We reached out to Zach to learn more about his creative process and get to know him better. We were curious about whether he finds it challenging to keep his personal life separate from his comic persona, and how he decides how much of his own experience to incorporate into his work—and where he draws the line. The artist shared an anecdote: "Once during a friendly conversation, I made the mistake of telling a new neighbor about my comics. As we spoke, they ran a search for my comic before I could stop them and they immediately saw something that caused them to never speak to me again. I'm not entirely sure which comic it was. I now try my best not to reveal any information about myself to anyone."
As an artist, growth often comes from reflecting on the journey. We asked Zach to take a step back and think about his evolution as a comic creator. Looking at his work now, compared to when he first started, we were curious: What's one piece of advice he'd give his past self—something he's learned along the way that could have saved him time or energy? "There are specific instances that I might tell myself to avoid or lean into, but if it would change the outcome, I don't think I would change anything with my past self. I like where I'm at!"
Comics have the unique ability to transport readers into different worlds, but what if the creator themselves could step into their own creation? We asked Zach which one of his characters he'd choose to live a day as and why. "I made a comic where a guy gets gobbled by goblins. I want to be the gobblin'. Because then I would be free to live out my passion."
Creating comics is a commitment, but we were curious to know what Zach might be doing if he weren't immersed in the world of storytelling and illustration. We asked if there's ever been another career path he seriously considered, or if he's truly all in on the comic world. "If I wasn't making comics, I'd like to be a Game Warden. Running through the trees, protecting wildlife from poachers, making friends with the animals. Ushering in the spring and nurturing the flowers of the field. Riding a jet ski with the dolphins. Completely unaware of the goings-on of normal humans and their problems. That would be a good life."
