This weekend I went to Comic Arts Brooklyn, and carried back quite a haul, with some great finds like Other Stories and The Horse You Rode in On by Dakota McFadzean, Do Not Disturb my Waking Dream, by Laura Park, and Shadow Hills (new series!) by Sean Ford. This is the first time I’ve gone to a convention as a civilian, instead of working behind a table selling books. I have to say, it was a blast to go and nerd-out over all the creators I love, get them to sign my books, and tackle-hug old friends in the most unprofessional manner.

Walking through the crowded halls of the convention,  I thought about an email I received a few days ago from an aspiring artist asking for advice about how get into free-lance illustration. I had a very simple answer for her: think about cultivating relationships, not in a manipulative “networking” user kind of way, but in a, hey these are great people and I want them to be a part of my professional life kind of way. Comic Arts Brooklyn reminded me how lucky it is that I am a cartoonist. This is just about the nicest community of creators that I’ve found, so it’s easy to build those relationships with such a welcoming bunch of people.