Tamlyn Teow’s new graphic novel SoXiety, told without the use of narrative, explores the intersection of modern society, anxiety, and the individual through evocative illustrations and a captivating message of hope. Teow shares her inspiration and the rationale for the Book of Kin series. 

What inspired the creation of this story? Why did you decide to create it in a picture book format?

The seed of SoXiety stems from my own experience living with anxiety and the evolving cultural landscape. Having grown up through the technological revolution, I’ve had the privilege of living with and without technology. As a result, the shift and change hits much harder. From daily observations, I am confident that I’m not alone in my struggles. The addiction to screens and devices is evident, the need for attention, shortening attention spans, reduction in self-awareness and companies hungry for marketing/data mining are all serious issues that should be addressed. Social media has its benefits, but they’re increasingly getting outweighed by the downsides. Regardless of whether users have pre-existing conditions that make social media a dangerous addition to their lives, it is fundamental to be aware of the impacts of it in both an objective and subjective perspective. In developing this book, Rowena Beresford (Editor at Riveted Press) and I aim to nudge readers to question how integrated technology is in their lives and how it has or hasn’t impacted their mental health.

The idea of using a book as a medium came about when the bookstores that I love started shutting down. I was worried that the world of books was crumbling as society shifts towards the digital platform. I wanted readers to divert away from screens and instead, have the tactility and nostalgia of flipping pages without distractions and fall in love with books again. By holding something real or tangible, we hope it’ll immerse readers to engage physically in the present. Rowena and I chose to use the picture book format unconventionally in support of the theme of imperfection/experimentation as well as assist with the budget constraints. Rowena made a great decision to use bigger dimensions for the book, so that when someone is holding SoXiety, they are overwhelmed and encapsulated by the artwork in it.

The illustrations for SoXiety are filled with detail. Have you included anything in them that readers should look out for or pay special attention to?

Within the book, you’ll see that the advertisements have acronyms or abbreviated words that merge or fuse with the scientific part of the keyboard. These “tech” influences on the words are symbolic of both our reliance on technology and how integrated it is in our lives. In the book’s reality, the convenience, impatience relief by quick fixes and dopamine hits take priority over proper linguistics.

Across the spreads, the goal of competing advertising is to illustrate how corporations or businesses are fighting for the attention of the inhabitants and of the readers. Consequently, the reader becomes a character in the narrative.

I would like readers to pay attention to each of the advertising materials, characters and signs; as they are a cheeky play on things around us at present. We are all culprits and victims of how society is today, so it felt important to shine a light on some of the bizarre fads and have readers question if a certain thing is an object of need or one of manufactured desire.

SoXiety is the first book in the Book of Kin series. It is set in a bustling metropolis, while the following stories are set in the ocean, a swamp, and a desert. Setting is very important to a story, so how did you go about deciding the ideal location for the stories you want to tell?

The landscapes, time periods, characters and how locations are dressed, collectively add to the world building aspect for where a story unfolds. By setting the tone and mood, it takes readers/viewers to the reality you’re constructing. Personally, I find much intrigue in stories that take place in otherworldly places that are dreamlike or nightmarish but with elements of familiarity. In addition, having characters that are odd yet recognisable, are relatable with flaws but have redeeming arcs or qualities, keep me much more invested in their journeys. In these instalments for Book of Kin, I applied these lessons and am taking a leap of faith that the themes will be conveyed effectively in the settings. For example, in SoXiety, the concrete and institutional landscape creates a claustrophobic and cold environment. Though crowded, the inhabitants are siloed and segregated via their devices where their misery is a consequence of both the environment and their own self-infliction. This dystopian reality is an exaggeration of the world we are living in today and a glimpse into what things could be like if changes aren’t made. By having recognisable elements like skyscrapers, enlarged mould structures and devices that exist within the realm of what we know, they aid readers in suspending their disbelief. I hope that the next instalments in the series will create those juxtapositions too with the characters and a stark contrast between how the environments progress from the beginning to the end. The settings also dictate how characters behave. For example, a place lacking in resources would push the characters to desperation if the conditions get harsher and there’s more at stake. I wanted to depict stories in different environments to introduce animalistic characters but in humanoid forms. This allows me to draw comparisons between humans and nature.

You’ve shared that SoXiety is an experimental work, and is different from your previous illustration projects. What was it like to undertake this project? Was it challenging in any way?

It was great fun and therapeutic creating this book with Riveted Press. Rowena allows her writers and illustrators a lot of creative freedom, which hasn’t been common in my experience! It was surreal as the idea was abstract, and I never thought anyone would understand my vision or be interested in taking on such a big risk. 

There was a lot of constructive conversations back and forth for around two years, discussions on how to improve the flow and clarity of the narrative and decisions on the format of the printed product. Throughout, she remained respectful and encouraging while never suggesting changes that jeopardises the work. Together with her skills and trust, it completely elevated the project, and I learned a tremendous amount through this adventure.

