We reached out to Dagsson once again to uncover the secrets of his creative process. Curious about how he brings his cartoons to life, we asked the artist about his typical creative routine.
Dagsson shared, "I always carry a notebook in my pocket. Whenever I get an idea, I scribble it down." Interestingly, he believes that a deadline is an artist's best friend. He recalled a hectic experience, saying, "Last year, I had an art exhibition in Helsinki. A week before the opening, I drew thirty cartoons in a panic in one night so I would have something to show. A lot of good things are born in last-minute panic."
Stepping into the funny world of cartoons and comedy, artists go through ups and downs. For Dagsson, the main challenge right now is dealing with the constant changes in social media. "Instagram was wonderful for me until they started to focus more on videos. I’m still figuring out how to find new followers on those constantly changing platforms. But I guess the trick is to just keep on trucking."
Comparing cartoon comedy to stand-up, Dagsson highlights the differences: "Stand-up is extroverted, and illustration is introverted. I think I might be both. It’s much more fun to stand on stage and tell jokes. It’s the instant reaction and approval that are so addictive. The cartoons are more limitless. They allow me to be darker and weirder than on stage."
Laughter, a language that everyone speaks, holds a special magic that connects people. As we explore Dagsson's dark humor comics, we can't help but wonder: does some of his work create a stronger bond with the people in Iceland because of a shared cultural background? The artist told us, "I used to think that some jokes were more Icelandic than others. But since then, I have toured a lot with my stand-up and found out that humor is absolutely universal. Sure, the laughs can be different from country to country, but generally, humans are the same everywhere. I’ll tell you this, though: Finland has the darkest sense of humor in the world. Even darker than Iceland."
Dagsson shared that his work is the best way to deal with anxiety. "It’s easier said than done, but it works. If I go through a day without doing any work, I feel like I’m wasting my life. But by creating something, even if it’s just one tiny little cartoon, I get a sense of achievement, and the anxiety goes away. I think art, in general, is great therapy, especially humor. The world can be a super shitty place, and sometimes the only way of coping with it is laughing at it."
