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

Hi Mela, why did you pursue a creative career?
Creating art has been something I’ve done ever since I was a little kid! I’ve always been obsessed with writing and drawing and playing music, and luckily I grew up with a family that was extremely encouraging and supportive of my creative endeavors. Telling stories is all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life, and after getting my degree in Sequential Art I was able to make that my professional reality!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love to use my art as an expression of optimism, and to tell stories informed by my experiences as a queer person. Nature and quiet moments are both things that inspire my work. I give my characters a lot of space to feel big emotions, and I love lingering expressions and romantic shots. I also adore story breaking and structuring plots – nothing gives me a thrill quite like writing and finding solutions!

To get to where I am now, I began at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2016. I graduated from school in May 2020, and in the year and a half afterwards I signed with the wonderful Chelsea Eberly after meeting through DVPit, and then got my first book deal with my debut graphic novel LOVE LIGHT. LOVE LIGHT began as my senior project for school, so all the support from my friends and professors really helped me after graduation.

I think one of the biggest moments for me was in 2018 was when I went to the Angoulême International Comics Festival and got to see the vast range of work there. Before that point, I was getting really demoralized and felt like I’d never be good enough to work professionally in comics. But then I found all of these books that really inspired me—your work doesn’t have to look a certain way or be the best art ever in order to be impactful, and I don’t think I really internalized that until the festival!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family has been immensely supportive and I definitely could not have gotten this far this soon without them! My sister and my best friends Sarah and Casey have also kept me going at times when imposter syndrome has crept in, so I’m extremely grateful for their love and support.

Website: https://www.melarogers.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mela-rogers-9b6b531a0/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mela_adele

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