We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Spencer Alexander a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Spencer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Ever since I can remember I’ve been reading comics. As a kid, I’d start every morning before school reading the daily strips in the local paper and my dad, brother, and I would often frequent our local comic shop, Smokey Joe’s, grabbing issues of our favorite Marvel and DC characters. I’ve been a comics junkie ever since. It’s what made me want to draw in the first place and still has a huge influence on the art I make today.
In early 2023 I was accepted to table at the prestigious MoccaFest in NYC. For those who haven’t been it’s a two day celebration of independent comic and cartoon art. I’d been attending for many years but this was my first time being a part of the event. While I had a lot of illustration work to show off I didn’t have much comic work under my belt… I knew it was time to finally create my own book.
I’d had a solid idea in mind, I wanted to profile the true story of rock & roll guitar legend Link Wray but the kicker was I only had about a month to write, pencil, ink, and letter a full 20 page comic.
It was a little scary but I had nothing to lose so I dove into the project and completely immersed myself in it. I set aside daily deadlines to keep myself on track.
I rarely slept. The project completely consumed me. I remember grabbing dinner with friends while in the midst of it and I was on such a different planet I could barely form coherent sentences. I was a total zombie, but I managed to hit my deadline and get it edited and to the printer on time!
After two weeks of waiting patiently for the comics to be printed it had finally arrived at my door and I couldn’t have been happier with how it looked!
Moccafest had been a success and along with preorders I almost completely sold out of the first print run!
Cut to today and I’m now onto the fourth printing with my comic in shops all over the world.
It’s been a gratifying experience stepping away from client work for a moment and producing something solely for myself. The fact that’ it’s gotten such a positive reaction is an added bonus.
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.
When people ask me what I do I usually tell them I do freelance art & design. It’s a blanket term to encapsulate the various different facets of my work that allow me to survive as a creative visual artist. Every week is something different. I design hand painted signs and murals for various local businesses around NYC, editorial illustrations for magazines, album covers for record labels, and the occasional logo.
I’m most proud of my diverse list of clients and extensive portfolio showcasing my talents. I’m so lucky to be able to make a living off my art and be able to share it with the world.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think unfortunately we live in a world where artists don’t get the appreciation they deserve. It’s a challenge to create art while trying to support yourself, especially with the cost of living being so high.
I think back to when the government created programs like WPA which employed artists all over the country to create public works. Programs like this are great ways to support artists and create cultural movements.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is just to continue developing my artistic voice while being able to create and provide for my family. Ideally I like to be in a place where potential clients know my work and style, and have complete trust in me and give full artistic license ( I realize this may be wishful thinking, but a guy can dream!)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therealspenceralexander.com/
- Instagram: @spencil
Image Credits
Spencer Alexander