Amelia Gregory has been producing her own magazine, Amelia Magazine, for the past few years. She focuses mostly on illustration and saving the planet. She has just released her first Anthology of illustration which features renewable technologies to prevent catastrophic climate change, a few interviews and some really cool pictures by really cool artists. I chatted to her about the new book.

Alright Amelia, how’s it going?

I’m fine thanks but it’s pretty hectic right now! I’m just in the thick of launching my book, which means that I am juggling a lot of things at once (which, to be honest, is not entirely unusual). I’m trying to sort out final quantities for delivery to the distribution warehouse, attempting to prise orders out of about 100 shops up and down the country, figure out what press opportunities there might be, blag drinks sponsorship for my launch party, redesign my website and at the same time keep my five interns and ten exhibition contributors happy. All this whilst also getting ready for a huge Climate Camp action this weekend and a trip to Copenhagen to make a big noise at the COP15 summit next week.

My friend Jermaine, who I believe is also your friend Jermaine asked me to speak to you about the new Anthology of Illustration book. What’s it all like?

Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration is a book to “inspire creativity in the climate of change” – I can never decide whether this is a wanky phrase or not but hey ho I’ve gone with it now! By that I mean that I want to explore the ways in which illustrators can contribute ideas that inspire us to change the way in which we live, which is something that is desperately needed right now! I chose the 40 best from submissions that were sent in to me in response to an open brief that I ran on my website. For this illustrators were asked to envisage a renewable technology that is not yet widely used, as well as submitting contributions that included a border, name typography and logo. I then interviewed all 40 illustrators to discover what it is like to work as an illustrator today – asking questions about how they work, with whom, using what media, how they interact with computers and the internet, and also how they promote themselves. My father helped me to put together simple pieces to describe the technologies – and if I can understand them then anyone can. I hope the book will inspire aspiring illustrators, working illustrators and those interested in how we can stop climate change – quite a wide audience then!

Two Hearts by Magda Boreysza

Apart from the magazine, is this your first proper book?

Yes, Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration is my first foray into the world of book publishing – which I’m really excited about. I don’t think I really realised it until this year, but I think that making books is what I was born to do. I’ve always loved books! I read like a demon as a child, I collect second hand books everywhere I go and my house is full of books… maybe making a magazine for the past 5 years was just an apprenticeship which was leading up to this point. I think (and hope) that this book will be the first of many.

I heard Laura Bird from This Is It collective is in it. She’s really good at art stuff. Who else is featured?

Laura Bird is indeed featured, and in fact she will also be showing work in the launch exhibition, which is going to be held at Concrete Hermit in Shoreditch from 8th December – 1st January. Get along if you can! I have asked ten of the featured illustrators to work collaboratively on a large interpretation of their chosen technologies across the entire exhibition space and we’re going to be working on it this weekend – Jermaine will be helping to organise the illustrators. Other illustrators in the book include the Edinburgh-based animator Magda Boreysza – who does amazing things with strange creatures, Romania based Ana Botezatu who envisaged kites in the Black Sea, and Chris Cox, who uses found materials to create fantasy worlds. Of course there are many more I could mention, and they’re all fabulous.

Anaconda by Liv Bargman

And who’s the best?

I couldn’t possibly show any favouritism towards my illustrators! They are all very different but brilliant in their own right or they wouldn’t have made it into the book. Having said that I think there are a few to really watch out for – Louise McLennan did my cover and she is amazingly talented, especially given the fact that she was just 19 when she created her work for me, is completely self-trained, and still studying at university in her hometown of Aberdeen. Lesley Barnes does stunning things with typography, and creates wonderful little animations. Both were an absolute joy to work with.

You know that I studied in Brighton right? I went to Brighton uni…

I didn’t know that you went to Brighton University, I assume you studied Illustration? What made you move to London?

I studied fashion textiles, specialising in print design – I think you can tell this in the way that I approach design even now – I love lots of bright colour and pattern! I moved back to London because this is where I grew up and like most people I moved home after college because I couldn’t afford to support myself as a freelance textile designer in Brighton. The main reason though was that my heart was broken (story of my life!) and I didn’t want to stay around Brighton when there were so many memories there and I would be likely to bump into my ex, so to start with I headed off to do a snowboarding season – then for three years I spent summers in London waitressing and trying to become an illustrator (though not very hard, looking back) and snowboarding in Austria every winter. Then it just seemed logical to carry on living in London because by that point most of my friends had moved up here and I had been offered my first internship at a magazine.

Combined Heat & Power by Justin Wallis

I really like the idea of having my own publishing house. This is probably a bit of a stupid question, but do you make the whole book yourself, binding, printing etc, or is it easier and cheaper to just use someone else?

How do you mean? I am the publisher which means I take care of every aspect of making a publication – but I don’t *actually* print it! my house isn’t quite set up for that! I use a printers in Kent called Principal Colour – who have been absolutely incredible to me over the years – without them I wouldn’t have a business. They allow me to pay them once shops pay me (which is pretty unheard of), and they store magazines and books for me, do my deliveries, and are generally brilliant people.

Pelamis by Barbara Ana Gomez

Sounds like you have been incredibly busy, what’s in store for 2010, bigger and better things?

No, I need a break – I am about to completely burn out. I have told myself not to try and do another book next year, though I know that will probably be a big temptation – but as a priority I want to concentrate on making my website work as well as possible, whether that means I pare it down to the bare minimum and just write for it myself, or think of another way to run it with so many contributors I’m not sure at the moment, but I don’t think I can carry on working with so many interns all day every day- it’s really brilliant to have their input but it’s also very draining to have to train them up afresh every time, and it’s tying me down to London. I want to travel a bit – maybe take my bike and go around the world visiting sustainable communities that are learning to live in a much more environmentally and human friendly way. I’ll write about it on my website and it will eventually become a book as well.