In the continuing promotion of the new Codaphonic split EP, Mindwrecker / Oh Radio! I talked with artist and designer Elizabeth Williams - aka Squibbin aka I Bother Me - about her history, her work, thoughts on the power of collaboration and her inspiration for the Oh Radio! cover. She's doing great things on her site, at her day job and beyond. Keep on eye on this one, she's got nothing but more goodness to share.

Hello! can you give a broad overview of your history? Where are you from? How'd you end up in Nashville?
Hi! Yes. Okay, broad overview:
Birth: Johnson City, TN - What you would expect.
Upbringing: Johnson City, TN - Raised in a gorge, a happy valley, flanked by mounds of Appalachia by two brown bears, down the street from a local Witch Doctor named Dick Beaver.
College: First half: Agnes Scott College (Atlanta, GA) -- insert: met a boy from Nashville (read: I got to Nashville by taking a ride on the love train) -- Last half: Belmont University (Nashville, TN), 1/4th of the last half: Florence University of the Arts (Florence, Italy)

You're currently working with Bryce McCloud and have done lots of great projects with Field Days and other musicians. What draws you to working with these creative types - is it the freedom of expression or collaboration?
Yes, I am. Yes, I have. Collaborative freedom of expression! No, I like working with people who are better than me at things, so I can get better at things. I'm behind from years of corporate drudgery, so I'm catching up. It's a very selfish pursuit. BUT REALLY, ALSO, I like being the yin to a yang and working with someone to make something great come into being. Collabs are hard, but always more rewarding in my experience.

What was your inspiration for the cover of the Oh Radio! EP? It has such a great feeling of innocent illustration and a bit of the macabre.
I listened to Oh Radio! 77 times, made 4 other bad drawings, then made the one you see on the cover today. My inspiration came from Serial Mom.

I would say I lean towards incorporating a macabre twist in all that I do. Like many others before me, I appreciate the juxtaposition of sunny and stormy -- kind of like some of Codaphonic's songs! An aside: I would really like to make artwork and music videos for most, if not all sub genres of metal at some point in my career. If you have a metal band (death, black, dark, doom, etc) and need artwork, please contact me - squibbin@gmail.com

What's next on your plate and where can people keep up with you?
Currently, I'm working all the time at Isle of Printing (with the formidable teddy bear, Bryce Mc). We are doing LOTS of big projects this year, including but not limited to: our public art project - Our Town, several new art instillations at local businesses and outside Tennessee's borders, MOVING and creating a bonafide shop/visit experience for people who "want more" when they make the big decision to leave their house. Beyond that, I like to pick up some freelance things and make my own "art": paintings, prints, drawings of naked men. I think I'll have an art show this year called "Sad Eyes, Hard Dicks", but need to finish a few more things to make that a full body of work. Hold me to that, internet!

I have an image blog thing and Instagram, too.
Image/Blog/Thing: www.ibother.me
Instagramz: @squibbin

Viva la Codaphonic!