We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Gorden. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.
David, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
My mission to show how far comics, comic books and graphic novels can go as an outlet of visual storytelling for creators. I believe that people don’t utilize comics enough when they want to envision an idea. I have recently moved into creating video comics which are comics that have minor motion elements to tell short stories. These stories exist in multiple genres from action and adventure to horror, to comedy and romance. I want people to know that comics are more than just super heroes (even though I love super heroes) and that if you have a story any kind of story comics is a viable (and economic) option.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I run a small creative studio out of St. Louis, Mo called 4Sight Studio. I specialize in illustration, graphic illustration, visual storytelling for comics and graphic novels, content creation, podcasting and book publishing. Currently I have two graphic novels, and five coloring books available on Amazon. We create video comic shorts for You Tube with a mission to drop one video comic a month. We just dropped a short “The Craziest Thing” on January 1st. We also create content for You Tube and social media including vlogs, tutorials and product reviews. The typical client for 4Sight Studio are corporate who may need to engage me for illustrations or writing. Authors and ambitious small business owners. We have fanbase spread out all over the web with an active Facebook group and highly engaged You Tube community. Recently we just released an Adventure Comic Coloring book with former MMA champion Rampage Jackson.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I had started the studio in 1992 but as the years went on kind of shelved it because I was working with my friends in a studio we had formed and then years later working full time at Lion Forge Comics. Things changed in late 2016 when I was downsized from a full time employee to part time. I really had to begin thinking of what I was going to do with my life and what were my options. I knew I didn’t want to go back to working for just another corporate entity and I wanted to continue on my own path. I began working on Kwame Hightower and the Man with No Name and getting myself back out there as a freelancer. By 2017 I had been brought back on as a full time employee at Lion Forge but instead of stopping what I was doing on the side…. I ramped things up. In late 2018 I officially relaunched the studio and began building it out shortly after the release of the Kwame Hightower graphic novel. My efforts led to more and more opportunities. Then in early 2020 the division I was working in was cut because of COVID-19. That’s when I went full time and fully launched the studio and from there I have never looked back. That adversity and professional frustration helped me get the company started. Today my studio, 4Sight Studio is still growing and gaining it’s footing. I am currently on my second studio space and I now have 2 interns working with me and helping out.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
When I began freelancing I didn’t have much of a rep in the city anymore, six years of living in Atlanta and then returning to a 9-5 job will do that to you as a freelancer. The one advantage I had was “learned experience”. I knew that the three things that would get me more work was quality, punctuality, and being easy to work with. I excelled at those qualities. I was able to build a client base. A client base that includes my former employer Lion Forge. When I get a job, it is the most important thing to get done, I know that I have to give each job my best creative efforts, I make sure I give myself the time to get the work done and I make sure I get the work in before said agreed upon deadline, and finally I understand that the work I am asked to do is not about me. It’s about the final product. Its about getting your client’s vision correct. It’s about communicating. Making sure you and you’re client are always on the same page. It also means being open to criticism and correction. It’s not always easy for an artist but is is necessity to be a successful freelancer and building a positive reputation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.4sightstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dkg72/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4sightstudio
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-gorden-59bb913/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DKG72
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DKG72
- Other: My other YouTube channel is 4Sight Media here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/@4sight_media
Image Credits
All art by David Gorden