We Interviewed Artist PinUpCitizen!

We had the pleasure of chatting with artist PinUpCitizen all about their work! Be sure to check it out to learn more about their creative journey!

Support the creator: Twitter Website

1.What initially inspired you to become a creator, and how has that inspiration evolved throughout your creative journey?

To be perfectly honest, I can’t remember. I’ve been doing comics since before I knew how to write. I guess it was because I enjoyed looking at the comic strips and anthologies my parents had around the house, and at some point I just assumed it was something that people just did.

People liked my drawings, and that motivated me to keep doing them. I became the “artist girl”, it was now my thing.

One day I started sharing my comics with my classmates, and they started asking for more.
And I enjoyed that they enjoyed it, if it makes sense.

Back then I was just working as an independent illustrator, and my parents invited me and my kids to the beach. I remembered how it was to be in one of those hotels, the way the hallways seem to breathe, the imposing buildings and the sensation of looking into the void that is the sea. I started to wonder if the hotels had missed the humans during the COVID lockdown. If they were to have feelings, would they resent being alone?

3.What challenges have you encountered as an indie creator, and how have they shaped your approach to your work?

Comic-making drains a lot of energy! At some point, I had to straighten my diet, plan more exercise, join Yoga classes, etc. It looks like the kind of work that will be super simple but there’s a reason why mangakas die so young!

Besides that, marketing a free comic seems to be harder than just charging for it, and you have to become your #1 fan if you want people to look at your work.

A lot of artists are afraid of self-promoting, some are even worse and look down upon those who do.
At the end of the day, you have to find other creators, socialize and have fun with them, draw memes with them, and basically spam your characters until everyone gets used to them.

My third challenge is that I have two adorably evil kids who do their best to distract me.
Right now my son is blasting Om Nom on my smartphone while my daughter screams at her game. I learned to manage my work schedule around theirs.

4.Are there any particular creators who have significantly influenced your style or approach? How do you incorporate those influences into your own unique voice?

Quino, Akira Toriyama and Haruko Ichikawa have a great influence in my work. If you have read Land of The Lustrous you’ll easily find similarities between the body horror scenes, the whole “human-object” thing Ichikawa does in her works inspired me a lot too, along with the existential dread.

5. How do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and adapting to feedback from your audience or collaborators?

I have learned to give up on things that just don’t work. At the end of the day, if you want people to read your work, you have to follow certain rules to attract their attention.

6.Can you recall a memorable success story or milestone in your indie creator journey that stands out as a turning point for you?

People started sending me private messages to tell me they enjoyed my story, or I’d be hanging out on a friend’s discord and someone would recognize me from my work.
That’s when I knew I was doing something right, the story and characters were sticking onto people’s minds.

7.What role do setbacks or failures play in your creative process, and how do you overcome them to keep moving forward?

This is probably not the healthiest approach but I overcome them by ignoring them. If something comes back to bite me in the ass I then face it head-on, but most problems are just a matter of patience.

8. How do you manage your time and energy to sustain a consistent creative output while juggling other aspects of life?

I have found that forcing myself to rest, do physical activities and just spend time with my kids and friends restores my creative fuel.

Reading depressing science fiction tales and studying the work of other creators also helps.

9.Have you found any unexpected joys or rewards in the indie creator community, and how has it contributed to your overall experience?

I’ve made a lot of new friends and acquaintances with whom to discuss nerdy stuff like paneling, pacing and the inevitability of having to color your webcomic, that is more relaxing than expected.

10.If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring creators, what would it be based on your own lessons learned?

Become your own #1 fan, share memes of your OCs, join collabs, do challenges, or else nobody will give your story the time of the day. If a creator doesn’t like their own work, or is not having fun with the concept, why would the public? And don’t dwell on small mistakes, the only people that will notice are other creators, when studying your work.

11. What are your thoughts on All Ages of Geek? What are some things we should change/do? What are something you enjoy about our website?

I think the page is fine! I like that creators are going back to having individual pages for their group instead of putting everything on social media. It helps de-centralize the internet and promotes freedom of speech.

12. Goals for 2024?

This year I strive to make at least one more crowdfunding campaign, start a new comic and finish The Hotel. I want to solidify myself as a story maker!

Support the creator: Twitter Website

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All Ages of Geek

When articles are tagged under All Ages of Geek, it usually means the Stec sisters are behind the writing. Known for their comedic and fun style, they bring a touch of humor to their work. While they often conduct interviews and write various articles, they’ve recently started reviewing Hallmark movies and niche content. Support us: https://linktr.ee/allagesofgeek