We here at Multiversity are fascinated by everything comics, and that includes finding out all about the people that make the books that we love. With that in mind, welcome to WorkSpace! This is where creators let us into their homes and, by getting a glimpse into their surroundings, we uncover a little about their process and their inspirations.

This week: Grace Ellis

Grace is the co-creator of “Lumberjanes” and “Moonstruck,” as well as the writer for “Bravest Warrior.”

Hi Grace! What can you tell us about your workspace? Are you very particular about your environment?

Grace Ellis: I live in an apartment in Columbus, Ohio with my girlfriend and our cat, Miss Kitty Fantastico. It’s technically a two-bedroom apartment, but since we live in a converted Victorian house, the layout means that it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to use the second bedroom as a bedroom anyway. That space became known as “the study,” because we like to pretend we live in the mansion from Clue or something.

Anyway, it became very clear to me in looking through other versions of this column that being a writer is very different from being an artist! I have a big ol’ desk that I bought myself with my first real Lumberjanes paycheck, and I keep very little on top of it because I don’t like to distract my brain with too much extra stuff. I keep approximately one thousand journals in my desk’s drawers in case it makes more sense to physically write down an idea. I have a whiteboard for the same reason. But my actual workspace itself is fairly Spartan with only the essentials.

I have a bookshelf in my study; I don’t like to keep a ton of books, however. I have a strict one-in-one-out policy when it comes to buying books because I imagine I won’t live in this apartment forever and would rather not move with a trillion books. There isn’t necessarily a method to the books that I hang onto. It’s mostly books that I like a lot, or books that I reference a lot. Almost every book I read, I get from the public library. I am a prolific library user.

I keep the awards I’ve won for comics on a bookshelf but behind the books because I don’t want to look at them but I like knowing that they’re there.

I also have a couch in the study for reading or petting the cat or sometimes working, although working at a desk makes me feel more focused.

The cat is the most important part of my workspace. She doesn’t hang out in there because of me. It’s just a total coincidence that she’s in there whenever I’m in there.

Do you have anything around you that inspires you and your work?

GE: That’s a tough question. The opposite is definitely true – my apartment has little totems from projects I’ve done or are working on, but those usually come after the fact. Having a dedicated workspace in general is the most important part, in my opinion, because when I sit down at my desk, something my brain clicks and says “ok it’s time to work,” whereas if I were on the living room couch or in bed, my brain would be like, “ok, it’s time to play Neopets” or whatever.

I will say, as far as my space in particular goes, I find that having a lot of natural light and enough space to spread out works best.

What’s a usual ‘Day in the Life’ like for you, do you have a set routine?

GE: Ok, so: I usually wake up at 6 a.m. so I can beat my girlfriend in the race for the shower and because now the cat will scream at me if I don’t wake up around that time. We drink coffee and eat breakfast and pet the cat and then Riana leaves at around 8.

I have a personal rule/goal, which is that I try to talk to a real-life person outside of my apartment before noon every day so that I don’t languish away or lose my mind. Most days, this looks like going to one of my Working Places. There are a number of coffee shops or public spaces that are particularly pleasant to work from within walking distance, so I’ll head there for a while. I also live pretty close to Ohio State’s campus, so sometimes I work from there because it can be nice to be around other people who are actually working instead of messing around on Facebook like people do at coffee shops. I am real big into coffee shops, though, don’t get me wrong.

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At some point, I head home, and I work from the study until my girlfriend comes home around 4:30 or so, and then I make it a point to stop working so we can spend time together. That doesn’t happen every day, but unless I’m struggling to hit a deadline, I am very good at cutting myself off and saving it for the next day. Ya gotta take time to live your life, ya know?

That’s awesome, thanks Grace!

You can find Grace Ellis on her website ohheygraceellis.com. “Lumberjanes” is currently on #53, with volume 10 of the series due out on December 5th. It’s recently been announced that “Moonstruck” is moving to a new trade format, with volume 2 due out in February 2019. “Bravest Warriors” currently has eight volumes, available from Comixology or your local comic store.