20 Questions with Li Chen

Li Chen’s webcomic, Extra Ordinary Comics, is filled with amusing vignettes into the mind of Chen. Often drawing her adventures with her partner Jordan and her cat, she talks to Vision about her biggest achievement, her inspirations and her ideal 24 hours.

1. What was the idea that started “Extra Ordinary Comics”?

I started the comic while I was unemployed after graduating from university. It’s based loosely on me, my partner Jordan, and my cat Shoelace.

I think both comic-Shoelace and real-Shoelace are pretty mischievous. He’s so cute that I find it hard to punish him when he’s naughty. I think I probably spoil him a bit.

I usually go for a walk in the morning, it helps my brain wake up. Then I draw things, have lunch, draw things, have dinner, and then I usually spend evenings hanging out with Jordan, or reading, or general interneting, then bed! It’s not hugely exciting, I like having a routine.

I would like to have enough self discipline to not check my social media things all the time, or just being on the internet in general. Usually I can get into a zone when I work, but if I’m procrastinating then I can waste hours on facebook, twitter, reddit, etc.

Last year Jordan and I went to DisneySea in Tokyo and I had so much fun so I’d love to do that day over. We were there for 13 hours straight! It was so awesome, like being a kid again. I love theme parks!

Hmm, poke Shoelace all day, watch his face be all like ‘Whhaaa?’

I was born in China and when I was four my grandparents sent me to a special kindergarten to learn English and I had a bright orange typewriter that I would use to type words from a dictionary. I’d really like to have that typewriter back, I’m not sure what happened to it.

I like drawing.

I remember walking home from kindergarten with my granddad and I would always run ahead and get home first and hide. Then when he got home, my grandma would say that I never arrived and then she would pretend to tell my granddad off for losing me and I would try really hard not to laugh and give myself away.

Drink tea, listen to music, do more drawing.

I think last year’s Kickstarter campaign to publish my first two collected volumes of Extra Ordinary would be my biggest achievement. The whole project took most of the year: the Kickstarter, designing the books, getting them printed, and shipping them all out. Every part of the process was a huge learning curve and I’m really proud of how the books turned out. It was the best and the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

12. Who inspires you?

When I see anyone working hard to master a skill or trade, it inspires and motivates me to focus and work hard on my own work.