1. What initially drew you to comics? All I ever wanted to do was be a cartoonist. I was always drawing cartoons, making books and making greeting cards. I used to write notes to my friends in as a cartoon character. I would read the Sunday Funnies from start to finish and loved Bugs Bunny cartoons. I loved Peanuts, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side. If there was ever an opportunity to do a creative assignment in school, there was 100% chance that I would make a comic. I was the cartoonist for my middle school yearbook, my high school newspaper and my college newspaper. A childhood friend recently reminded me that I’d get in trouble for doodling in class. I think most cartoonists have this same story. When I was in college, I was a Fine Arts major but used comics in my assignments as often as I could. I once had an assignment where we had to bring a random object to class. I mindlessly grabbed a hammer having no idea I’d be drawing that hammer for the entire semester. I drew it in every size, shape and medium until it ended up becoming a cartoon character. I drew hammers flying kites, walking dogs, and swimming in a lake. They become quite animated when they’re wearing pants and a shirt. After college I was a hand-drawn cell animator and then took a 15-year detour into graphic design, integrating as much cartooning as I could for my design clients. In 2008, I knew I had no choice but to follow my dream of being a cartoonist and switched gears into cartooning full time. 2. What message/s do you hope to share in your work? Nat has taught me so many things while writing the Nat Enough series. Some messages that have come through:
Be more of who you are.
Surround yourself with people that lift you up, instead of put you down.
We can be our own biggest bullies in the form of self-criticism and self-doubt.
Don’t let anyone dim your sparkle (especially yourself!)
Out most important relationship is the one we have with ourselves.
Don’t let fear stand in your way.
Doubt may show up, but you don’t have to listen.
So many of Nat’s stories came from my own stories from childhood, and some from my Garfield diary that I kept in sixth grade. I also hope my stories inspire others to share their own stories. I love it more than anything when kids send their comics and stories to me.
3. What do comics allow you to do as a storyteller? Comics allow me to create an entirely new level of depth, emotion and humor in my work. I love looking for signs and symbols in everyday life and integrating them into the details and background of my work. I also love how comics allow me to enhance reality. I especially love visually sharing the thoughts of characters. In the Nat books, I use Nat’s sketchbook and a comic at the end of the book to show more of her thoughts and feelings. When I do school talks, it’s so much fun to create scenes with kids and every once in a while someone will say, “Wait, snails don’t ride skateboards…” but in comics they do! In comics you get to create the rules and the world. 4. Any message for young writers and creators? Play, have fun and be yourself. Write a lot, draw a lot, read a lot. Keep a journal or a sketchbook and take notes on anything that invokes any strong emotion: joy, fear, anger, frustration. I’ve noticed that much of my humor comes from the most embarrassing, annoying or frustrating moments in life, although I might not see the humor in them while they’re happening. Make the work for yourself. Don’t worry about rejection. Just keep making things. And most importantly, when a doubt gremlin comes up and tries to tell you that you don’t know what you’re doing, tell it to go read a book or do a 100,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. You have work to do.
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