Bored Panda reached out to Steve McGinn to learn more about his creative process, inspirations, and the impact of his cartoons in today’s fast-paced media landscape. The artist admitted he might be either cursed or blessed with the habit of jotting down almost fully formed cartoon ideas in words the moment they strike. "To no one's surprise, if I don't jot them down immediately, they're likely gone. From there, they get transferred to a big list of ideas to be drawn out when the time comes. Some ideas are better than others, but they'll all make it from my black Flair pen onto copy paper at some point."
Speaking of inspiration for cartoons, Steve confessed he has no idea where it comes from — but he doesn’t question it. "Just about anything socially human comes from a person's personal take on life unfolding, not that stagnation can't also be funny, and I'm no different in that inherent procession. If, for whatever reason, someone comes from or suppresses their own personal take, let's hope it's only for survival purposes and not from some lack of trusting it or fear of how it'll come across. Learning to trust and be forthcoming about your personal decisions can be tough, though. It also often takes courage. By the way - I'd be remiss to not mention that my wife Julie, our daughter Caroline, and our cat Mazzy are HOF members of this 'life unfolding' bit."
According to Steve, he tries not to dwell too much on reactions, whether they’re good or bad. "I'm happiest when I think a drawing is able to loyally convey whatever idea it's intending to. Maybe even give it a little something extra that makes it better. Reviews can louse all that up. Likewise, what appears to be popularity contests makes me wonder if people forgot such petty things were supposed to end after high school. All that being said, I do appreciate it when someone gets an obscure reference or has a strong appreciation for the absurd. I love the sensation that occurs when one other person chuckles at the same bit as you in a coincidentally silent movie theater. The joy of connecting is wonderful when people find their people."
As our attention spans shrink, we were wondering what role cartoons play in today's culture. Steve told us he doesn’t think he’s very qualified to comment on today’s culture of fast media other than to say it sounds like something he’d spoof. "I guess that'd be my cartoonist role then, adjacent as it is. My brain would probably liken it to the age-old trick of 'fast-talking' as in the vocal equivalent of tenderizing meat so you can do what you want with it. Hey! On the list goes!"
