We recently connected with Will Dudla and have shared our conversation below.

Will, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I was a little kid I loved to read and collect the Sunday paper comics. I would also spend hours reading comic strip books like Peanuts, B.C., Calving and Hobbes, The Far Side, etc. It was, along with 80s cartoons, what inspired me to become an artist. I drew all through grade school, then high school, and finally through college to attain a Bachelors in Fine Arts. Once I left college though, I didn’t really land any jobs that were in my field. So instead I went with whatever jobs paid the best at the time. You could say that I took the path of least resistance. This continued for years and years, with a little bursts of art creation in between.

Fast forward to 2017, while working yet another job not in my field, I decided to make a birthday card for my wife. I had made these basic little characters in a comic panel style layout, and for some reason I just clicked with their designs. Immediately, I went into a creative mode and, over the next month or so, belted out over 200 ideas about these little guys and their wacky adventures. I then decided to take my first risk and put their adventures online in a cartoon strip format. It was crude, unfunny, and very basic…but I loved it! Then came my second risk taking adventure…I quit my job to go full time as an illustrator/cartoonist. That. Was not. Fun. Sure the art making was great, but the stress of it all was pretty terrifying. It’s basically like jumping out of a helicopter in the middle of the ocean and the helicopter flies away. Now it was time to learn to swim. It was not easy at all to learn so much in such a short period of time. In hindsight, I should have still kept my job and done the cartoons on the side. Nevertheless, I learned a lot and came away mostly unscathed.

As time went on, I decided that illustration really wasn’t for me (unless it was via the cartoon style lens). I also snagged a decent regular job that helps to pay the bills while I pursue the cartoonist life. All in all, life as an artist is a very difficult but rewarding pursuit. I do not regret taking the risk one bit.

If you asked me why I did it? – Because, why not:)

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 am a cartoonist who got into the cartoon strip craft back in 2017 by posting my webcomic Clams on the Side online on various social media networks such as Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, Webtoon, and Tapas. As I put more work into the strip over the years, I gained more followers, and became more well known throughout the industry. I am currently an associate member of the National Cartoonist Society and have been featured on Reddit, Bored Panda, Demilked, Comic Strip Cartoonist, and in the Kickstarter book “The 99.” I also have three Clams on the Side books published on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle.

I primarily specialize in cartoon illustration and comic strips for clients. I like to provide my clients with the best possible experience through prompt and professional communication and on time product delivery.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My biggest goal is to become both a syndicated cartoonist as well as a monetarily self-sufficient cartoonist.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding things for me are seeing that my client is happy with the final product and becomes a repeat customer, and getting people to laugh at my webcomic.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.clamsontheside.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clamsontheside/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clamsontheside/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdudla
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/clamsontheside?lang=en
• Other: Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/clamsontheside/

Image Credits
All images are copyright Will Dudla.