Bored Panda reached out to Meg again to learn more about her creative process and herself. Considering she's been making comics sporadically since 2016, we wondered if there are any recurring themes or topics she finds herself exploring in her work. The artist shared that, although it's not a generally conscious decision, she noticed that the most prominent reoccurring theme in her comics is depression and self-deprecation. "On paper, that looks heavy - but I think it’s healthy to not only continue normalizing these issues by providing a sense of relatability but disarm them by adding a component of humor. Constantly working with the topic of ‘mental illness’ is also an important method for getting thoughts/feelings out of my head and somewhere that I can review, process, and release them. Or at least have them be relentlessly criticized by random internet people to a point where I’m forced to get objective about my internalizations, which can be helpful in some type of backward fashion."
When it comes to being creative, there are always ups and downs. For Meg, the most challenging part of the creative process is turning her individualized experiences into content that readers can relate to; "this generally involves slightly embellishing, condensing, or exaggerating my scenarios and/or dialogue, which can occasionally be hard to fit readably in a 4-panel framework. The part I enjoy most? Drawing expressions, especially grumpy ones."
The artist shared that her current goal is to one day produce a 150+ page comic: "I actually love to write, and have about 80 pages finished of a novel I’ve been working on sporadically over the last year; I’m considering converting it into a graphic novel? Or maybe do a full-length 'It’s Meg' comic that’s more storyline-driven - both are projects I’d love to get rolling within the next year, but we’ll see how burnout treats me. As far as collaborations go, working with any publisher or media outlet that wants to pay me for some work would be sick."
"Make something today: whether it’s art, music, space, community, conversation, a friend, etc. There’s really something to the act of creating that I believe is a key factor in personal fulfillment, and we’re losing it in an increasingly consumeristic world. Don’t just absorb - you gotta express your experiences."
