No joke.
“Rich cartoonist” is something I’ve researched pretty often.
Characters like Matt Groening (The Simpsons) and Seth Mcfarlane (Family Guy), and Stephen Hillenburg (Spongebob SquarePants) seem to pop up on every list.
These guys have influenced entire generations with their work. They’ve affected millions, so they make millions. It makes perfect sense.
But when I search up this term, I’m really looking for independent comic creators that either make 6-7 figures a year or are financially free (meaning you have enough wealth to live on without working). As the results show up, I often ask myself, is that even possible? If so, who’s already doing that and how can I do the same?
Can an independent creator draw what he wants and make a great living doing that?
I’m willing to bet that the answer is yes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dedicated my life to discovering the answer for you.
It helps that all over the internet, I find artists doing just that. Roberto Blake, Maria & Drew Brophy, etc.
But I don’t see too many examples of indie and webcomic artists, specifically. I mean, we’re talking about a niche of a niche group as it is, so it’s to be expected. Unless there’s something I’m not seeing…
I struck out the term ‘comic‘ creator to just ‘creator‘ because, as I’ve observed over the years, most comic creators are actually more than just classic pen and ink artists. They can have their hands in multiple pies because comics skill translates to multiple abilities: character design, storyboarding, writing, illustration, toy design, graphic design, print-making, merchandising, involvement with video games, movies, and other animated media!
Because the versatility of a comic creator is so great, I had to change the definition in my own head to suit the wide range of ability (read: revenue sources) one could have.
When I first heard that creators of every kind are better classified as small business owners, I knew I had to change the way I thought about money.
At first, I thought all I had to do was create amazing work, and all the money would come. Turns out, that is only a piece of the puzzle.
Wealth, fame, power, (*wink*); these are all things I thought would be taken care of by the manga/anime industry I originally sought after early on in life. I concluded that if I only focused on art and story and NOTHING ELSE, I’d basically “win” at life like I assumed my heroes, Masashi Kishimoto, Eiichiro Oda, and Akira Toriyama and many more, had done.
But when I heard of the realities of the manga industry, I wondered if it was risking my mental and physical health, and years of my life was truly worth it.
At that point, I had to ask myself what does money really mean to me, and how can I use it to achieve what I actually want to do in life? I know I only need enough to be free in the financial choices I make. If I need a new phone for work? I got it. I have medical bills to pay for? Taken care of. I want to travel just for fun? It’s done.
It was this line of thinking that led my search for anyone who had carved this path out for themselves with their own art, or was lucky enough to do so. I found the Ninja Turtles guy, Kevin Eastman, and the guys that do Penny Arcade ( Mike Krahulik, Jerry Holkins) in the webcomics sphere. But their art was quite the style I had in mind so I kept looking.
After years of searching and finding people who were very close or tangentially related to the kind of wealth I was seeking I knew only one thing:
I wasn’t going to find the one embodiment of the person I was looking for with all my specific criteria. I would have to combine everything I’d learned to become that person.
But I’m still green.
I can sit and theorize all I want, but I’m not in the trenches like those who are actually trying to make a living. I haven’t sold too much of my own art or services and my livelihood doesn’t depend on it.
My only question now is, are my thoughts surrounding finance different from the artists I’ve seen?
All I know is, my goal is not to be able to one day pay rent. I’m in this to succeed.
My goal is not to one day draw for an established comic book, it’s to create my own IPs. (not knocking anyone who has this goal!)
My goal is not to buy stuff with my money, but to acquire assets.
I don’t wish and hope for all of this to happen, I’m going to MAKE IT HAPPEN.
But I can’t help but wonder if other artists think this way as well. There has to be a difference in thought that determines one’s success.
I’ll definitely expand on this idea as I come face to face with reality and see how I fare.
Back to the grind!
Until next time friends,
-Ken