PHOTO: Laura Lee Gulledge, captured mid-creation, blending emotion and insight into every expressive line she draws.
Embracing Vulnerability Through Art, Advocacy And Graphic Narrative
Laura Lee Gulledge discusses the emotional and artistic roots of her graphic novels, the power of creative community, and how unmasking her autism transformed both her art and her life.
Laura Lee Gulledge moves through the world with a pencil in one hand and a mission in the other. Her work is at once intimate and illuminating, crafting visual landscapes that reflect not only personal battles but collective truths. With her distinctive blend of graphic narrative and emotional candour, she invites us to witness what often remains hidden: the weight of inner darkness and the glimmers of hope that survive it.
In The Dark Matter of Mona Starr, Gulledge draws upon the rawness of lived experience to create a character who grapples, like many of us, with the invisible forces of anxiety and depression. But her artistry doesn’t stop at storytelling—it becomes a form of medicine. Through graphic novels, zines, murals, and workshops, she embraces creativity as an act of healing, connection, and resistance.
As both an educator and advocate, Gulledge’s work pulses with the belief that art can be a lifeline. Her visual language, shaped by neurodivergence and empowered by unmasking, is not just expressive—it’s revolutionary. It dares us to be seen, to be soft, to be ourselves. And in doing so, it leaves a door open for others to step through.
In ‘The Dark Matter of Mona Starr’, you explore inner doubts and fears. What inspired Mona’s character and her journey
I was inspired to create a book both for myself and for young people that would model healing through self care & Artnering in this unique modern moment. It required me to get very personal, revealing my fears by drawing them out. Which created some challenging shadowland moments in the studio…I wondered what I got myself into?? But then I discovered the secret underlying motivation I held in crafting this story: giving myself hope. How to spark hope through a story about anxiety + depression?? Ultimately Mona helped me figure it out so I created the book I needed to read.
‘Sketchbook Dares’ offers 24 creative challenges. How did you select these specific exercises to draw out one’s inner artist
The art prompts in Sketchbook Dares are inspired by a holistic approach to skill development, much like the medicine wheel. It’s a diverse collection of practices designed to encourage balanced integration with hands (technical skills), heart (emotional reflection), mind (logical processing), and spirit. (awareness beyond self) It’s designed as a curriculum in a box, a hand held class any artist anywhere could pick up and try a page at random for some inspiration and growth.
Your mini book ‘Drawn Thru: Drawing Thru Depression’ precedes ‘The Dark Matter of Mona Starr’. How did this project influence your graphic novel
Drawn Thru was very much the seed from which Mona Starr grew! In fact, it was my publisher expressing interest in the expansion of Drawn Thru into a graphic novel about a character dealing with depression that prompted me to develop Mona Starr in the first place. It felt like an intriguing challenge to dive deeper into that material and build out a fictionalized world. My personal art therapy illustrations are literally the foundation for the graphic novels, where you can see those illustrations woven throughout. They sprout scenes around them that form the core of the plot.
In ‘Drawing Thru Unmasking’, you reflect on unmasking autism. How has this experience reshaped your artistic expression
Unmasking autistic truly revealed why and how I create the art I do…and why I’ve been obsessively drawing about my emotional inner world since high school. Now instead of questioning my “unique” style of expression I’m emboldened to embrace my differences. Embrace how I do, see, process, experience, and express things very differently than other people. It allows me to do impossible things. And being unmasked I’m not limiting my authentic self to my art on paper…now my art is my life, my relationships, my self, my being.
Offering creative consulting, what common challenges do you observe among aspiring artists, and how do you guide them
Many creatives feel both stuck and isolated. A helpful tool for both is connecting with Artners, aka supportive creative peers. Even if you don’t work in the same medium or collaborate together, simply sharing your ideas & creative journeys can make a big impact. You can even try parallel play or body doubling while working on independent projects. How do you initiate an Artnership? I often start by asking someone for help with a project or offering to help them with a project.
Your zine collection covers diverse topics. What draws you to this medium, and how does it complement your other works
I got into zine making during covid, and now I’m up to 23 titles! Some recent ones include sharing ways people can help support their autistic friends and a break-up guide. The shorter format allows for far more experimentation and exploration. I especially love sharing healing tools & graphic medicine in this format for you can connect it to the audience far quicker than a graphic novel. Plus zines are so fun to hide in library books, which I do sometimes on my school visits. I also appreciate the authenticity of self published works, as my zines are more about connecting with community and spreading ideas than making money.
As a neurodiversity advocate, how does your advocacy influence your storytelling and artistic approach
There’s an extra level of accountability that comes along with stepping into advocacy. Like being brutally honest about my needs and boundaries, and willing to advocate for them. Staying dedicated to my own learning, unlearning, and unmasking work. Connecting with community thru conversation and community care. But really it’s the modeling of vulnerability, authenticity, and self acceptance that I hope can enCOURAGE other Neurodivergent storytellers. To believe in themself and trust their ideas.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors navigating their creative journeys
Please stop criticizing your ideas/ yourself as not good enough or not original enough. In fact, make the art that feels the most cliche and obvious to you. For I guarantee you it isn’t as obvious to others…that’s often what’s the most universally relatable. Trust your visions and instincts. Don’t shy away from that perhaps-uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability. It’s okay to stretch. Also…find your Artners, start a mailing list, give away stickers, travel, read, meditate, rest, floss.
