I am a self taught visual artist and poet that focuses on trying to understand the world around me through the process of creation. Growing up in the Villa Victoria in South End, Boston has influenced all aspects of my being. A Puerto Rican community deeply rooted in culture, pride, respect, and celebration. I carry these foundations with me and apply them to everything I know. The only other place that I have lived is New York City, where I am currently studying Interactive Media Art at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. My major focuses on how to learn through the lens of design, technology, art, and storytelling.
-Tori
Why Comics?
I came across ThirteenVic from my local community organization, Dorchester Art Project, also known as DAP. The art and creativity is so unique I had to inquire about a comic. Not knowing if the visionary, Tori, has produced one before or felt the desire to create one. I knew how much having comics, animation, illustrations, etc. meant to me as my formative years I shared these with my father as a form of communication. Art has a way of expressing so much more than words can convey. Often times art is felt before it is given any language or presumption of process and meaning. So, when your form of communication is limited to letters and 20 minutes of vocal exchange you become creative in how you express emotions and information. realizing very quickly how limited this may be with an incarcerated parent, due to the slim pickings of newspaper clippings! I dreamt of illustrations that looked like me, expressed like me, 'talked' like me, however that was and still is a pretty untapped space for aboriginals. This set the tone for how WOMBXN would share art, healing, and enlightenment by collaborating with local and underground creatives from inner, rural, or urban areas. This is a must to showcase their stories, creations, and enterprises to their community and the world. Below Tori shares an intimate piece with us on her process and vision of her comic, 'Where I End Up'.
Where I End Up?ā
I have been really reflecting on the compassionate and emphatic aspects of myself recently. These are traits that I also see in other women in my family. I wish I could fix the world! In reality, I know that I can not, but I think I do my part by using my art to connect with people. I have discovered so much about myself, my loved ones and my community through art and hope my art can help do the same for someone else. With this comic, I wanted to share my journey. Art has helped me get away from a lot of things that I was really scared of as a kid. It was the only thing I had control over and was the only consistent thing in my life. It led me on a path that I would never have imagined. I get to draw everyday now and collaborate with other artists and make cool shit! Thatās a dream. Although I struggle with hesitation, anxiety, and doubt, when I draw, I feel most confident and most connected to others. Itās kind of ironic that I feel most confident and connected when I am somewhere else in my mind... There is a kind of a sadness to it that is interesting to me and something that I wanted to explore in this comic. Where I End Upā is about a young girl who loves to draw, but finds herself in the midst of chaos. She tries to run, with a pencil in hand, from what seems like an everlasting hell and suddenly, starts to float. She fights it, but as she passes the Earthās atmosphere, she realizes there is nothing she can do and marvels at the view. She settles down on the moon and crawls into a ball. She is away from her family, her community, her home. Alone. She takes notice of the pencil she has held onto this whole time. She starts to draw on the moonās floor. She recreates a picture of her family in the way she always imagines them: Joyful. The people back home notice the moonās new look. They stop for a moment in their chaos, look up, and smile.
Check out 'Where I End Up' in the first release, Vol.1 Matriarch