Meet Morgan Beem

Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Beem.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always been a storyteller, and have loved consuming and sharing stories in every form, but throughout my life comics have always had a special place in my heart. As soon as I discovered them I couldn’t get enough, and started to draw my own on whatever I could get my hands on- school notebooks, printer paper, etc. This passion grew and grew until I knew I wanted to try and do this as a career. However, when I decided this, I had no idea how to make that happen on my own, so I enrolled in SCAD (The Savannah College of Art and Design)’s sequential masters program. Comic school, I kid you not, was the hardest thing I have ever done, but those two years gave me the foundation both skill set and industry knowledge wise to start my career. After I graduated I moved to Denver, worked day-jobs while trying to pick up any side comic or illustration projects I could, and eventually made the jump to fulltime, which is where I am fortunate enough to still be today.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say maybe it’s been more like a hike- you’re going uphill, it’s a lot of work and is trying, but you really enjoy hiking, so it’s still fun. If that makes sense? I will say I’m extremely fortunate that I’ve had a ton of support, and a ton of people in my corner helping me and cheering me on without whom I would not be where I am today. I did not do this all on my own. But a lot of the steeper, uphill parts have been just getting your foot in the door, and from there trying to make enough to get by. Comics (probably true of most art?) is a very under-paid industry, and a lot of time, especially at the start, it can be really long grueling hours of work for pretty little compensation. But that said, I’ve still enjoyed the hike.

Please tell us about your work.
Well, I’m a freelancer, and I work in a studio called Jam House here in town with 5 other full time artists. Being a freelance commercial artist is a bit like being a Jack of all trades- I will generally try whatever is in my skillset/that I’m appropriate for that pays, so I’ve done anything from window murals to illustrations for teaching. But mostly my bread and butter is still making comics. I generally paint my comics traditionally with watercolor, and I would say my speciality is in horror and fairytales. I’m pretty proud of how fast I’ve gotten. In what I do, fast is the name of the game, because often you have to work on multiple projects at a time.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I don’t necessarily have a favorite. I am lucky that I had a really happy childhood, and am close with my family, so I tend to just look back on it as a whole.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.morganbeemart.com/
• Email: morganbeem@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganbeem/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorganBeem

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