be a novel for adults and lesson plans that accompany this graphic novel in hopes of creating an open and collaborative dialogue between students, families, and school staff. Click here to view a growing folder of free resources that can be used in your classroom alongside this graphic novel.
Some statements from the teacher were taken directly from
- https://parentandteen.com/wp-content/uploads/CPTC-teen-emotions-scripts.pdf
- https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/sexual_violence/docs/sogie_handbook.pdf
Additional suicide prevention resources
- https://afsp.org/suicide-prevention-resources
- Are you in a crisis? Call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741

Acknowledgments

I would like to first thank Dr. Freedman for her constant inspiration, and challenging me to write this graphic novel, Dr. Boughton for showing me that it’s possible to be creative, structured, and humorous all at the same time, and Dr. Staikidis for never allowing me to be “close enough” in my hopes of reaching every student in my classroom. The voices of the 5,762 students (rough estimate) I’ve taught over the last 16 years echo through each word and every drawing in this graphic novel, and I truly have the greatest job in the world because of them. Additionally, I want to thank Serge Filmonov, Studio Firma, Ferran Izquierdo, and Landry Hudman for inspiring several design choices.

But above all, I want to thank my family for teaching me that every life lesson can be found in Looney Toons, Jethro Tull, and Bruce Springsteen lyrics, music is the perfect reason to travel the world and learn something new, no problem is bigger than the kitchen table, and that I could be whatever I wanted to be as long as I was kind.

Shine On,

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