This month we interview designer and illustrator McKenzie Young. She’s done everything from corporate branding to video game content and children’s book illustration to zine self-publishing. And about that last one—we go in-depth on her latest zine, which explores the power of illustration to promote mental health awareness. 

Read on for a behind-the-scenes look at how McKenzie uses her creativity to make a positive impact in the world—shedding light on often hidden mental health struggles. Plus, her take on trad- versus self-publishing, her advice on how to break into professional design, and her audience’s response to sharing openly about her journey with OCD. 

Find her work on the Blurb Bookstore: Safe Vol. 2: Home and The Alphabet Book.

Tell us about your journey into the professional world of design and illustration.

I always say my journey to illustration has been a lifelong one. I’ve been drawing since I can remember and always had art on my mind growing up. I was always writing and illustrating little stories. And even in high school, I would sneak a sketchbook into class on my lap and just practice drawing faces and hands during lectures. (Still listening, of course, if any of my teachers are reading this.)

I was planning to major in English when I got to college but had a crisis on the second day of school and swapped over to fine art. My parents, thankfully, were super supportive, but I felt like I was leaping off a cliff. Now, I’m so happy with my choice. And I still get to write, so it’s a win-win. 

Design came a bit later as I started to gain work experience through internships. I found that I loved having an amount of control throughout the creative process—not just the art, but the placement and the vision. I love getting to help guide the work along into a final product. Print design, especially, is really rewarding. I’ve become kind of fanatical about type-setting and finding new and interesting fonts to pair with the art. 

What prompted your transition into freelance work? And what called you to bookmaking?

I had always dreamt of freelancing with a variety of clients and really devoting time to my illustration and design practice. More and more clients began trusting me with projects, and in 2021 it finally became a feasible option to try out. 

I couldn’t be more grateful to my long-term clients for helping me get started at a time when things were really uncertain for a lot of people due to COVID. Since then, I’ve gotten to work with so many people. It’s really a dream come true. Of course, each year brings new goals, so I’m always looking to the horizon for what’s next. 

Bookmaking came about in college. I took a few classes that encouraged creating bodies of work. And my senior gallery show was all centered around a story I had been developing and turning into a graphic novel. I actually printed that whole project with Blurb too. 

It got me thinking about all of the ideas I had and how easy it was to get them out there through self-publishing. I think sometimes it’s easy to get mired down in self-doubt and the impossibility of breaking into the industry. But having the tools launch your ideas yourself is pretty awesome. 

Can you describe your zine Safe and its recent sequel? What inspired these projects?

I grew up with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and was diagnosed very young. But it was always kind of a societal taboo. As a kid, one of the worst things I could imagine was anyone finding out that I had OCD. And I don’t think that was completely unfounded, if I’m being honest. 

At that time, OCD was still extremely misunderstood and even trivialized. My experience with the disorder wasn’t really obvious from the outside. I didn’t have a lot of outward compulsions. But I was dealing with a lot of very scary mental scenarios and very exhausting behaviors. Explaining those to my peers and teachers felt very nearly impossible. 

Art became an outlet for beginning the conversation and dipping my toe into the waters of sharing. That was around college. And my very first comic was posted on Instagram soon after college. 

The response was incredible. I had people messaging me who I had been acquaintances with for a while saying that they had OCD too. It just started this amazing conversation. And it allowed me to find support too. So every time I had a dip in my mental health, I made a comic, and I committed to sharing it. 

Safe took off from there. It became this long-term compilation of comics detailing my journey with OCD—comics I felt like I could finally share because of the OCD community’s response. 

Home is the sequel full of the most recent comics, and I’m further pulling out of my comfort zone by sharing some writing as well. It’s been so rewarding, and I’m really thankful for all of the support I’ve gotten. 

What has been the response to your works focused on OCD and mental health?

It’s so interesting how you can feel so alone in an experience and think it’s so singular, and then you draw it out and post it, and suddenly there are twenty people in the comments saying that they’ve had the same thoughts and the same struggles. It’s really incredible. The embarrassment and shame just melt off. 

I’ve been amazed at the reciprocity of it: I share something, and then there are people opening up in the comments and in my email, and it just feels like a really beautiful exercise in bringing pain into the open. 

