Connecting with comics

My boyfriend Christian has taught me a lot about comics in the past year. For instance, I now know what "microcomics" are and can almost maybe name a few comic book writers and what publishers they work for. In the past year I have been ushered in to a world of conventions, panels, and inking. And I'm really proud of Christian for all the work he does. Right now he's doing everything he can to get an internship related to comics, and he is always working on something in his sketch book.

For aspiring artist/writer types like Christian, I think the internet plays a huge role in getting your name out there. Many of the artists who submitted to Synergia just referred us to their websites and asked us to pick what we thought was best fit for our publication. By using his tumblr to showcase his art and writing, Christian is able to reach a wide audience, and can exhibit different media easily.

An example of Christian's work

Christian also uses Twitter to reach an audience. Though his Twitter is not completely devoted to his efforts with comic production, he uses it to promote himself. After going to Emerald City Comic Con in early March, Christian gained maybe 20 followers from Tweeting about the convention--all people who, theoretically, are important in his comic network. Twitter also allows him to access information about events like Portland's monthly Comics Underground, and connect with local artists and form bonds with them.

Christian inspires me to put my work out there more. For creative people, the internet is a really important tool in putting yourself out there, compiling your portfolio, and articulating your self image.

What do you do to "brand" yourself on the internet?