Meet Georgia Henderson | Story Artist and Cartoonist

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

Hi Georgia, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
This is such an interesting question to me because I think it frames success so narrowly. I think when it comes to artists, there’s this Hobbyist or Professional divide – that if we can pay of out bills with art, we’ve made it to this elevated tier. But speaking as a Professional, that usually means working on other people’s projects and visions. You can get burned out and lose sight of what made you want to do art all the time in the first place. When I started to get back into Webcomics, I was suddenly a Hobbyist again. I’m surrounded by people who make anywhere from $3 out of the blue, to making a living selling their books and art at conventions. “Keep Going” or “Give Up” doesn’t make sense to me in this context. The webcomics community is full of passionate people telling unique, niche stories that may go on for years – and no one may ever make a living off this work. And I don’t think many people regret it because it was fulfilling in itself. They may collect their 10 years of work and end up making a few thousand dollars. Vacation money? Paying off a loan? For a part time hobby? Sounds good to me!

When I see people want to give up, it’s usually because they’ve burned themselves out wanting success too quickly or trying to keep up with the constant churn of new content. People who are able to maintain their own pace, growth, and vision, tend to stick with it. I want a path for people to be able to spend more time on their creative projects, but unfortunately that’s not the reality we live in. So we’ve got to pace ourselves – but never stop creating art if you can, any way you can.

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 very proud that I’ve gotten close to 150 pages done! 😂😂 I like to think that I’m still discovering that special sauce. I really want to create a story that my 10-year old self would have loved and been empowered by. I was very sassy and confident as a small child, and I think the world really forced me to shrink. Getting that confidence back has been a process, and I hope to help others fight to get theirs back as well.

I think my confidence as an independent creator has really grown through my work in the animation industry. I’ve worked on multiple shows for 8+ years as a Storyboard Artist. Whenever I feel insecure, I can look at those credits, which are objective truths, and go, “Wait yeah, I HAVE done some cool stuff, somebody trusted me enough to help out with this.” I wish I didn’t have to depend on external validation so much, but I’m working on it! 😂

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.
Oh, definitely a coffee shop tour! Let’s do all the local shops I’d frequent from where I’ve lived in LA. So first, I lived down the street from Friends and Family in Thai Town/ East Hollywood. They have really good bread. Next, in North Hollywood, there was TeaPop, but I think they closed down. They used to host a lot of local artists and had art fairs in the back lot. Highland Park blessed me with several favorites, including Kindness and Mischief, Go Get em Tiger’s breakfast burritos, and Highly Likely. Civil Coffee also has the Arroyo, which is a delicious iced drink you can take on the nearby Arroyo Seco bike trail. Just watch out for that rooster.

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?
Oh man, I have to be very boring and say my family and my friends. I really lucked out in having very supportive parents – my dad, who taught me to work hard, my mom, who’s art supplies I would steal, my older brother who taught me to draw, and my other older brother who forced me to get more creative than him 😄. I also have probably the most creative friend group ever – I’m always inspired by what everyone is doing!!

Website: https://www.georgiahen17.com/

Instagram: georgiahen17

Twitter: (Bluesky) geohen17.bsky.social

Other: Website for my Webcomic, Sun Princess
https://sunprincesscomic.com/

Image Credits
All art by me!