Communicating Through Cartoons
If a person gets paid for drawing cartoons, you’d think that person might be an art major; however, Steven Bailey double majored in business and mass communications.
“Drawing cartoons is a lot like mass communication,” Bailey says. “You have to think about the message you’re sending. A cartoon is a work of art and a message. The focus is on trying to express yourself to the readers.”
As a student, Bailey drew political cartoons addressing both national and local issues for The Almanian, the student-run college newspaper. One of the most important aspects of cartooning for him was the ability to communicate with people.
“I’d rather speak to people I don’t know with my cartoons,” he says. “I tailor the message to those outside my circle. It’s like they might be getting to know me a little bit through my art. It feels like you can speak to people you don’t see on a day-to-day basis.”
Bailey finds drawing relaxing. Using art instead of writing to express himself is a welcome change of pace for the 2006 Alma College graduate. “It’s nice not to have to write for my job since I do that in all my classes, but I’ve always liked drawing. As a kid I used to doodle in class, and it basically developed from there.”
When looking for ideas he simply looks around. “I’m always kept my eyes open for humorous events,” Bailey says. “I always think of the punch line first then work from there.”
Finding the time to draw the cartoons was sometimes difficult as Bailey was involved in a number of student activities. He was the Student Congress secretary, the chapter editor of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, the vice-president for the Adventure Club and a tech assistant in the communications department.
