163 | Whitney Matheson (Pandemix: Quarantine Comics)
My Summer Lair Chapter #163: How Do You Creatively Respond To A Pandemic?
Well, pop culture writer/curator Whitney Matheson along with Dean Haspiel co-edited Pandemix: Quarantine Comics in the Age of ‘Rona a comic book anthology. The 56-page full-colour digital anthology documents all kinds of reactions and experiences to the living in Age of ‘Rona. We saw this with 9/11 where many New York City-based comic book creators felt lost and were unsure how to respond to such a powerful moment. Bonus Cool: all proceeds from the sale of Pandemix will go to The Hero Initiative.
Whitney hasn’t always been making Rona comics. A former USA Today writer she created Pop Candy in 1999 one of the first newspaper blogs (newspapers were trying to figure out this whole internet thing…still are I suppose.). Pop Candy was a daily pop-culture blog that covered television, movies, music, and of course comic books. But then 15 years later she got laid off and now finds herself a creative freelancer and avid curator with a fantastic newsletter and a witty Patreon account.
In The Soul of an Entrepreneur, David Sax writes: “The Freelancers Union, a newly formed group that provided benefits to self-employed workers, predicted that the majority of American workers would be freelance in some capacity by 2027.” This stat might be even more true in the Age of ‘Rona. But how do freelancers avoid the sweatshop burnout that internet demands? And still be creative, fun, and wonderfully playful?
Whitney is inspiring. It was good to catch up and hear about her creative adventures. Especially the paintings she recently made that open this conversation. Wowza!
