We reached out to Nick Filippou again to ask a couple of questions regarding his recent work. First, we wanted to know what, in his opinion, are the most rewarding aspects of being a comic artist. We found out that: “One of the most rewarding aspects of being a comic artist are the messages and comments from fans. I love seeing how my comics made people laugh or how they sparked memories of how their cat did the exact same thing in my comic. Cat people are my people, lol. The process of creating a new comic is also rewarding in itself. It starts with an idea that forms in your head and you get to play and experiment with it and bring it to life.”
We were also wondering how Filippou stays motivated and continues creating on a regular basis. The artist told us: “Drawing comics is my creative outlet and is the deeper motivation that keeps me going. Not every comic or creation will be ‘successful’. You have to create comics for you. It’s a nice bonus if fans enjoy it too.”
Asked how his style has evolved over time and what factors influenced these changes, Nick explained: “My style has evolved a lot over time and that’s all part of the process. My first comic was on a whiteboard in the kitchen of my apartment that made my girlfriend (now wife) laugh. She encouraged me to share the comics on social media and I started with just a pencil and paper. They were awful! That led to different pencils, pens, and papers as I tried to find my style. I ultimately use Procreate now on the iPad and I look back at some of my older comics, even just a year ago, and they look really different to me. It reminds me of one of my favorite comics by Sarah Andersen. In the comic, a fan asks how she draws so well, and Sarah replies ‘practice’. The fan ignores Sarah and thinks it's just natural talent. Sarah again replies ‘practice’. The fan just chalks it up to something totally out of anyone’s control, to which Sarah Andersen says again... ‘practice’.
‘Sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something’ – Jake The Dog.”
We were curious if Filippou could describe the most challenging part of creating a comic and how he usually manages to overcome obstacles or difficulties during the creative process. Filippou shared with us: “One of the most challenging parts of creating a comic that not many people know is that I’m colorblind. I have some of my colors saved and labeled in Procreate when possible (like the color of Minnie), but I still need to run things by my wife to make sure ‘Hey, does this look okay?’. Even simple things like the color of a wall can be challenging for me and I’ll have to ask for help.”
Nick continued: “Another major challenge that every artist encounters frequently is that ideas don’t always come so easily. Sometimes you have blocks. Another favorite comic of mine is by The Oatmeal called 'Creativity is like breathing'. He discusses that when you create, it's like exhaling. But… you can’t exhale forever. Eventually, you’ll need to breathe in. So you can't force it and keep exhaling, you need to take a step back, breathe in, and feed your mind in other ways. Inspiration will always come.”
Lastly, we asked how the artist balances the creative aspects of his work with the business side of things, such as marketing and promotion. We found out that: “It is a balancing act and an ever-changing learning experience for both the creative and business side of things. Think of how the social media landscape has changed over the years. I posted mainly on Facebook when I first started, then started posting more on Instagram, then began posting videos on YouTube, then TikTok came… Now there’s Threads? Each has its own marketing nuances and business experiences which are constantly evolving! I try not to worry so much about the business side because, at the end of the day, I create comics because I enjoy it. That’s the most important piece. I don’t want to ever take away from that. The business side will work itself out.”
