Interview by Jenny Bristol
Illustration by Rebecca Burgess
Rebecca Burgess is a talented and creative illustrator and comic artist who works to both create beautiful things and increase positive dialogue surrounding important issues such as autism and asexuality. She has an exquisite talent to communicate so much emotion through her art, with facial expressions telling at least half the story. Her style is at once familiar, comfortable and fresh. She does freelance work as well as personal projects, and you can peruse much of her work at her website and on Tapas as well as see her autism-related work here at Geek Club Books. Through a lot of reflection, Rebecca has learned what supports she needs to be her most thriving and successful self, creating a life and career that works for her in the process. She lives in the UK.
What does a typical work/regular day look like for you (or, if there isn’t a typical day, describe one that is representative of your work/regular life)?
Because I’m both extremely forgetful and introverted, I have a very scheduled life to make sure I get stuff done, and that forces me to keep up with friends! Even though I freelance from home, I normally get up at the same time every week day and work from 9-5. I like to read books and comics specifically in my lunch hour, and then normally spend my evenings playing video games and working on personal art projects (mostly comics!). Then I make sure I’m out in the evening twice a week to do something with friends, normally playing board games.
What hobbies or interests do you have outside of your work?
Even though I spend all day drawing for work, my main hobby is still drawing in my free time. I really love drawing comics, and I have a gazillion stories in my head, so making comics is my biggest hobby. My other favourite things are Lord of the Rings, nature (going outside and exploring/bird watching), and history; I’ve always in particular been interested in Mozart and Edwardian history. I have lots of fun playing board games and role playing games with friends—I particularly love M:tG and Call of Cthulhu!
How does being autistic help or hinder your work or hobbies?
I would say being autistic both helps and hinders all of these things. The good thing about who I am is that I’m so intensely interested in drawing/comics that I rarely get “art block” or find it hard to be motivated in doing side projects outside of work, so I’m very productive. Because I find socialising tiring I don’t get “cabin fever” and find it really easy to just focus on work, even though I’m working from home and by myself. I think, as well, I tend to have a constant flow of ideas for stories and art projects because my brain doesn’t stop thinking.
“My passion for comics and stories means that I also find it really easy and love to talk about other people’s projects with them, and many creative friends have told me it’s nice to have someone who is really passionate about what they’re doing to help motivate them.”
The downside to being autistic is the social side and my bad executive function skills. I’m the most forgetful person I know for everyday basic tasks, and it means I’m really bad at doing the kind of stuff that you need to do as a freelancer to keep work going and keep yourself on clients’ radars—like following up with e-mails and keeping up with messages on social media, etc. Then there’s the whole networking thing that has always eluded me. A lot of people in my line of work get jobs by going to events, conferences, and comic cons regularly and meeting/socialising with people. But I really struggle with these sorts of things because it’s both very exhausting, and the sensory overload ends up making me feel unwell and I end up having meltdowns or panic attacks in the hotel rooms after it’s over. This also happens with certain hobbies like music gigs and comic conventions. I normally still like to go and just endure the ramifications, but don’t go as often as some of my other friends because of the physical/mental impact it has, and I normally have to rest for a long time afterwards.
What kinds of changes or accommodations do you make in your life to allow you to be successful?
I keep to a schedule and keep a diary where I can plan events and meeting up with people in advance. This allows me to keep track of social and quiet time, so that I don’t end up doing too much “social time” in one week and then feeling overwhelmed. I always make sure I have at least 4 “quiet time” days in a week.
“A diary also helps me keep track of small tasks I normally forget to do, like paying bills on time or contacting friends. I also normally have a day to day routine that has specific time put away for different things, so that I don’t forget to do household chores/tasks.”
I try not to go overboard with this though, because planning every little thing can end up being stressful (and my brain has a tendency to do that). With socialising, I tend to plan things in advance like board game nights or going to see a film; this way NT friends are happy to set aside time rather than be spontaneous, and if I’m tired I can do something that doesn’t always require too much talking (e.g., if you go to a cinema, you don’t have to concentrate on talking too much). I would say all of this has helped stop me from becoming stressed or overtired, and generally keeps me on top of adult life stuff that I otherwise end up forgetting about.
Have you experienced discrimination or bullying because of your autism or autistic traits?
Yes.
