By: Jonathyn Lopez

“Tarot Stories,” releasing July 30th, is a short story book about tarot cards – on the surface. Underneath all that is a summer book with a buffet of art design whose structure was composed by two young women in full bloom of their talent. Having the platform to create and the skills to show it off, illustrators Kiersten Labbree and Natalie Leone created the magic that makes a book like “Tarot Stories” possible.

Each story in Tarot Stories has a new art design, font, and writing style. Kiersten and Natalie were able to create the looks that would gel the book together, albeit from completely different angles. Natalie captured an array of different styles, and Kiersten specialized in forming a consistent identity throughout the book. Where Natalie drew the book’s female leads in a variety of ways, Kiersten depicted an entirely male cast in the early American frontier. The Women’s Journal took a look at a conversation between the two of them, as well as the book’s author, Christopher Polidoro, to ask about the creative inspirations driving these young people behind their debut project.

“A lot of it came from the words Chris wrote,” Natalie begins. “When you are working alongside other creative expressions, it makes it a lot easier to step in & fill in the blanks,” Natalie says; she drew inspiration from the likes of Pop Art and Comic Books to Japanese calligraphy, and of course, tarot cards themselves when designing her illustrations. She is also credited with the Tarot Stories front cover. “When I was borrowing [from the different art styles], I tried to see what parts of each style worked alongside my own. Then, I took my time studying the other pieces of art within the style I was replicating, and once I was ready, I tried using the most pronounced parts. For example, with the basic tarot card style, there’s a lot of symmetry and often one symbol in the middle that holds things together. That was our look for Chapter 2 and Chapter 10. Then, for the Pop Art in Chapter 13, my focus shifted to the use of bold lines and inking techniques. Not to spoil the stories, but that one is about a woman fighter pilot who is also a mother. It was important to apply these artistic techniques to show the dimensions of her ‘cool’ in more ways than one.”

The repeating story in Tarot Stories, the “Jug-Band-Blues Books,” a.k.a. “The Continuing Story of a Jug-Band from Missouri,” features an exclusively male cast with events that take place largely before the nineteenth century. The characters here, unlike Natalie’s chapters, are ragged and decrepit musicians, stereotypes of nomads and stowaways forced to the end of the world. Kiersten says that when she designed these stories she wanted it “to feel like the characters were there, standing in the room with you.” She continues, saying, “The Native American Art, and especially the newborn-frontier type vibe, was what we were looking for. It’s a fun style to draw…And I really wanted it to feel like the characters were ‘hanging out’ with the reader, the way it feels in the book. It was also cool to add age & a sort of ‘worn-ness’ over time to them since the story takes place over multiple years. Even drawing their instruments was a reflection of their personality.”

Chris spoke up about working alongside these two in the creative process. “While I wrote the stories, it was Kiersten who knew how to give them soul. She’s a tarot reader herself, and her artwork is for the chapters that make up the backbone of the book.  She absolutely captured for us that early American feel. Look at the way she draws trees. And Natalie – she’s a genius. Literally, I could pitch anything, and she could draw it. But for her to do it so well, consistently, all the time…it was like her work not only captured my vision perfectly but could surpass and even drive the narrative. Both of them have very bright futures ahead of them.”

Kiersten and Natalie were asked what they might say to other young women who wish to have their work seen or to be a part of something bigger.

Kiersten says,  “To be creative is to fully be vulnerable with yourself, especially when you are showing your work to others. But there’s also a sense of freedom in doing that. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s enough for anyone, including me, to overcome my own battles with self-esteem and anxiety. Art, for me, is an outlet. Like, even if I weren’t here for this project now or in a place where I could be, I would still be creating things. I know that about myself. Think of it like this: I had to go through everything else internally to come full circle. Then, and only then, was I ready for something external like this. My advice would be to just focus on yourself and to be good and mindful with how you treat who you are.”

Natalie says: “I would say it’s about love. All about love. It is about doing what you love and having that play into your art. That passion coming first while also trying to be well-rounded is what makes everything else follow through. That will then be what gives you ambition and a drive to improve your skills, which can help you get involved with projects like these. Once you love your craft, you’re set. And get your work out there! Don’t be afraid to show it off. That way, you can be involved as much as you can.

Tarot Stories is dedicated to Christina, a childhood friend of Kiersten and Chris since kindergarten who has since passed away. Kiersten and Chris say that a large part of the energy in committing to this project came from Christina’s support and a desire to dedicate something worthwhile in the wake of her passing. Kiersten says that it wouldn’t be an understatement to say Christina has influenced her more than anyone else in her life and that her memory is something she reflects on and wishes to uplift every day. She encourages other young readers of the Women’s Journal to appreciate their friends and make the most of their time with them.

You can connect with the Artists on Instagram @kierstenlabbree, @natdraws404, and @christopherpolidoro. Kiersten is a tarot reader and the self-published author of a self-help & personal gratitude journal on Amazon. You can find it here on Amazon under the title, 50 Days of Good Things: My Good Things Journal. The Tarot Stories community is just as excited for the release as we are for you to be a part of it and enjoy its content! Tarot Stories releases July 30th.

Published by: Khy Talara