Leesha Hannigan

The founder of Women in Fantastical Art on her ‘safe space’

Why did you set up your site?

I noticed there was a trend of women who seemed to be a lot more tentative in their approach to the industry, regardless of their skill level. Many women have said they’re hesitant to aggressively promote themselves online, even though self-promotion is an important and necessary factor of becoming a successful artist.

How can making a ‘safe space’ for female artists help break down the sexism in the industry?

Creating a safe space not only takes away a lot of the pressure and unnecessary stress that can occur while trying to say, navigate the internet as a woman, but also reinforces that sense of community, the feeling that we’re in this together, that there’s tons of other women out there doing what you do, even if you might not see them as much, and that’s awesome.

Are the fantasy, horror and sci-fi genres still seen as ‘male interest' areas?

The majority of it probably still is to be honest, which doesn’t make that much sense looking at the more evenly spread-out demographic. There’s a lot more female fans than say, even 10 years ago. People want to help make the content they enjoy. For example, looking at the percentages of say, female gamers today as opposed to a decade ago would suggest there are exponentially more women becoming interested in these themes. Many companies have been revisiting their content and making it more accessible and relatable to a female audience, so at least they’re becoming increasingly aware of this trend.