We recently connected with Allen Carter and have shared our conversation below.
Allen, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I have never been a person who brainstorms ideas for stories and/or characters. As a sole comic creator, the best way for me to maintain my creativity, is to step away from it for awhile when I feel like I’m hitting a wall. Going for a walk, drive, train ride, bike, skate, etc clears my mind to allow for an idea to come about during or after that time.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As an independent writer and artist of self-published comic books and graphic novels, I am a one-man show of developing comic scripts, pencil, ink and digital color illustrations, dialogue, organizing files for printing, and promoting. This job has both an introverted side (producing the comic in your home), and extroverted side (promoting and selling your work at public events). As most of us comic creative folk are introverts, the promotion side of it really helps you come out of your shell and gives you confidence in yourself and your work. This also leads into the most exciting part of being a comic creator for me: Public appearances. The excitement comes due to the fact that the appearances come in all different forms (podcast interviews, radio show interviews, magazine interviews), and you never know which one is coming next. I’ve always compared doing comic conventions for example (large 3-day shows especially) to a pop/rock band or solo artist tour. Going to a different part of town or even flying out-of-state to work an Artist Alley table at a convention makes me feel like a part of the very place I’m visiting, and not just feel like a tourist. Aside from exhibiting at various art festivals, comic shops, and conventions in my residence of California, I have been fortunate enough to appear at comic conventions in Washington DC, Nevada, Colorado, and my home state of Hawaii. Learning how to pack both my merchandise and personal items for flights to three of those states (excluding Nevada) was also a rewarding experience, to where I had it down to a science by my third Con trip. When I’m at any of these shows, no matter how big or small, I like to keep things simple and greet people who pass by, which eventually leads to someone stopping to look at my work and possibly a sale. I want to make sure the customer feels relaxed and not pressured to buy anything. In addition, the two comic book series I have (travel-parody “Damn Tourists,” science fiction “Cosmic Force”) are both very personal to me, which help in keeping the customer engaged at my table. The title “Damn Tourists” alone can bring people to my table, or at the very least, have someone passing my table and spotting it mouth the title to themselves. The ones who do stop to look at it can almost always relate to an annoying traveler (though they may not have encountered a super-humanly annoying one, as in my book). “Cosmic Force” is a very niche title for those intrigued by science fiction and paranormal events. I was heavily inspired by the “Unsolved Mysteries” TV series, and the film “Fire in the Sky,” when I first wrote it. I am actually wrapping up the series in eight issues within the next year, starting with illustrating the 67-page seventh issue currently. I am also speaking with a local bookstore for both consignment opportunities with my books, as well as an interactive in-store book signing idea.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I can think of these three skills that helped me promote my books and art since 2010:
1. Self-discipline: With so many other obligations like day jobs and errands, and distractions such as Netflix and Youtube, staying focused on completing your latest comic project can be very difficult. High work completion expectations can get in the way as well. I try to keep my expectations realistic, with trying to complete a half-page a day minimum, and a page a day maximum (pencil, ink, or digital color).
2. Being fearless: This harkens back to discussing most artists being introverted. Aside from just gradually becoming more outgoing in order to promote and sell at conventions, I also needed to be extroverted enough to make friends with other artist vendors near me. Those interactions you make are vital to your future in comic and/or art promoting, as that one artist you became friends with at a show may know 10 or more creators who will look out for each other when it comes to new show information, a podcast interview or art job opportunity, or just to keep an eye on your table while you use the restroom.
3. Organization skills: Specifically comes in handy when setting up or breaking down your artist table, packing your supplies
for a local show, or especially for flying to an out-of-state convention. You need to figure out the simplest way to perform these tasks so that they don’t give you unnecessary stress. When I went to my first out-of-state convention as an exhibitor in Washington DC, my need to fly my belongings force me to take just one of my two book series to the show to save space, which also allowed me to see how that series did on its own.
All of these skills and tips can be improved upon just like everything else. Practice, practice, practice!
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents ever did, was to simply be supportive of my interests. Long before I settled on creating comics at 8 years old, my mother and father were my cheerleaders even back at age six when I wanted to be a bus driver. They would also suggest careers to me as a kid based on my interests such as city planning. They never shot down any of my dreams or interests as unrealistic, or just a waste of time, those interests were always treated with respect, whether my parents understood them or not. That is something I will always love them for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cartercomics.squarespace.com
- Instagram: @cartercomics1
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/cartercomics
