Welcome to Antarctica

So. Why am I in Antarctica? 

In February of 2015, I applied for this amazing grant from the National Science Foundation called the USAP Artists & Writers Program. It supports artists and writers in their creation of work that is directly inspired and/or informed by the United States Antarctic Program.  My proposal? To make a 240+ page comic book about life and science in Antarctica. (I'll talk about how I put together my proposal in a separate post). 

In July of 2016, I found out that I had received the grant, and that I would be headed to Antarctica for 2.5 months starting at the beginning of November 2016.

While I'm here my job is to essentially collect data - stories, experiences, sketches, notes, photos, videos - about what it takes to support and conduct scientific research in one of the harshest places on Earth. And with all that data, I'll have what I need to create a big ol' comic book.

But why? Why do I need to physically be here?

Well, I did a ton of preliminary research: reading books, interviewing scientists, scouring the internet for everything from scientific papers to videos of penguins (I did more than that, but hopefully you get the picture). But, no matter how much you saturate your life with information about a place, nothing comes close to the actual experience of going to that place. I first had this realization with my book Coral Reefs, where I got scuba certified and traveled to the Caribbean to dive on coral reefs. And even earlier, with Human Body Theater...I didn't actually go inside a human body, but I did get my EMT-Basic certification back in 2002, and that experience directly informed the content of my comics about the human body.

It's not just about being here. It's about access. Access to all the support and science folks who are down here, to their stories, their skills, their passions. Everyone is a celebrity to me, whether they're washing dishes, working on huge vehicles, or collecting samples to study back in a lab. I feel like I have an all-access backstage pass to some of the most interesting people on the planet, and that's something that I can only get by being here.

And it's not just about being here, and having access to this incredible community of people. It's about learning. Hands-on learning. My love of science was thwarted by how it was taught the older and older I became. Hands-on activities and experiments were replaced with more and more text and testing, and I suffered. I know that reading, writing, and math are integral to doing science well, whether it's biology, chemistry, or physics, but I just could not keep up. Years later, I found myself engaging with science once again, but as an educator, helping to teach the very same type of science activities that hooked me as a youngster. And that's when it clicked: I learn better by observing and doing. It made complete sense, I've always been a visual person. But I had never looked at what factors made me successful in learning a new skill or subject. So, now I have a mission: to learn as much as I can about the world around me, and take what I learn and teach it back in a way that makes sense to me. And there are two ways that I know to do this: 1.) In person, talking directly to an audience and 2.) In comics.

So, that’s why I’m here. To get my hands dirty. To experience scientific research in the field. To watch the sun stay up in the sky continuously for 2.5 months straight. To volunteer in the galley. To learn how to ride a snowmobile up the side of a volcano. To observe microscopic organisms from the coldest ocean on the planet. To figure out how it all fits into a story. To inspire others to get out and experience the world. Oh yeah, and to poop in a bucket. I’m going to tell you ALL about that too. And so much more.

That’s why I’m in Antarctica.

Cheers, Maris

looking out from McMurdo across the sea ice to the Transantarctic Mountains, Nov 2016

Bottoms up.

I’ve been in Antarctica for 2 weeks now.

Last Wednesday, I flew to a remote field camp to observe the work of 2 scientists and 2 divers studying single-celled organisms that live below the sea ice. I had never met any of them before.

Last Wednesday, it was Election Day back in the States. My home. (This is because I am living a day in the future, at the bottom of the world…Election Day was technically Tuesday.)

Last Wednesday, I learned how to chip dive holes, and scoop out the icy chunks into a neat pile, so the holes don’t freeze over.

Last Wednesday, I ate frozen pizza and drank beers with people I had met just hours before. Slowly, the shock of what was happening back home began to sink in, as we received intermittent updates.

Last Thursday, I woke up. Still in shock. I think I’m still in shock, but I have so much to do for the short time that I’m down here. I’m putting all my energy into my work.

