The idea for my silent book comes from the desire to tell how to face our fears without being crushed, according to my point of view that is to take courage and face even the worst enemy we can meet on our way: ourselves. We need to fight our fears so that we dont’t get overwhelmed by them and become stronger by learnign to fight and turn them into positive teachings. It is an invitation that I address above all to myself and even if it may seem banal I belive it is not. We often do not realize that the darkness that lives in ourseves can affect us so much and it is only by beliving in ourselves that we can make that ugly monster our friend. The hero of my story could only be that funny character of my sister Susanna, who is the breavest and loveliest person I know and who always gives me a little bit of courage.
The story is simple: Susy is a very smart and curious little girl, she wears big glasses because her eyes are her only weak point but, despite of this she is immersed in books all the time. Susy grows up happy in her house in her village but with her also grow her fears like a big black shadow that follows her everywhere and becomes bigger every day. When Susy notices the ugly monster behind her she is not afraid, she goes to the mirror to look at it better even if it could be really scary from so close. But Susy decides not to give in to the fear, she faces it instead taking the courage flower. Together with the monster they water this flower which will grow stronger every day and will help her to deal with all the ugly monster who wants to scrape her.
I decided to enter the contest because it offers the opportunity to create a story from scratch, you can choose the theme, how to make it, develop it and represent it. All the participants have the chance to demonstrate artistic talent but also narrative and comunicative talent and all of this is an extraordinary opportunity. I have head this story in my head for a few years and it seemed to me the right time to dedicate all myself into it.
Letizia is 33 years old, she’s Italian and she comes from Roviano, a tiny village near Rome. She graduated in painting at Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and the she attented the world of illustration with a course by Simone Rea at SRF (Scuola Romana del Fumetto). After the studies, she moved to London where she lived for a short time before coming back to Italy and try different jobs such as hospital porter and the assistant pastry chef. Then she joined the tattoo world where she worked for five years. This was her artistic training and where she met people who influenced, positively and not, her path. In the meantime she specialized in History of Art at Università di Roma Tre and then attended the course of Editorial Illustration at IED.
She has always drawn, since she was a child and she used to watch cartoons on tv over and over again and read comic books. She loves reading and she likes to look around and find herself fascinated. She takes inspiration from everything around her.
“When I was a kid I used to draw everything I could think of and it hasn’t changed much since then and I hope it never changes.”