We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dailen Ogden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dailen , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is my current one—a graphic novella called WIFWULF, set to release to the direct market and comic shops in fall 2022, published by Vault Comics.
This is a book I co-created with two friends: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, and it’s a deeply personal story mined from our separate but parallel experiences with relationship abuse, both experienced and observed. It’s raw and painful, and it’s beautiful, and I’m so proud to have my name on it.
Vault joined us midway through a smashingly successful Kickstarter run, and the reception on this comic (before it has even been technically born, no less!!) has been nothing short of incredible. It feels so healing to put something so personal out into the world and hear “we see you” in return.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Dailen Ogden, I’m a freelance comic book artist and illustrator, and I’m currently based out of Longmont, Colorado. I’ve been working in my industry for over six years now, and my credits include titles such as WIFWULF, MIRANDA IN THE MAELSTROM, THE LIMINAL, and DEAD DREAMS: THE LUCID CHRONICLES. There isn’t a lot to tell for me–I’ve been drawing for my entire life, and working as an artist was a natural extension of that drive. I attended art school and graduated in 2015 with my BFA in Illustration, and have been working freelance and sporadically running an online shop ever since.
I’m often asked what sets me and my work apart from others, and truthfully I don’t know. I’ve always felt like another voice in a huge chorus of artists, all making the things that inspire them. I’m fortunate that people can hear me, that they resonate with me. I don’t think it’s worthwhile to focus on setting yourself apart; I focus on creating work that compels me and I trust my audience to get on board if they feel the same.
If you like witchy and esoteric art and stories, you’re in the right place.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned as a creative is how to say “no” and to set boundaries for myself. Comic books as an industry is full of passionate, excitable people who are eager to share in their craft—and I definitely count myself among them. But the dark side of that passion is that people who are in love with what they do are much easier to exploit.
I’m the kind of person who hates to disappoint, but learning to say “no,” “I can’t do that,” and “that won’t work” have made my relationship with my art as a job much happier and healthier. I’m better at prioritizing the jobs that actually fulfill me as a creative, and that’s incredibly valuable for longevity in the industry.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
That’s a question without a tidy answer. The arts are never going to flourish in a society where the vast majority of people are too busy trying to make ends meet to pursue art and creativity for their own sake. Even professional artists must consider what is “marketable,” and are often buoyed by family or a spouse that can afford to help them get their career off the ground. The best thing any one of us can do to support artists is to pay them what they’re worth, and we can help to achieve that by paying EVERYONE what they’re worth.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dailenogdenillustration.com
- Instagram: @dailendailen
- Twitter: @DailenOgden