Meet illustrator and comic artist from Nepal, Kripa Joshi.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

I suffered from Postnatal Depression following the birth of my daughter. So in order to motivate myself, I started the Miss Moti-vation series where I illustrated a motivational quote with Miss Moti every week.

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

How did you start your career in art?

My parents thought I had talent in art and arranged for art classes when I was young. After I finished school I won the Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarship to study painting in Baroda, India. When I returned to Nepal I taught art in schools and started illustrating books. Then I received the Fulbright scholarship to pursue an MFA in illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. That was where I first got to know about the history of comics and discover the exciting genre of Graphic Novels. I had always struggled with my weight and so I wanted to create a body-positive fat character and Miss Moti was born.

I had always struggled with my weight and so I wanted to create a body-positive fat character and Miss Moti was born.

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

Generally, the people in Nepal, like the rest of South Asia, tend to push their children to become either doctors or engineers. Thankfully, my parents and family have always been supportive and encouraging of my creative pursuits. In fact, my mother, with her energy and positive attitude, is the inspiration for my character Miss Moti.

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

I would like to publish my Miss Moti and Miss Motivation books

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

I would love to collaborate with Oprah Winfrey! I feel my character Miss Moti and the upliftment aspect of Miss Motivation resonates with a lot of the values that Oprah stands for. It would be great to create something on body positivity or women rights.

How would you describe the women around you?

I would say the women around me, especially my mother and sister, are my support system.

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

When I was growing up there weren’t that many female creatives I could look up to. But I was inspired by my aunt’s friend called Shashi Kala Tiwari. Her beautiful and dreamy paintings hung in my Aunt’s home and I loved looking at them. I ended up going to study at the same university as she did in Baroda, India.

Are there any challenging aspects of being a female in your industry?

They used to say that the comic scene is mostly male and white but I don’t think that is true anymore. I think there are a lot more diverse stories and voices being represented in comics and illustrations. The only challenging aspect of being a woman in the creative field for me is juggling childcare and creative work. Time is scarce and the mind can be too muddled and sleep-deprived to be creative. I usually end up working during naps and after bedtime. But this dilemma and juggling act is probably true for a lot of women in different professions.

I think it is important to have a support network to share ideas.

Do you have any advice to young women who are aspiring to work in your field?

I would encourage them to take part in anthologies so they can build a network and have their work published. I think it is important to have a support network to share ideas. I would encourage them to seek constructive feedback.

Photos courtesy of Kripa Joshi