“After experiencing trauma from a very
close relative,” Labat explained, “I used
my art to make myself feel better. As a kid,
I drew on my mom’s walls, to pan out my
own characters and storyboards.”
In harnessing her talents, Labat’s
mother decided to cover the walls with
paper and encouraged her daughter to
continue drawing. “She is a saint; the most
positive force in my life,” Labat said. “She
cheered me on and kept me going.”
Born in New Orleans East, Labat comes
from a legacy of talent and dedication
to the arts. Her grandfather, trumpeter
Lionel C. Ferbos, Sr., made his mark as
the oldest jazz musician in New Orleans,
before gracefully passing at 103 years old
in 2014. Labat’s grandfather inspired her,
and she credits him for being one of the
most positive male influences in her life.
“His work ethic and his determination is
what prompted and fueled me to never
stop achieving,” she explained. “He was
and will always be amazing to me.”
The women in Labat’s family supported
her skills and talents. In addition to
her mother, her aunt and grandmother
played major roles in her creative path.
As she recounted, “My aunt, an FNP-BC,
allowed me to look through her medical
books. Once you buy those types of books,
they’re with you forever. So, when she
gave them to me, I gained a great deal
of knowledge of medicine, science, and
terms from them.”
COVER STORY
As an introvert
during childhood,
much of Labat’s
work is inspired by
traumatic personal
experiences. The abuse
she suffered from that
“very close relative”
caused her to develop
severe Chronic Plaque
Psoriasis. In elementary
school, bullies teased
and provoked Labat, for
having prominent scars
and rashes.
“My skin disease and
loner lifestyle connected
me with both the underdog
heroes and the Eldritch, or otherworldly,
creatures of the movies I loved,” she said.
“I had no friends. Therefore, I learned
to channel my rage into writing and
sketching.”
Having spent much of her childhood
watching horror films and reading thriller
novels, Labat’s experiences inspired her
and fueled her creative juices. “I grew up
with iconic dark humor
and classic monsters,”
she said. “My skin
condition molded my
character into what it is
today. Whether in writing
manuscripts or in
art exhibitions, my work
emits different forms of
macabre.”
During her years at De
La Salle High School,
Labat became more
extroverted and took
part in numerous extracurricular
and cultural
activities. At 15 years
old, she picked up the
clarinet and joined the
Greater New Orleans
Youth Orchestra.
Excelling at her
craft, she was invited
to perform with the
orchestra at New York
City’s Carnegie Hall. Later, Labat started
working on her novel during her senior
year of high school, spending countless
hours researching, drafting, and writing.
“Almost every day, I’d skip lunch, to go
and read my manuscript out loud to my
mentor,” she said, referring to her English
teacher, David Pierson. “He taught me
everything he knew about editing and
writing.”
During her time with Pierson,
Labat took an interest in the works of
Shakespeare and George Orwell, using
some of their techniques to create a poem
titled, The Sanguinarian Id. “The bleak,
dystopian setting of Orwell's 1984, mixed
with the works of Shakespeare, helped me
create my poem,” she said.
After the success of that poem, Labat
used it and its title to create her first
published book. In turn, it inspired her
book series. “When I researched the
authors I admired, I learned that they
were no strangers to pain,” she recalled.
“With a stack of books staring at me from
on top the table, I said to myself, ‘I can
do this, too!’”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BIONCA FLOT SYKES
MARC H / A P R I L 2 0 1 9 breakthrumediamagazine.com | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | 17
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