Real Monsters project

When we first saw Toby Allen’s "Real Monsters“ project, we were captivated by his unique drawing style, but also by his unusual—and uncanny—portrayal of mental illness as monsters. When we featured the illustrations on our Tumblr recently, they received a great response, and we decided to reach out to Toby to learn more about this though-provoking series and why it is so significant to his own journey with anxiety.

What is the inspiration behind your art? Why did you choose to depict mental illnesses as monsters?

Most of my work is inspired by my favorite childhood stories or fairy tales, as well as more contemporary things like video games and obscure alternative music. I love stories of magical creatures and far off lands and try to capture this magic in my own work.

The Real Monsters project originated from imagining my own anxieties as monsters and finding it to be a really therapeutic process. It made them feel weaker, and I was able to look at my own anxiety in an almost comical way. I wanted to expand upon this idea and draw other representations of mental illnesses that could help people in the same way it helped me.

How do you choose what each monster should look like, and what is your process when creating them?

I begin each monster design by researching the condition or disorder extensively, often relying on real life case studies or first person accounts of dealing with each disorder. I doodle throughout the researching process and try out many different ideas until I get something that works. I try to incorporate many different elements of the disorder into each monster which are then reflected in the descriptions, deepening the concept or understanding of each character.

Looking specifically at the Anxiety monster, its form is based on small rodents that like to hide in dark places. The dark colors reflect the heavy and oppressive feelings that I associate with being anxious, and the shock of bright pink in its design represents the intense rush of fear that occurs when I have an anxiety related panic attack.