I’m here on this frozen continent because of an amazing program, funded by our government, funded by our tax dollars. (Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.) The 900+ incredible people who are here with me, the same. It pains me to think that this could so easily go away. And I don’t mean that selfishly. So many of the people here were inspired from a very young age to participate in science, to participate in the outdoors, to participate in the world. It’s programs like these, where we can come together and learn new things, help each other, help to understand each other, and help to understand the world, that make lasting impacts. Impacts that will likely span beyond our lifetimes. I want this opportunity to be here for future scientists, future adventurers, future humans from all walks of life.

There is internet down here, but barely. I can check my email. I can occasionally update Twitter/Instagram/this blog (but I usually need to do this very late at night/early in the morning). Part of me is homesick for my loved ones, my friends, my community, while part of me is grateful that I am cut off and distracted from the events back home. I don’t want my silence to be misconstrued as complacency or apathy. Just know that I am working my butt off, fighting the best fight that I know how: making comics that will inspire the next generation of scientists, thinkers, doers, problem-solvers, and eventually, voters. I will shout my comics-lungs dry, singing the song of why we need to care so much about each other, and why we need care so much about this planet that we call home.

I struggle with putting all these thoughts into words, and I can tell you that this is just the tip of the iceberg (pun = intended).

Please know that I’m thinking of you all, and of all our collective struggles, and how to best deal with what lies in front us.

Cheers, Maris

ANTARCTICA!

Actually, I'M ALREADY HERE!! As I write this, I'm sitting in the Crary Lab Library, at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Yeah, I still can't believe it. The short story is that 1.5 years ago, I applied for the USAP Artists & Writers Grant to make a graphic novel about Antarctica, and I got it! The long story is...well, that'll come later. It is an INCREDIBLE privilege to be a part of this program, and to have the opportunity to travel to one of the most remote (and cold) parts of the Earth! Also, PENGUINS!

Whenever I can, I'll be posting updates, photos, and drawings on Twitter, Instagram, and here! The internet is a little slow (think mid-nineties dial-up, but without those sweet, sweet modem sounds), and there'll be times when I'm out in the field for a week at a time, so apologies ahead of time if these posts are intermittent.

I look forward to sharing my adventures with you all!

Cheers, Maris

Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean!

Hi there! My latest book, Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean, is out! It's part of a new series from First Second Books called Science Comics! and its debut is joined by Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers.

If you want to read about my adventures, and why I love to make comics about science, check out this article I wrote for Boing Boing (and you can check out the Science Comics! Free Comic Book Day issue that I shared with Jon Chad and his story about volcanoes!).

Stay tuned as I'll be doing some events to celebrate the release of the book (and posting information about them here)!

Rocks...

I decided that my morning warm-up drawings should be rocks:

There's a reason, but I'll be posting about that on Friday!

2016 Hourly Comics

Every February 1 is Hourly Comics Day: you draw a comic for every hour that you are awake.  People all over the world participate.  For me, it's a great exercise in drawing; I get to work fast and loose and in pencil (my favorite!).  It's also an exercise in editing...what do you put in your comics?  Personally, I find that there is a difference between comics that I make for myself, and comics that I make for an audience/put on the internet.  This is purely my preference; I see my work as "work", and err on the side of caution when it comes to sharing personal stories.  I have great admiration for people who share much more of their lives through their work.  Here are my 2016 hourly comics, in order.  Enjoy!

And now for something completely different...

Well, not reeeeeeeally.  Hi!  It's Maris.  Some of you might know me, some of you might not.  To all of you, I say "Welcome!".  This is my website.  I mean, technically this is the "blog" portion of my website, but you get the idea.

Please look here, as well as on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram to see more of my work and to follow my adventures.  I will be updating weekly, posting everything from random doodles to underwater pics to new books projects.  No matter what the content, I look forward to sharing it with you all!

Cheers, Maris