We were lucky to catch up with Dylan Duncan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dylan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I used to draw as a kid all the time. In fact, when there were drawing contests in school all my peers would say “well, Dylan is going to win anyways…”. Flattering, but I remained humble. I practiced every day in my oversized pad of paper, listening to movie soundtracks and coming up with ridiculous scenarios ranging from dogs hypnotizing cats to standing bears plugging a hunter’s gun barrel with his finger. (We’ve seen that bit before, right?). I was heavily influenced by Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes comics as well as most anything Disney…specifically Darkwing Duck characters. A lot of my earlier work resembles these styles. I knew very early on that I wanted to do this with my life and becoming an animator became my dream and goal. And to do that, I needed to go to art school and learn to draw from life, master the human figure, and explore many different types of artistic mediums. So that’s what I did. However, I did not go into animation. Life took a different turn and I unexpectedly ended up in signage design and technical drawing…very far from where I pictured. However, I keep up with my more creative side by maintaining a comic on Instagram, fulfilling freelance art and design requests, and writing and recording music.

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

Back in 2005, I started a blog where I’d create a journal-like entry of a drawing, sketch, or cartoon every day. At the time, I was following a comic artist named Natalie Dee (https://www.nataliedee.com) and to say I was inspired by her work would be an understatement. I knew I wanted to have that type of presence, a space where people could visit and view, comment, relate and be entertained! I called it “The Daily Dunc”, (@thedailydunc) “Dunc”, being my nick name from high school, short for Duncan, of course. The idea – to produce a daily piece of art of any kind and share it with the world. It started out slow, existing for only me and maybe a few friends of mine. Then I moved it over to Facebook. Later, Instagram came along and I realized it was the perfect platform for me (and come to find out, many other artists). I kept up with doing new art as much as I could but it was off and on for a few months. On January 1st of 2019, however, I made a New Year’s goal to do a brand new comic every day and to finally work on building a solid audience. I accomplished this and in doing so, created a follower base of close to 50,000. It took time, but I persisted by involving my audience via story posts, polls, contests, and, most importantly, consistent daily content. Instagram’s algorithm is a tricky thing to master with timing and hashtags, but I think I was able to navigate it pretty well. There were hiccups and road blocks along the way, ranging from personal loss, to Covid. But like most things in my life, the adversity only fueled my creativity and I kept plugging along. My comic work focuses mostly on silly puns, features “Today is National *fill in the blank* Day” comics, and at times is sprinkled with personal accounts like me waiting for my dog to poop out a toy my niece gave me or me fearing for my life every time I sneezed while driving. Sometimes, I break up the humor with more serious topics like the death of my mom, and the passing of my pets. After all, life is full of many different emotions and I try and depict them all in my work, even if it’s a comic meant to be funny. I have found that I have been able to connect with my audience on a much deeper level that way. I have had many people write to me saying that they can relate to my comics which is a very satisfying feeling. But what means the most is when I hear from someone, even on the other side of the world, that they, too, had a loved one that died and that my art moved them. I really couldn’t ask for more when creating art.

I’ve also been very fortunate to have had my followers be interested in my work to the point of supporting bonus content through a Patreon account I had active for a couple years as well as purchasing signed prints and T-shirts from my online store. I have been commissioned by some of my followers to create custom comics and art for them for use as gifts and holiday cards, most if not all in the style of The Daily Dunc. I also have made many personal and professional connections through my page which has been a very rewarding side effect of posting content. It’s been great ride and I plan on developing it further with plans to create a Daily Dunc collections book, more products in my store, a searchable website, and maybe even a podcast to feature other artists. I also have a few side comic ideas in the works including wrapping up a “Davey in Space” (@daveyinspace) story I started a couple years ago as well as a new comic about me as a kid growing up in a small Vermont town. I want to bring my mom back to life this way, featuring her as a prominent character in an on-going family narrative. So be on the look out for that!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My mom died when I was 17 from complications due to a hereditary disease called Familial Amyloidosis. She has become a great source of inspiration for me in my story telling, both in visual and musical art. I unfortunately inherited the gene and because I witnessed her being so sick, I have always been aware of what my situation could be and of my own mortality. I have undergone many tests, been involved in clinical trials, and have withstood challenging symptoms that have sometimes slowed down my creative pursuits. However, it has never stopped me. Despite not always feeling the greatest, I somehow manage to keep creating. Not only have I shared my situation (and my mom’s) through occasional Daily Dunc content, I have also written music about her and the disease, used my art and connections to create fundraising and awareness projects and advertising, and performed for audiences while discussing my journey and answering questions. Art, any of form of it, has a very powerful way of healing so it’s been almost a no-brainer to keep it at the forefront of my life. Most recently, my biggest challenge I’d say was losing vision in my right eye due to an infection brought on by surgery to remove very intrusive Amyloid ocular floaters. I started documenting this journey on a new instagram page – @one.eyed.dylly. My depth perception and clarity is affected quite a bit and I often catch myself working with my one eye closed because the double vision I have developed makes it very difficult. But it’s all doable. It’s amazing how we adapt as humans! There was never really any doubt in my mind that I’d be able to continue drawing and illustrating with just one eye after a period of adjustment…which it most certainly took. What really worries me the most, however, is losing the other eye…which unfortunately is possible. And if that’s the case, I know my creative endeavors will continue….just in different ways. Maybe more music! So in the meantime, I will work as hard as I can, while I can, to get as much work out there as possible to be seen and enjoyed.

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

I have recently had the pleasure of reacquainting myself with the local art scene in my city. It had been a while since I had been been involved with the community in that way and I think it’s extremely important to not only show your support of other artists but to also let yourself be known, tell your own story, and make connections. Showing up at open houses or gallery spaces to see artists’ work, asking questions about their craft, and sharing their contact information with others, are all very important ways of supporting artists. A few weeks back, my girlfriend and I attended a paint night that was hosted by a local artist and it was my first one ever! Despite knowing most of the techniques he was teaching to the group, I found myself wanting to take it in as if I knew nothing…to learn from another artist and see what happens. We did end up exchanging info and making a connection which was a bonus. But the primary goal was to support. So even as an artist myself, I make it a priority to stay open minded to other approaches, styles, feedback, etc. In the digital world, social media sites are full of lots of great content and artists of all kinds. One of the biggest ways to show support is to click those like, share, and comment buttons because algorithms dictate how much an artist is exposed. The more you engage, the more the artist is seen. Also, some artists use sites like Patreon to build a more focused community using exclusive content models to help fund their efforts which can be a great way to show support and keep them going and working. Art can help us as a society to disengage from life’s demands, to see things in a new way and help us tap into our emotions. I think it’s extremely important that creative ecosytems remain and flourish and artist support is the best way for that to happen! So if it fits into your schedule, go visit some local open studios, take some business cards, purchase some art if you can, and most importantly, spread the word!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dylanduncan.com (Music site – soon to be full creative site)
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thedailydunc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedailydunc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dduncancreative/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/dailydunc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedailydunc4962

Image Credits
Portrait of the Artist – Cynthia Clayton Photography (https://cynthiaclaytonphotography.com/)