Meet Sara Guzman | Cartoonist, Illustrator, Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara Guzman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Following my gut instinct and being authentic to my artistic needs is what brings me the greatest success. I’d been creating tonally similar self-published comics for a few years during and post college that were very cartoony, humorous and violent. These were the first books that I felt held my true essence and I could see a brand forming with. They were a lot of fun to make and I’d become comfortable with the process. On the flip-side, many other ideas were boiling within me that needed to get out and that were very different in medium, format, and narrative. They weren’t so bloody. I wanted to follow these stories to see where they lead even though I’d be diverging from a platform I’d been building. I decided to take a year for myself to re-orient the direction I was going in and focus on writing. Now I have three new comics dropping back to back and one photography zine. The response to these new books has been fantastic and I’m excited to see in person reactions when I table at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus in Ohio at the end of September. I’ve found that even though my books are so different from one another there is still a binding thread that connects them all that makes them unmistakeably mine. They are all uniquely zany.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m not afraid to push the limits with my art. I want to go full throttle from beginning to end and make people feel like they’ve lived an experience. I try to develop expansive worlds, and at first I was going too expansive. At the expense of my health. I needed to find a balance of showing the viewer a world without putting too much work onto myself. That meant pulling back at moments and slowing the pace down a bit. Letting more emotions shine though and not just action. I love creating characters and being able to get a lot of personality across with a simple drawing. Without interesting characters I find comics to be boring and lifeless, there’s not point in seeing where they end up. I always want to surprise myself with what I can produce, and for that to happen I have to keep moving forward no matter what obstacles lay in my path. The ultimate goal is to have my work adapted into the realm of film or television. Comics are my version of making a movie, and I prefer it because the only person I have to rely on is myself. I work on my book all the way through publishing. I write, thumbnail, draw, ink, color, layout, and print all of my books. It’s not easy putting your own money upfront with the hope of making it back and more, but I like having skin in the game. When something goes wrong I can only blame myself and regroup. When it goes right, it’s time for a little celebration, and then back to work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In any city I’m always trying to find the best food, so if friends or family come to visit I already have some well known and reliable haunts. The best cheeseburger would be at the top of my list, and I love a good cash only diner. I also like dive bars that have a lot of history to them, and having some tried and true regulars invariably makes for a good time. Showing off the collections of local art museums and galleries is another great pastime. There’s inevitably some work that will spark inspiration or talking points. I’m also a crystal collector, so finding mines in the area or places known for an abundance of gems can create a fun and somewhat exhausting time, and you’ll come away with some original souvenirs. Lastly, going hiking or walking through a park can create quality time to reconnect and leisurely talk to those you haven’t seen in a while.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents and my boyfriend have been nonstop support for me from the jump. In high school I had vacillated a lot thinking about potential careers. I’d stopped taking art classes in school because they were very repetitive and had a staunch grasp on realism. Then, the thing that had been staring me in the face my whole life finally got through. I told my parents I wanted to be an illustrator and that I was going to take as many art classes I could until I graduated. I was already going into my Junior year of high school. They accepted my choice and helped me experiment with all types of mediums, trying to make up for lost time. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Columbus College of Art & Design and I’ve been honing my craft ever since.

I met my boyfriend when I was tasked with training him in the Control Room at the Columbus Museum of Art. He immediately bought one of my comics, and seemed to be a fast learner. Flash-forward, and we have a joint studio in our apartment dedicated to our art. He helps me table conventions, gives honest critiques of my art and advertising, helps ship out merchandise, takes over household duties when I’m swamped with deadlines, and even collaborates with me on projects. To say I’m grateful is an understatement.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sroseguzman/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sroseguzman/

Image Credits
Max Strauss, Nevyets