We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chloe Brailsford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chloe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Comics was an interesting one for me. I really enjoyed them as a kid, but when I was fourteen, I became super invested in cinema and spent a decade devoting my entire life to it; it was just movies, movies, movies, day-in, day-out! Every thought I had, everything I did – it was all related to CINEMA. I was so planning for it to be my entire life; I was attending film school at the University of Texas at Austin with the purpose of becoming a filmmaker. And yet… AND YET! By the time I graduated, I wanted nothing to do with it anymore, and that was because toward the end of my time there, I had found something different, a reignited love for a medium that burned through me, and which was also was much easier to accomplish alone: Comic Books! I was never the go-getter type of person who could rally a bunch of people to want to work with me making movies – but comics? I could do them all by myself, and my only limit was my drawing ability! And so it was! While I knew that pay might never make it so that I could be a full-time comic book artist, at least I also knew that if I put my mind to it, I could see my work in print and connect to a community that I was falling in love with! 😃😃😃

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I make comic books! Honestly I didn’t start drawing comics until I was twenty-five (and then very, very small ones, at that), but over time I kept trying to expand and do more until I self-published my first comic, My Life to Live, back in 2019. Since then, I have done comics and illustration work for the likes of Image Comics, DC Comics, Strega Sporca, and a handful of others (with some cool ones on the way!), as well as illustrations for a HULU feature film, CRUSH.

Really, I think I primarily became involved with the industry in two ways; 1) I worked in a very cool grocery store in Austin, Texas, and had the good fortune of meeting several artists who would push me to keep working, and 2) Twitter. It was through Twitter that I made so, so many connections around the world in the comics industry – both professional and independent – many of whom I am still connected to this day! My art is a bit transgressive (being a bisexual trans woman who is very into leather, that was always going to be the case, I think), but I feel fortunate enough people love my work that I have been able to make even a small name for myself.

I adore drawing; it’s my favorite part of making comics, but I also find that getting to do the whole thing myself is kind of the best! Some of the clients I have worked for have effectively given me free rein to write and draw (and even letter!) what I want, so long as it fits the theme (usually in my instances, it has been horror, despite my not particularly ever wanting to do horror lmao); others have had a few more stipulations for what they wanted, and honestly I was happy to oblige! I am a bit of a control freak, but I have had no issues whatsoever. Working with editors has generally been a very positive experience for me!

I feel like I am constantly growing as an artist, and my interests grow along with me. Having done my fair share of horror, all of which I am very proud, I would love to do graphic novels that deal a lot in romance, fame, dual identities, and all the things that my little brain obsesses over constantly hahaha. I really want to show people something peculiar that they have never seen before, something they might find challenging but ultimately memorable! A friend the other day said that my art felt like a safe space for their queer identity, which I found incredibly lovely; if especially queer people feel connected to what I am doing, then I know I am doing something very right!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Honestly, I just really enjoy making art and sharing it with the world. When I make art, I have a tendency of hyper-fixating, which can be a bit intense lmao, but it also feels amazing to accomplish something and be like, “Holy shit, I made this!” And then it is very cool when others see it and are like, “Oh shit, look what Chloe made!” Especially… so, growing up incredibly closeted (and definitely unsure of my own identity), I always had art that I was so horrified of sharing with anyone, including those closest to me, because I felt like I was engaging with a part of myself that not one other person knew existed; as time has gone on and I have built my social media and presented more and more of my art to the world, both online and in publications, it feels genuinely incredible to publish the kinds of usually very queer and/or kinky things that I do, because younger me would never have had the courage to do so! I think it’s incredibly rewarding to have a very tangible example of my growth; it’s really hard to believe I get to actually get PAID to draw hotties in leather, but here we are! Hahaha

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

This is a bit tricky, but honestly one of the absolute best ways to support an artist is to pay them directly; obviously sometimes that is not possible due to the nature of every individual person’s work, but if they have an online store, or table at conventions, or anything like that (maybe they offer commissions!), then that is always of great help!

BUT! As important as money is (and it IS important, because we decided as a society that its value was literally greater than anything else, regrettably), I do want to say that I feel so genuinely heartened when someone even just comments on my work, or says that it provided them with good feelings, or it inspired them, or anything! I think letting an artist know their value in your life is really, truly beautiful! So comments, whether in person or online, are great. And word-of-mouth, whether by talking to people or by sharing the work on your own social media, is always so, so very appreciated!

For the general ecosystem, going to cons or zine fests or anything like that – actually showing up – is great! Go to a signing at your local comic shop! If you hear about a talk one of your favorite artists is having, invite some friends and go out and experience it! The more that people know about these things, and the more that people show up, the more word gets around. And, specifically in comics, always support your local shops when you can! It’s hard to create a thriving ecosystem when the only supplier of said ecosystem can’t afford to remain open. I love comic book stores, and I would say to go to as many as you can! ☺️

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @chloe.in.pink
• Twitter: @chloe_in_pink
• Other: https://Gumroad.com/comixbychloe