Mental health awareness became sort of trendy for a while, and I love that there is now an abundance of t-shirts and memes normalizing our struggles. But what I’ve found in these online communities and through conversations about OCD is that it’s a lot more complicated. And there are inequities in treatment and in conversation. 

I feel a responsibility to those conversations and to make comics that are honest and open and invite dialogue. I’ve found that people are really willing to share and talk as long as others are willing to learn and grow. And that goes for everyone—I’m still learning too. 

Walk us through your book design process from idea to sales.

For something like Safe, I’ll hit about ten comics and think, “Okay, it’s time for a new edition.” So then it’s about finding the best ways to lay out each comic, what other types of content I’d like to have, and what the overall feel of the book will be. 

I take time establishing fonts and paragraph styles and all of the fun nitty gritty things. Then I take about two days just doing the more tedious tasks of laying everything out. I’ll usually get a couple of proofs, inevitably find issues I missed in the text or layouts, revise, and then go to print. After that, it’s just getting the word out on social media and listing the book on my website and Etsy. 

I’m hoping to pitch it to a few shops in my area. I’d love to see it physically on shelves at some point. That would be the dream. 

You have both traditionally published a collaborative children’s book and self-published your zines. What have been your experiences with each?

Yes! A Kids Book About OCD is available now on akidsco.com. That was my first experience being traditionally published, and it was great! Very collaborative, and they were so empowering when it came to letting me follow my process and make work that I was really excited about. 

I think both experiences have their own merits. I love getting to be part of a larger vision like with A Kids Co, and being amongst their other authors and illustrators is an honor. Plus, the author of our book, Hazel, is an amazing kid, and I was so excited to get to bring her story to life. 

My self-published zines are autobiographical and entirely written and produced by me. So they have a different feel and are geared toward older ages. I don’t pull a lot of punches with those. I think it’s fun to have the freedom to do that and to experiment with new designs and new writing in a short format like a zine. There may be fewer eyes on the work than through a traditional publisher, but I’ve found that it’s an equally rewarding experience. 

What marketing tactics have been the most successful for your book? And are there any that you’ve tried that you won’t do again?

Word of mouth and Instagram sharing have really been the best marketers. I’ve found that when I take to social media in a video and talk about the work it humanizes it to people and they become interested in taking a look. At this point, there aren’t necessarily any marketing methods that I would write off. I’m still looking to get it out there in whatever way possible! 

Do you have any advice for aspiring illustrators and designers who are looking to break into a creative career? What about self-publishing their own zines?

My best advice is to just go for it! Really put yourself out there. I know firsthand what it feels like to think your work isn’t good enough yet. And there are definitely merits to taking it slow and learning. But I also think we can get stuck in this cycle of self-doubt that says that none of our ideas are good enough. 

Portland illustrator, Kate Bingaman-Burt spoke about illustration once when I was in university and said, “You cannot create and curate at the same time.” And I’m not joking, it changed my life. 

Just create, create, create. Then look at what you have and find the gems and share them. It doesn’t hurt to try and put yourself out there. The learning can happen as you go. 

The tradition of zine-making dates back to the late 19th century, and it’s meant to be a way to make your voice heard, no matter who you are or where your skill level lies. I think it’s a beautiful thing and it’s easy. You literally just need a printer and some printer paper. So I’d say go for it whenever and however you want and just keep at it. As my therapist would say, “You have a unique voice, and people need to hear it.”

Is there anything exciting you’re working on that we should stay tuned for?

Oh yeah. A Kids Book About OCD just came out, so I’d love it if you checked that out. As for what’s on the horizon, I have a longer format writing project in the works geared toward middle schoolers that I’m very excited about. I can’t share much yet, but I’ll be yelling it from the rooftops once it’s ready. 

And I’m always sharing art on my Instagram and on TikTok. 

What do you wish we asked? (And what’s your answer?)

This has really been a great interview! I think the only thing left to say is that if you need mental health support, there are resources for you! 

• Find mental health help through NAMI.
• And OCD help from great organizations like NOCD and the IOCDF. 
• If you need immediate help, the suicide and crisis hotline is 988 in the United States.

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Here at Blurb, we offer print-on-demand services for indie creators. If you’re ready to self-publish your own zine—we’re here to help!