Creator Spotlight: Megan McKay

Today I get to share with you an interview I did with Megan McKay, artist and creator of the webcomic Doodle for Food.

D: Alright, tell me a bit about yourself.

M: Hi, I’m Megan. I was born and raised in Texas and am still here while I complete school. I’m finishing up a degree in strategic communications, which is just fancy talk for advertising. Before that I received an associate’s degree in 2D animation. So I guess you could say I’m pretty sick of school at this point! In my free time outside of comics I really enjoy spending time with friends, watching youtube videos, and attempting cool DIY projects I find online.

D: Texas! Do you have a sweet Texas accent? And/or a 10 gallon hat? 😉

M: I don’t have an accent, or at least I don’t think I do… there are only a couple of words where it’s prominent. For instance I pronounce “guitar” like “geetar” if I’m talking fast. I don’t have a 10 gallon hat either, but I’m saving up for some legit cowboy boots!

D: Oooh animation. Any fun past projects to share? I’ve heard that animation is horribly annoying to do. Thoughts?

M: Animation is amazing! I get so caught up in the process that I’ll work on something for eight hours straight and it only feels like 30 minutes. It’s tough to work on it by yourself, though. It takes a long time and it can get boring/lonely at times. I have a pretty old show reel from when I was still taking animation classes, but nothing recent. In my last semester I discovered I really enjoyed special effects animation. Smoke, water, fire, slime… I just really enjoyed animating that stuff. As of right now there’s an animation project in the works, but it’s been postponed due to my current schedule. One day I’d like to make regular animations, though. One day.

D: What’s your favorite youtube video ever, and why is it “Charlie the Unicorn”?

M: I love “Charlie the Unicorn”! Though I probably like quoting “Llamas with Hats” or “charlie teh unicron” more. (Free market economy, man! Y’all need to learn some economics!) I’m actually a huge youtube junkie, so I couldn’t possibly narrow it down to just one video. In general I enjoy watching gaming videos, book reviews, animations, and travel vlogs. Some of my favorites are Grace Helbig, Eatyourkimchi, and PeruseProject.

D: Tell us about your creative projects

M: Doodle for Food is a mix of gag-a-day comics and doodles that I started almost exactly two years ago (two year mark is January 31st). The comics update twice a week, and the doodles are uploaded whenever I have an idea and get around to drawing it. I also try to add illustrated responses to reader questions and illustrated blog posts with more personal stories that don’t necessarily make good comics. I add the variety because I get bored easily. The humor is all over the place (just like the content AYOOOO), but if I had to use one word to describe it, I would use “goofy”.

Because I like to keep trying new things, I’d like to branch out into even more creative projects in the future, but having only 24 hours in a day really limits that right now.

D: What was the original inspiration/impetus for starting a webcomic?

M: That’s such a lame story. I was finishing up my animation degree and I was just so stressed, so I decided to start drawing really really cute things to make myself feel better. I’d have pages of doodles, and I’d show them to my friends. Then one day I thought, “Hey, why not put these online to show my internet friends?” and started posting them to tumblr and facebook. I posted a comic or two here and there, but mainly focused on doodles. Then I started coming up with more and more comic ideas, fell in love with the webcomic culture and community, and here we are today!

D: That’s not lame at all!  Very similar to many creators actually.  

How has producing your comic been for you so far?

M: Overall the experience has been amazing. I feel like I’ve improved so much over the last two years, and I’m excited to see where I’ll be further down the road. The response to my comics has been overwhelmingly positive, and the criticism I do receive is stuff I take into account to work on for next time. My humor tends to lean toward outrageous and dumb, which not everyone likes, and that’s perfectly alright.

D: What are your goals for the future with your comic?

M: The only two goals I have right now are to start selling prints and perhaps other merch online and at conventions as well as publish a collection of my comics. I like doing DIY/crafty things, so if I can combine my love of comics with my love of making things then I will be one happy camper.

D: Any lessons you’ve learned you’d like to share?

M: I have a few that I’d love to share!

1. Learn when to listen to criticism and when to ignore it. There were times I made some goofs and didn’t realize it until people pointed it out to me. Take your lumps and move on. Mistakes happen, but that shouldn’t keep you from moving forward and creating new things (bigger and better than before). That being said, some people will try to tear down your work just for the sake of it, and those are the types of comments that are better off ignored. Do not engage.

2. Do what you love no matter what. Some of my favorite comics that I’ve ever created are the least popular. I’ve got to make stuff that I love because that’s what keeps me sane. If I start feeling pressured to make things people like then it becomes a chore rather than the highlight of my week.

3. Keep an idea book. Use a small little notebook or whatever works best for you. Keep it with you always so when you have an idea you can write it down. Doodle dumb things in it. Do whatever. It’s a good way to exercise your creative muscles. Plus, you don’t have to stress about remembering that one idea you had that one time you were doing that one thing. It’ll be in the book!

D: I’m giving you a soapbox here. Anything you’d like to share with everyone?

M: Comic artists are people too! If you read and enjoy comics regularly don’t forget to tell your friendly local comic artist that you appreciate them and their work. You’ll most definitely make their day.

D: Thank you so much, Megan, for letting me interview you.  Everyone, check out her comic 😀