Matthew Inman, creator of the comic blog The Oatmeal, spoke to a nearly packed audience Tuesday afternoon during the final keynote of SXSWi. He started out the discussion by talking about his life before comics — as a web developer. He also talked about what inspires him creatively and what he’s done with his Internet fame.
After being introduced by SXSWi producer Shawn O’Keefe, Inman discussed his days as a website developer, his transition to a data-driven dating site and then on to cartooning.
Inman talked about his creative process while dropping in hilarious examples of his cartoons. He takes suggestions from readers and also lieks to make comparisons. Inman listed “The Far Side,” “South Park,” and “Perry Bible Fellowship” as his comic inspiration. During the talk, he mentioned that he doesn’t update his website every day because he’s not always inspired to make a comic or to post. He said artists should wait to post/create until inspiration strikes.
Finally, Inman discussed his crowdfunding efforts for both a legal battle he was embroiled in and the Tesla Museum. He raised funds with for both in a very short time frame. Some of his suggestions included having a short campaign and to be wary of giving out perks.