When asked about how the idea of making comics came about, 'DESIGN THINKING! Comic shared', "I've made a few webcomics before, but this comic was created mostly as a response to my frustrations with my regular career as a digital designer working in the tech industry. They're a good form of therapy and, due to the way I make them, are easy to hammer out relatively quickly."
We were also curious to find out how the author finds the inspiration for their work. "Anywhere and everywhere! Ideas for strips keep bubbling up at random times - sometimes when I'm in a meeting, sometimes when I'm watching television, even in the shower. I often find a bunch of ideas suddenly pop up just as I'm falling asleep, and I have to turn my phone back on to write them all down."
When asked if art has always been a part of their life or if comics are their first experience, DESIGN THINKING! Comic said, "I've been drawing most of my life, so comics have always been a big passion of mine. I've had a few published here and there, but this strip has generated the most interest online of anything I've done. It's been really gratifying."
When it comes to the frequency of creating comics, DESIGN THINKING! Comic shared, "It used to be fairly regular, but work often gets in the way. I try to do at least one new strip a week, but it depends on how busy I am. It's also tricky to not write about anything that too closely resembles a problem or discussion I've had with a colleague at work as I try to keep everything relatively anonymized."
The impact of making people smile with their art is not lost on the artist, as they shared, "It's such a pleasure to hear that people enjoy the strips and get a kick out of sharing them with their design and developer friends. Knowing we're all having the same struggles at work does make things easier sometimes. I feel very honored when I hear someone has seen my stuff pop up in their work messaging apps."
For those just starting to create comics, the artist advises, "Just keep going. It can seemingly take forever to get any sort of attention. I'm still pretty small scale by any standard and I've seen others go on to much greater exposure and success. Stick to your guns and create what feels right for you. There's an audience out there, it's just finding them and finding you that's the hard part."
