MAKING THE FUNNY PAGES
Comic book celebrating local people to make debut
TROY >> A new book is telling the story of local creatives in a fun and unique way.
“Creative Every Day: Tales of Art + Life Colliding” is a comic book celebrating the lives of creative professionals throughout the Capital Region.
“Creative Every Day” was inspired by a 2014 study commissioned by the Upstate Alliance for a Creative Economy (ACE), which revealed that the Capital Region has more than 30,000 creative sector jobs.
The initial idea behind the project, funded and produced by the Workforce Development Institute, was to make some sort of pamphlet or brochure geared toward adolescents telling about different jobs in the creative economy.
Instead of presenting the information in a spreadsheet or chart, Troy-based cartoonist and educator Ira Marcks decided to relay the info through a comic book.
The product, which turned into a 28-page book, describes careers far beyond the more wellknown roles like painter or actor. “The book is designed for middle school-aged kids to get some insight into the types of careers people actually end up in,” explained Marcks, the comic book’s creator.
Instead of researching creative careers online, Marcks asked people in the community to share the creative things they do for work.
From the more than 100 responses, Marcks designed a bunch of short comics telling people’s
true personal stories.
The book highlights about 50 local professionals who have creative careers in the area, including jobs like environmental packaging designer songwriter, restorationist, radio DJ , dance instructor and digital imaging specialist.
The book is meant to be a tool for kids and teachers, as well as anyone seeking more creativity in their careers. “It’s sort of about the general idea of creativity in your job and being able to have a bit more self expression in the things we choose to do for work,” Marcks said.
The artist’s hope is that the book will open readers’ eyes to how many different types of creative careers there are, and the fact that they exist right in the Capital Region.
The comic book will be distributed to more than 15,000 students in area middle schools, high schools, and colleges to ensure young people and their parents are aware of the wide spectrum of viable career opportunities that exist in the region.
An official book launch will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27 at Troy Kitchen, located at 77 Congress St. in downtown Troy.
Marcks, as well as some of the artists featured in the book will be in attendance to mingle with and talk to attendees about their work.
All attendees will receive a free copy of Creative Every Day: Tales of Art + Life Colliding, which Marcks will be happy to sign during the event.
Marcks is also available to visit local classrooms and teach workshops that go along with the book.
For more information on Creative Every Day: Tales of Art + Life Colliding visit iramarcks.com/creativeeveryday.