As I approach month two of my journey as a comic book writer and artist, I find myself navigating new waters, particularly the world of Reddit. It’s an interesting space, to say the least. Everyone here is incredibly opinionated—and I don’t mean that negatively at all. In fact, I’ve come to realize that Reddit is a place where people’s deep passion for what they love shines through. They seek out connections and correlations to the things they hold dear, and in doing so, they’re not afraid to voice their thoughts.

That said, when people feel you’ve infringed on something that’s close to their hearts, their response can be intense, even harsh. I’ve seen this happen not just with my own work but with others’ as well. Still, most of my interactions have been thoughtful and kind, even when opinions differ. It’s been a humbling and enlightening experience.

One of the misconceptions I had early on was that every comic strip needed to deliver a laugh-out-loud or witty punchline to satisfy readers. But I’ve learned this isn’t always true. A comic strip needs to have purpose, yes—but that purpose doesn’t always have to be humor. It can be emotional, philosophical, or even something that deepens the world you’re building. There are so many ways to connect with readers beyond just making them laugh.

Interestingly, my creative process has been anything but linear. For example, I wrote and illustrated the first, second, and third strips in a completely different order. The backstory was clear in my mind, but translating it visually took time. I actually started with two unpublished strips, then moved on to what became strip number three, then number one, then several others before circling back to number two. Despite publishing them in sequence, I’ve learned to embrace having a backlog of unpublished work. It doesn’t all need to be perfect or ready to go immediately—what matters most is staying true to why you’re doing this in the first place: because you love it.

This second month has taught me a few important lessons:

1. Don’t stress over comparisons—people will always find parallels to other works, no matter how hard you try to avoid them.
2. Purpose over punchlines—not every strip needs to be funny, but every strip needs to mean something.
3. Flexibility is key—while consistency matters, staying open to changes in your creative process keeps the love for what you do alive.

Ultimately, this journey is as much about learning and growing as it is about creating. And as long as I hold on to that, I know I’m moving in the right direction.