Tori-Jay Mordey Is About To Improve Your Morning Ritual

You might recognise the work of illustrator Tori-Jay Mordey: vibrant sketches, emotionally charged linework and sweeping murals that feel both intimate and expansive. Based in Meanjin/Brisbane, Mordey, who has Torres Strait Islander and English heritage, has quickly become one of the country’s most compelling contemporary artists; her work has been projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge for Vivid Sydney and has appeared in SBS documentary K’gari.

Now, Mordey brings that visual language to a new collaboration with Audible. She’s one of three local artists commissioned for Fuel Your Mornings with Audible, where select cafes in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney will give away 150 free coffees served in artist-designed cups on March 24 and 25.

Though the format is new, Mordey’s ethos remains unmistakable. The result, she says, is a series of designs that feel “rejuvenating, grounding and emotional”.

For inspiration, she listened to two audiobooks. “I wanted to create the same themes I’m known for – a sense of vulnerability and comfort,” she says.

First up was Audible Original Messy Love by Jay Shetty, in which Shetty coaches three couples through the challenges of modern relationships. “We pulled out a quote from each audiobook, and I created a piece around the quote,” the illustrator explains. From Messy Love she chose: “Every couple, no matter how different their story, struggles with the same core needs: to feel safe, seen and valued.”

Her response is a tender examination of intimacy: a couple in a sweet embrace are printed on the cup, held “softly in the moment”.

Next, Mordey listened to international bestseller The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, which explores the lasting impacts of trauma and offers pathways to healing. She was drawn to the quote: “The only way we change the way we feel is by becoming aware of inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves.”

This design takes a more surreal turn. The artist illustrates a woman commuting on a Brisbane bus. The scene feels solitary, until you note that her reflection in the window reaches to gently hold her hand. “It’s depicting connecting with yourself,” she says.

Fuel Your Mornings with Audible is all about prioritising a gentler, more intentional start to your day. Mordey’s schedule is often packed but as she busies herself around the house making breakfast and getting ready, she presses play on an audiobook on Audible. “I don’t like silence,” she laughs. She listens on her bike commute and later in the studio, though different stages of her creative process call for different soundtracks. When she’s sketching a new piece from scratch, she prefers music. But when she “locks in” to the finer lines of an image, that’s where audiobooks and podcasts come into play. “I can let my mind drift. It’s an out-of-body experience.”

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Audible. From March 24 to 25, Audible will be serving free coffee in limited-edition Tori-Jay Mordey-designed cups at cafes in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane from 7:30am. Discover Audible’s collection of wellbeing audiobooks here.