Today we’d like to introduce you to Arden Myers
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi, I’m Arden Myers, a student at SCAD currently in my Junior year originally from New York. I’m a Sequential and Story artist aspiring to be a graphic novelist, comic editor, and storyboard artist post-grad. I have gained immeasurable skills and knowledge during my time here at SCAD, and plan to apply them to my career in the future.
A pivotal point in my story was during Fall of 2023, when a group of other sequential art majors at SCAD, including myself, established a club dedicated to webcomics called the “SCAD Scroll Club”. As Vice President, I’ve learned so much more about comics than I did before, through teaching, connecting, and collaborating on comic projects with my peers. We give weekly presentations on comics and how to strengthen them, which a few I led and taught. Additionally, I have responsibility for overseeing and running our social media account with a consistent schedule that keeps our sequential art community engaged in upcoming guest speakers and events. Through our club, I was led to the opportunity of working at Level Ground Comics as an Editor, and Webcomics Committee Assistant. Given the chance to be a comic editor for the first time has been so very eye opening and made me realize how I don’t have to just be the storyteller, but I can be a helper on the sidelines to boost my peer’s work. With critique and understanding my client’s story, I am able help them to make their stories the best they can be!
While applying my skills to my work in classes, I have made sure to make ample time for extracurriculars that not only enhance my own skillset, but also bring more opportunities to my school and peers. All of this has brought me to where I am today, and I am so excited to share the rest of my story with you.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I honestly struggled a lot to find my place in my hometown. I never felt like I had an outlet to showcase my abilities, my stories, or my art. My saving grace was a program I entered in my Junior and Senior year of Highschool called the L.I.F.E. School. The L.I.F.E. School was a competitive project-based learning program that focused on collaboration and professional lifelong skills that prepares its students for success after high school. I am forever thankful for being a part of the program and will always carry the lessons and love it taught me. It was then I started to embrace the possibility of seeing myself as a leader.
Ever since entering SCAD I felt like for the first time I had found my place and people. With a program that supports my creative endeavors and an innovative community full of so many unbelievably driven people. For a long time, I had never considered myself the leading type, I was always quieter and followed others lead, but deep down I knew I wanted more than just watching the world happen around me. I wanted to be proud and loud about what I loved too and thanks to SCAD, I’ve been able to become the person I want to be. Through SCAD I was approached by one of my professors in my sophomore year if I would be interested in inventing and putting together a new club alongside a couple of my peers. That club is the “Scad Scroll Club”, a scroll comics club that focusing on Webtoon’s and any other sort of scroll format.
Through this club I have gained more public speaking skills, learned what it means to work on a team, and being given the chance to grow in a leadership position knowing that the path wont always be linear. Additionally, I’ve had the absolute honor and opportunity of networking work with numerous alumni from SCAD, and people who work at WEBTOON. We’ve hosted serval workshops at our club with guest speakers ranging from those who work for WEBTOON as creators, to University outreach specialists. I’ve learned that I can be a leader, I love teaching and sharing my love of comics and stories with others and it’s something I never want to stop doing no matter where my career takes me. This past year, our club and Level Ground Comics hosted our second annual “Scroll Comics Jam” which was partnered directly with WEBTOON. The Scroll Jam is a collaborative event where given a chosen theme, teams of students have 5 weeks to create a scroll comic within guidelines which will eventually be presented to WEBTOON, and our peers. This past year we had an amazing turnout with about 50 submissions and over 200 students participating. Through this event, students, including myself, were able to make valuable connections and friendships they can carry into their futures. It fills me with so much happiness to be a part of a community so focused on the joy comics bring and one thats always trying to find new ways to make a difference in the lives of young creatives.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think my favorite part about my work ties into how involved and collaborative my nature is, which is why I’ve found myself being a part of so many different organizations and teams. While teaching about scroll comics with the SCAD Scroll Club, I’m also currently in the creating of my own WEBTOON titled “Best Matey’s”, an action and slice of life scroll comic I am planning to be uploaded later this year. The story follows three pirate sisters and their pets as they venture off from their home island for the first time. The themes of the story include embracing the independence adulthood brings, but also the accompanying struggles of growing up, and finding your place in the world. I am the oldest of three sisters and I find a lot of my stories have to do with sibling dynamics and the importance of family. I wouldn’t be the person I am without them, so this story is a bit of a love letter to them.
I would love to publish a graphic novel of my original work and stories, but I am also very passionate about helping others bring their stories to life in teams, whether that’s being a Comic Editor or a storyboard artist. During the rest of my time, I hope to join some more student projects to develop a wider portfolio for storyboards as well as personal projects too!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I’d say the most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey thus far has been to always remember the fun in your art and passions. I’ve known since middle school drawing and art was my thing, I knew for the rest of my life I would always love it and never doubted that. As I’ve grown up, I’ve dealt with numerous amounts of burnout and have questioned if I’m cut out for my field. Not because I lacked love for it, but because I was too focused on how I compared to others. Every artist goes through some form of imposter syndrome, and turning a hobby into a career can be daunting for many people.
Before I created my Webtoon “Best Matey’s” this past year, I had been working on another story for over five years called “Race to Euphoria”. It was I was so passionate about the story, but after only a year of posting chapters on WEBTOON I got severely burnt out. It just wasn’t fun anymore… but why? For the first year and a half of college, I felt stuck in my storytelling abilities because I wanted to make this one story work so badly. What I would come to realize later is that that mindset was only stunting my growth as a creative and I needed to branch out. Not just to enjoy creating stories again, but establishing a healthier mindset to prevent burnout for the future.
To my fellow artists, if I could emphasize one lesson I’ve learned along my journey from my family, my friends, and professors, is to remember to have fun, and always find ways to enjoy your process. I’ve found that to be the strongest tool to combat burnout, and because of this mindset I’m now making some of the best art and stories i’ve ever created. Never stay in one place for too long, you might be surprised what you could discover next!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ardenkmyers.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exaggeratedbubble/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arden-myers
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/scadscrollclub/
