Artist and Author Alina Pete Talks Melding Visual Art and Storytelling

Alina Pete of the Little Pine First Nation sat down with Daybreak Star Radio’s Aiyana and Noe to talk about their career as an artist and storyteller.

Alina has always had a love of drawing; their grandmother would leave them stacks of paper on the floor for them to try and draw pages of their favorite books and cartoons growing up. Alina’s love of storytelling came quickly after, when they started creating short comics for their friends and family.

The love of storytelling continued when Alina was traditionally trained in storytelling by their mother. Alina’s mother would go around to schools of all age ranges and tell the traditional stories of their people, bringing Alina along so that they could absorb the stories and learn how to tell them, eventually handing over the mantle to Alina once their mother thought they were ready.

When it came to school, Alina originally wanted to become an animator. However, after one year of study they realized that animation doesn’t get a say in the stories or how they are told. This is when they discovered comics and the ability to meld their love of storytelling and their artistic skills. It also gave them a reason to draw every day and practice the parts of drawing that weren’t their favorite. It helped them become a more well-rounded artist.

Alina loves the cyberpunk genre and several of their own works fall into this category. Despite the nature of the genre revolving around hopelessness and despair, Alina loves the idea of subverting a genre. Cyberpunk is usually created using the white, male point of view, but Alina uses their traditions and histories to add new life to the genre. Indigenous people’s have been dealing with post-apocalyptic style living for a long time and have shown that through community and tradition one can persevere. Using this understanding in the genre and adding a hopeful message is one of Alina’s favorite things to do.

Having been an artist and storyteller most of their life, Alina knows what it is that motivated them to tell stories. It is either love or spite. Talking about things they find interesting and enjoy or focusing on something they think is wrong in the world and forcing people to look at it are two things at the heart of all their creations. Knowing this, they are able to get through writer’s block by refocusing on the things that motivate them and recentering it within their stories.

When it comes to other young storytellers, Alina reminds you that there aren’t gatekeepers stopping you from sharing your work like there might have been in the past. There are so many places where you can put your work out there and let people come and enjoy it. Use those platforms and don’t get discouraged if you aren’t a full-time artist right away. Even if you are only creating in your time off, you’re still an artist.

Check out Alina Pete on their website to keep up with their work and new releases!