Why Do I Make Comics?
A few years back, I read the book Start With Why by Simon Sinek. His book is about businesses but it relates to individuals. He breaks it down with Why, How, and What.
WHY. Most people don’t know why they do what they do. WHY is not about making money. That’s a result. WHY is the purpose, cause, or belief. It’s the reason you do this. I’ll get to mine after I tell you the HOW and WHAT.
HOW. Some folks know HOW they do it. These are the things that make them special or set them apart from everyone else. My How is through funny endearing stories and characters that readers see themselves in.
WHAT. Everyone knows WHAT they do. These are the products or services you offer. My What is Comics!
So why comics? What is my mission? What is it I’m trying to accomplish as an artist? What is my WHY?
I want kids and teens to derive the same level of joy from comics that I did when I was growing up. I want kids’ comics to be as popular as video games. (Superhero) Comic book movies are really popular now. And I love that they have introduced new generations to these characters but I want the source material to be just as popular. And superhero fan or not, there are comics for you.
I want to be an ambassador for kids’ comics. I want to connect with readers.
I want kids to feel seen. To know they are not alone. That they are capable of greatness. That they get to choose the person they want to be. I want them to absorb that when they read my books.
This is why I write this newsletter every month. This is why I share and promote other creators’ work that I think does a similar thing. This is why I post on Instagram and TikTok. This is why I make comics.
Sinek states “People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” This is WHY I do what I do.
Favorite Thing I Drew This Month
I like how this panel from Woodland Hills turned out. I left off the panel border and didn’t include a background. I like how open it is.
Family Stuff
Penny is officially a month old and doing great. Seems to have finally accepted the womb is a thing of the past. River has been wonderful with her. Always excited to see her. We made efforts to prep him for her arrival stating things like what a fantastic big brother he’s going to be. Don’t know that he grasped what we were saying. Either way, he is indeed a fantastic big brother.
Food awesomeness: Sophia and I managed to go out for lunch at a sushi restaurant. It was one of those places where the sushi comes by you on a conveyor belt and you grab what strikes you fancy. I’m not much of a sushi guy but Sophia loved it and I had a good time as well.
My favorite chocolate chip cookie is from Levain’s, a bakery in New York. About a year and a half ago they announced that they would be opening a location in Los Angeles. But the opening date came and went. Sophia has had cookies shipped from Levain’s before, including this Father’s Day but it is EXPENSIVE. Well, the L.A. store just opened and I could not be more thrilled. Now I just need Dominique Ansel to bring the Cronut place back to L.A.
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