From August 6 to 8, a free comic workshop for young people took place in Daugavpils. Fifteen young artists not only learned more about comics but also drew them, honing their skills and presenting their ideas to the other participants. The workshop was led by Finnish artist Jirki Nissinen.
If a group of people were shrunk and sent on a tour inside your mind, what would they see? What would they say about the experience upon their return? They could be scientists, mechanics, cleaners or just a tourist group. How would your mind appear to them? Your interests, thoughts, pleasures, doubts... Fears and overcoming them. What would the interior of your mind look like? Is the mind a philosopher’s hideout, a fantasy castle, a game arcade or a big beautiful mess? Of course, it could be a bit of everything. Different rooms in the metaphorical house of the mind.
The aim of the three-day workshop was to teach youngsters to visualize their thoughts, create stories about themselves, gain confidence, and boost their self-esteem by focusing on self-expression. Pupils from 7 different schools from 2 municipalities – Daugavpils and Augšdaugava – participated in the workshop. What might seem an entertaining drawing session to an outside observer was, in fact, an inspiring journey into the world of imagination with youngsters learning to articulate their thoughts through images and crafting them into stories. David Schilter, curator and Editor-in-Chief of the comic publishing house “kuš!”, shared stories about his work with comics and delivered an inspiring speech encouraging youngsters to draw and be brave enough to make their work public by sharing it with the world.
Jirki introduced various drawing techniques and storytelling methods through imaginative stories. At the end of the workshop, the participants presented their work to the others – learning to communicate their creative ideas and explain the narratives depicted in their comics.
Jyrki Nissinen (1982) is a Finnish comic artist based in Helsinki and Vieremä, East Finland. His roots are in punk DIY culture. Jyrki finds inspiration in the punk’s aesthetics and easy attitude towards art. He has released 8 comic albums and 20 issues of Borgtron zine. His works have been published in Finland, Denmark and France, and also included in various anthologies around the world.
The creative sessions were part of the “Nordic-Baltic Stories” project in collaboration with the comic book publisher “kuš! komikss.”
