Bored Panda recently had the chance to talk with Jess once more. The conversation dove deep into her creative process, the influences on her work, and the challenges she navigates while bringing her art to life.
When discussing the kind of subjects or themes that she finds most challenging to translate into comic form, Jess was candid: "I don’t like to make political statements with my comics. I avoid confrontation so making comics that would invite any kind of controversy would be a nightmare for me." She further expounded on this, mentioning an instance where one of her comics unexpectedly sparked a debate, causing her to ask: "Why do we have to debate everything? Why can’t we just laugh at a dumb comic and move on?"
Addressing the question of whether comments from her followers have directly influenced the creation of a new comic, she revealed, "Haha, no not really. Sometimes someone will comment something and I’ll be like 'damn, that would have been a way better punchline!'". She expressed her struggles to incorporate others' ideas into her comics, stating "I can’t seem to get the right flow. It’s not that their idea isn’t great, I think it maybe has to do with my process."
Rae acknowledged that her diverse hobbies significantly influence her comic content. "I’ve done a few sewing related comics which I post to my Facebook sewing group because they get it," she shared, adding that she hasn't posted those on her own page due to their nuanced nature. She also indicated that she has contemplated different experiences to generate new comic ideas, stating, "I’ve thought about putting myself in different situations to find material like going to a nude beach or finding some nerds to play Dungeons and Dragons with. I’m open to suggestions on this!"
When queried about balancing comic creation with family time and managing her creative flow amidst a busy schedule, the comic artist brought humor to her response. "My creativity follows me around and I apply it to most things in my life...Whether that’s finding a place to hide my chocolate stash or coming up with a way to get out of doing the dishes, I’ll be creative wherever I can." Regarding spending time with her family, she jestingly said, "I only spend time with Geoff and Immy so that they can give me comic material. I otherwise spend as much time away from those dorks as possible."