It is challenging communicating what I see in my head to someone else that’s on the external. Even though you can be on the same wavelength as someone, I think it’s sometimes difficult to express what you’re thinking. As an artist, I visualise things vividly in dreams or imagination, but I often don’t possess the skills to put it on a page. During the earlier stages, we hit several roadblocks. I had to do a lot of research and build archives for reference images and examples of how to effectively tell stories through panels as I’ve never illustrated a graphic novel before! As it’s mostly in black and white, I had to buy a range of graded pencils and learn the different methods of shading too. I am terrible at drawing straight lines and in perspective, so the cityscapes were a huge challenge.

I’m still pinching myself that this book was made and can’t believe Rowena was willing to take such a chance! I am thankful that she allowed me to bring in my own style. I wanted to keep this book raw and loose, because with most books, you see a finished product, but you hardly see the sketches that go into it. For SoXiety, I expressed my desire to keep the artwork undeveloped and unevolved, to sell the feel of imperfection. In a way, SoXiety is a book represents an acceptance of flaws and exists as an antidote to that curated and filtered construction that we see on social media.

As a narrative-free story, SoXiety can be interpreted in a number of ways. Is it your hope that readers can find their own meanings in the story or do you have one interpretation you hope carried through?

Art is a wonderful way for self-expression and gateway to bonding with likeminded souls. The beauty of art, such as music, films, paintings and food, helps people create their own interpretation and connections to the work or subject in question. Who we are today are the result of our own varied experiences and memories. Thus, stories can be perceived by and related differently between you and someone else. It could even change for an individual when they interact with it at various stages in their life.

By not having words in the book, it lowers the language barrier and offers an opportunity for readers to ponder about and interpret the work through their personal lenses. It can potentially act as a mirror to your own life and emotions too. We would love for classrooms to be able to discuss it, share their opinions on whether they disagree or agree with the work. But most importantly in that moment, for students to be present and know they’re not alone.

The main character of this story is known only as X. Can you explain the significance of this?

X is the only letter that doesn’t belong in the word “Society”. By replacing the letter C with X, it shows non-conformity and a representation of the individual. It changes the meaning of the word and instead raises an emotional discomfort or curiosity. It also fuses two different words and definitions together, ie “Anxiety” in our “Society”.

Further, X being different than others, can exist and contribute to a community. Being in the middle of the word, it represents a whole. By dropping X, it would create a separation in the new word and make it meaningless. In a subjective point of view, we are all Xs while everyone else are the other letters. Together we can function as a unit if we accept one another but when divided, we fall.

X also comes from the saying “X marks the spot”. The treasure is your heart and soul, where the change and good intention must start with you.

The Book of Kin series is a commentary on modern society and your own experiences. Was there anything particularly confronting or rewarding about creating this series? 

The overall concept of The Book of Kin is kinship and community where each book addresses a different issue. Though the stories don’t come up with solutions, they do suggest ways to help the characters through issues via connection and being open minded, understanding and listening, rather than existing in their own bubbles and surrounding themselves only with agreeable individuals. I have and do occasionally experience racism and struggle with feeling a sense of belonging. The impact of a rise in social media use and biased fear-based reporting have had on societal behaviours are issues I struggle with daily. Though an introvert, there are moments where I feel like an alien or from a different era. It is an emotion I wouldn’t wish it on others but consciously, I know that I am not alone. There were panels that contained illustrations in SoXiety that were confronting and were emotional to get through. There was research on topics for this and the other instalments that made me feel helpless and negative about the future of humanity. However, the earth continues to spin, time moves forward, and we should too. I do hope very much that we can learn from each other and nature, so that we can walk together towards a more cohesive and harmonic existence despite different opinions, priorities, religions, races and ideologies. In creating this series, Rowena and I both strive to encourage discussions, build friendships and bring more love and acceptance to others.

For those that would like to know more about this story, where should they look?

We put together a Creator’s Guide for those who would like a comprehensive analysis of SoXiety, which is available on: https://thebookofkin.com/ 

However, may I request for readers to have a go looking through the pages and coming up with their personal interpretations prior to the guide?

I was very privileged to be on a podcast interview with Allison Tait, organised by Rowena. Which you can listen to here: Your Kid’s Next Read With Allison Tait and Megan Daley: YKNR 193: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/your-kids-next-read-with-allison-tait-and-megan-daley/id1565096687?i=1000698758112  

Do you have any other projects in the works?

Thanks so much for asking! The following are books I worked on that will be released soon:

Bronte’s Big Business by Liane Young, out with Wombat Books in July

A cover I did for The Disappearing Circus by Kate Gordon and Helen Edwards (published by Riveted Press in July),

My Pet Archie by Karyn Savage (published in August by Riveted Press).

And, sequels to SoXiety for The Book of Kin series.