Lil High School Career Interview (Patreon)

I did a Zoom presentation for a school up in Maine last year (I've done a lot of Zoom presentations the last two years!). Afterwards, one of the students kept in touch with me and I was so impressed by the expressions & body language of her character drawings, I started following her on Instagram. <-- shared with her permission!

She recently asked me to do one of those Career Interviews that teachers sometimes like their college-bound high schoolers to do, and I liked her questions so much I thought I'd share them here. Enjoy!

(I never remember which questions I've already answered a billion times in older interviews, but I figured I'd share the whole thing here anyway...)

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1. How did you begin your career? Did you have a different career in mind other than this?

I've wanted to be a cartoonist since I was 8, but I knew there was a very slim chance I could make it into the newspapers (which was the goal of a lot of cartoonists those days, in the 80s and 90s). So as I grew into my adulthood, I kept my options open, hoping to just take piecemeal freelance jobs here and there. I figured I would just see what sold the best & most often, as I'm capable of many different styles and mediums, and would narrow my focus into those directions.

2. Do you think you’ve reached the top of your career ladder, or are there things you are hoping to achieve in the future?

Kind of, yes! I'm happy that I made a name for myself with my OWN stories and artwork - I'm best known for Girls With Slingshots, and I feel like anything I make after this is just cake. If Elephant Town (my current project) blows GWS out of the water, that's great, but as long as I'm making what I love, I'm perfectly happy never having another comic that's as popular as GWS was.

That said, I want to finish this graphic novel (ET) and I look forward to whatever project I take on after that. I hope it involves traveling or changing & challenging my lifestyle in some way.

3. What are you most passionate about in what you do?

Telling stories that expose the reader to a new perspective they'd never thought about before, particularly dimensional characters that fall under a label that's easy to stereotype or dismiss.

4. Where did/do you study for your career?

I went to Shepherd University (then Shepherd College) for photography/digital imaging. My parents disagreed with my desire to study drawing & painting, so this was a compromise, as they knew photographers can make money, and I enjoyed taking pictures. I got my BFA, but dragged out finishing the degree for an extra year so that I could take as many additional art classes (printmaking, painting, illustration, web design) as I could while it was still covered by my student loans.

My first job out of college was as a photographer/graphics processor for the local newspaper, but I quit the job 6 months in after my comics work began to take off. (Doing caricature gigs at an hourly rate was what gave me most of my freelance independence, actually!)

5. What do you like most and what do you like least about your work?

I probably enjoy penciling and inking the most. Digital coloring is my least favorite part of the creative process. There are some tedium in promoting myself and creating Patreon posts, too, but there's also some fun stuff in those aspects of the job! Really I just prefer to work with what's in front of my face, rather than what's behind a screen. (I even hand-letter packages and envelopes and carry each of them to the post office when I sell and ship my work, because it feels more natural and enjoyable than printing out shipping labels.)

I enjoy a lot of the "business" work, surprisingly. I think it's partially because most of it has yes and no answers, whereas creating art is sometimes overwhelming because there are infinite directions you can go in.

6. What do you think is the most effective way to successfully share your art to a widespread audience?

This is a tough one!! Right now it's a little sticky. I still use Instagram the most, because it's so visual, and as both a creator and a consumer, it's the easiest platform for both (it's easy to make a post, and it's ENTIRELY TOO EASY to just sit and scroll for an hour!).

If you have a newsletter list, direct email is a really effective way to bring the eyeballs of your best fans to your work, especially if you have fun with it (I try not to send out newsletters unless I've made a comic out of the announcements). I still use Twitter quite often. I rarely use Facebook.

This will sound archaic, but I think a good physical business card is still invaluable. If you make the design clear and put your most indicative work on the front, it's a great way to visually remind someone you meet in person that they might like your work.

7. Is there anything that you wish you knew or was told before you started your career?

YES! Never promise anything you can't follow up on! Give yourself realistic goals; people who love your work will be happy to see what you're capable of creating. They'd rather see the work you're able to make, than wait for a big promise you keep failing to deliver on.

8. How do you mainly keep in touch with other artists in the community?

When I was younger, Twitter was a lot friendlier and it was an easy & fun way to publicly keep in touch with fellow artist friends. But I should preface that: I met most of my artists pals by hanging out with them after comic conventions and signings. Now that I've gotten to know the artists I love quite well, I keep a private Twitter account to communicate with a few of them, and a small group text thread for the ones I hold dearest. <3

9. How do you personally combat a creative block?

I get out of my comfort zone, listen to other people talk. I like listening to people who are way out of my social/political/generational/income bubble - by eavesdropping at restaurants, malls, going to parties held by people I don't normally associate with, etc. - because it reminds me that there are people living way differently than me and my friends live. That helps me give a more unique voice to my characters, and also reminds me that not everyone knows what my friends & I know about the topics I write about.

Those are my tips for writing. As for drawing, I've got a few saved categories on my Instagram account where I keep inspiration for things like backgrounds, character designs, color schemes, and comics layouts. I've also pared down my main bookshelf in the studio to JUST the most inspirational graphic novels. I try not to weigh myself down with books that don't move me.

If all else fails, I watch episodes of The Mighty Boosh. If that doesn't revive and inspire you, I don't know what will. ;)

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I'm not sure these links will work, but in case they do, here are some of my favorite saved categories on Instagram. Let me know if these links won't let ya in!

Figure drawing 

Backgrounds / Buildings and Backgrounds (woops, double folder)

Painting 

Color 

Character Design 

Cars & Shoes (my nemeses!!)