Once again, we had the chance to ask the illustrator some interview questions, and she kindly agreed to answer them. First, we were curious which of her comics Akshara would choose to turn into animation if she had the opportunity. The artist responded: “On a serious note, I would like to create an animated video or film on my mental health comics to share how the stigma affects people. But on a fun note, I would create a script by compiling a bunch of my comics involving my cats. Being a cat lady can be pretty chaotic and fun to witness, haha.”
When asked if there are moments from daily life that feel too outrageous or personal to turn into a comic, despite a secret desire to do so, the cartoonist said: “Yes, of course. There are moments that I don’t really mind sharing, but the audience might feel like it’s too personal. Over the years, I think the fear of, ‘what will people say?’ has gotten to me. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older or because the internet isn’t the same as it was a few years ago. I’m trying to work around it.”
We were also curious to know whether Akshara believes humor has a unique power to address social and cultural taboos. The artist shared her perspective on how she navigates that balance in her work: “I personally use humor to make people understand issues more easily without sounding like I’m attacking them. But it’s important to be sensitive while joking about certain issues. Laughing at someone and laughing with someone is different—I wish people on the internet understood that better.”
Lastly, the comic artist shared how much she enjoys seeing people react to her work and connect with it in meaningful ways: “It’s always fun to see people reacting to my comics in person. During conventions, I put my comics out for people to see. Live reactions are always funny to watch.”
