Bored Panda once again reached out to Brad, who started by sharing what has changed since the last post.
“A lot has changed! A lot more things are on fire, it seems like. I think maybe Trump got assassinated? With me, things are essentially the same, though. I still wake up every day and feel some inexplicable compulsion to draw things and share them with the internet. I’m a little older, and my jaw hurts more than usual at the moment because I got hit in the face by a random shirtless dude with a pitbull in the park the other day,” wrote Brad.
We were wondering how the artist himself would describe the essence or theme behind his comics. Brad explained: “Well, I think I mentioned in the last article that when I first started posting comics online, I named my website So Your Life Is Meaningless. The idea behind that title was to sort of make it sound like a self-help title in the same vein as ‘So You’ve Decided to Quit Smoking’ or something like that. Like, these are comics for people who feel like life is meaningless sometimes but manage to persist and sometimes even find humor and happiness in spite of that! Or for people who like weird comics and butts. I don’t know. What is a theme??”
Brad also shared what a typical day for him is like when the artist is working on a new comic.
“Typical day for me lately: wake up, post comics to socials, draw in bed til I remember to eat something, go for a run or a walk, more drawing until evening, usually involving Patreon posts and any freelance work I’ve got going on. Some days, the drawing comes fast, and time flies, and all of a sudden, it’s dark out and time to go to bed. Some days, it’s like plucking stray hairs out of the ol’ idea head: slow and painful and not enough coffee to get through it all.”
Along with all the great ideas, there are the bad ones that never see the light of day. Brad shared whether he had to scrap any of his comic ideas.
“Oh, sure. A lot of the generative process involves coming up with very rough ideas and immediately scrapping them, with little hesitation. An idea has to be exciting enough to sustain me through the sometimes slow and frustrating process of actually making it. So, if the idea of pursuing the idea through to a finished comic state sounds like an exercise in torture, I don’t try to force it. I move on to something else.”
The artist shared what responses made him feel good about his work.
“Occasionally, a reader will say a comic really moved them or made them think or made them choke on their beverage, and I always am very grateful for these responses and making any sort of connection with another person in general. No huge responses come to mind in particular, just occasional little expressions of ‘Hey, this made me feel less alone’. Those are satisfying to hear.”
Lastly, Brad added: “I am so appreciative of anyone who has taken the time to read any of my comics! Even if they made you frown and leave a nasty comment. Thank you for reading, it keeps me going. Also, the treasure is buried beneath a big ‘T’.
Oh, also, now is a greaaaaaat time to join the old Patreon, as I have recently added a free tier with occasional samplings of those paid tier exclusives!
