Spotlight: @legweapons talks us through desert island art materials, the swap from stand-up to zines and the joy of making silly things!

01/10/2025

Interview by Beth Evans and Sean Ford

Sean Ford, AKA @legweapons

Sean Ford, otherwise known as @legweapon is an artist based in the South West. Creating simple, humours zines, each page a well-timed joke. This year, i discovered one of his zines on Instagram and before I knew it, I had scrolled the whole way through his grid and was left feeling equal parts impressed and rejuvenated. Since then, we have exchanged zines, drawings and other such things and today, for the blog, we have exchanged questions and answers! So, let's dive in and get to know Sean!

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BE: Hi Sean! For anyone who might not know, can you tell us a bit about your creative practice. Have you always made zines, what drew you to them (pun intended)?

SF: I’ve been making zines for 10 years.

I used to do stand-up comedy for a bit. I loved the writing but the performing and the admin weren’t for me. I like zines because I can stay at home, can write about anything, there are no gatekeepers and I’m not relying on drunk audiences to tell me if my art has worth.

9 months ago, I posted a zine online. People have been saying really nice things so I’ve kept on doing it.

BE: Wow, that is a long time to be zine-ing! i had no idea about the stand up, but looking at the style of humour, that actually makes a lot of sense. Has there ever been a period where you burned out or had to take a break from being making them or just generally being creative?

SF: Defo [definitely]. I don’t think it’s healthy to be on all the time. Creativity comes and goes and taking time away is essential. Even The Simpsons has to take breaks between seasons, so I figure I’m allowed to as well.

BE: Your ideas are so inventive and often stem from things that don’t seem like things that could be things (apologies for the poor wording here!). When you read your zines, I can’t help but be impressed. Do you have any tried and tested methods for coming up with zine ideas?

SF: Thanks so much, that’s really kind of you to say. I write down 20 zine ideas every day. Most of them are rubbish but in the evening, I pick the least rubbish one and make it.

BE: 20 ideas every day! That's dedication. Your art style, and zine format is really simple but the storytelling is so complete. How do you know when a work is finished, how do you let go without overworking something?

SF: Thank you! I really appreciate that. When I did comedy, I’d constantly be editing down words until only the funny bit remains. My zines work the same way. They usually start out much more ambitious and then I keep stripping them down until I’m left with the core of the idea. If I can’t take away any more bits and the idea is still there, then I stop.

BE: You recently showed your work in person for the first time at ZineZilla in Bristol. How was that - I heard you sold out of everything!

SF: I had such a nice time! So many people came up with kind words. I live in the middle of nowhere and rarely get the chance to share zines irl [in real life] but I was blown away by how positive everyone was. I kept them very affordable so they’d be as accessible as possible, and I think people appreciated that. Selling out was a lovely bonus.

BE: I'm so glad! So, follow up question...did you feel anxious about sharing your work in person and if so, how did you overcome that?

SF: I was quite anxious. I come from a working class, non-art school background so it’s hard not to feel like a fraud in those spaces. I was worried I wouldn’t say the right words, know the right people, wear the right clothes etc. Of course, once I got there and spoke to my stall neighbours, I realised all my worries were nonsense.

BE: Bit of a topic shift now, how do you fell about social media? In general, or as a artist.

SF: Social media is ok. It’s good for finding like-minded people but I don’t want the number of likes to affect the way I feel about my zines. It’s easy to feel pressure to post constantly but I just pop on every now and then to share a zine I’m excited about.

Be: You're a parent - do you find that having children brought you back to a more creative mindset, do you embrace your inner child more now?

SF: I’ve always been a bit of a silly billy. Not sure if having kids has made me more creative but it’s forced me to channel it differently. Now it’s less about having endless hours to play and more about cramming all that energy into a couple of hours in the evening once they’re asleep. Having less time means I cut out the dithering and get better at backing the idea that feels right in the moment.

BE: If you were stuck on a desert island and you could only use three tools/materials for the rest of your life (to make art with), which three would you choose?

SF: Black Pentel Sign Pen, ivory A4 paper and a long arm stapler (all stolen from work).

BE: Ohhh I love that pen! And, long-armed staplers are life changing haha. Do you have any cool stuff coming up that you want to talk about? Do that in this space!

SF: I made a zine last night about pin codes that I like.

BE: If I had to despicable your work it would be equal parts honesty and absurdity in a really effortless and humorous way. Is there a specific goal you have when making work, do you think of other people seeing it or is it the process of making that you are attracted to?

SF: I just want to make silly stuff that makes me feel better about myself. Sometimes I share them with others and most of the time I don’t.

BE: Can you give a zine prompt to the people reading this blog post?

SF: What would trainers look like if your feet grew sideways instead of lengthways.

BE: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Sean. To close us out, could you give us your number one anti burnout tip?

SF: Schedule in breaks and stick to them. They're just as important as work. If I ever start to flag, I know it's time to stop everything and rewatch all of Mr Bean with my kids again.

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