Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Eric Lo-Bateman of Cobb County

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Eric Lo-Bateman. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Eric, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Who are you learning from right now?
At this point in my life, I’d say I’m definitely learning from my wife right now. Both of us being small business owners, I see the work and dedication she is putting into her business, and it makes me want to sit down and work on my comics and pursue my dreams as well. She motivates me to keep creating and working towards my goals day in and day out.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello, my name is Eric and I am a cartoonist and graphic designer. I produce a comicstrip called “Chipperdoodles”, and I have been drawing it for 6 years. With life being hectic the last few years, I haven’t been able to post as much as I want, but I try to post on Mondays to my Instagram and Webtoons accounts. My strip is a lighthearted silly comic about crazy scenarios and whatever I’m into at the time. For example, I’ve been really into Star Wars lately, so I have been creating a lot of Star Wars-related comics.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a cartoonist. I have been drawing comics on and off since 5th grade. Going into college is when I told myself I had to grow up and pick a “real” career. I stopped letting myself entertain the notion of becoming a cartoonist, and chose animation as my major. I told myself, “animation is close enough to cartooning, right? …right?” After graduating and joining the animation industry, and 6 years of ignoring my cartoonist instincts, my now wife convinced me to pick up the pen and start cartooning again. Without her encouragement, I might never have let myself pursue cartooning as a career.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one thing to my younger self, I would tell myself to never stop drawing comics.

I lost a lot of years in the middle where I wasn’t honing my craft and improving my joke writing and drawing skills. I really regret not allowing myself to explore that side of my creativity for so long. I’d like to think that if I had never stopped, I would be farther along in my comics career (and hopefully more funny too, haha).

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would say so. I wear my emotions and passions on my sleeve. One example was from my time in the animation industry, We had a company Slack channel where everyone would post about their hobbies. I decided to start posting my comics there. They got a big response and I posted more and more of my work in that channel until one day when my boss called me into the big conference room. He asked if I was committed to animation and if I had any ambitions in this industry,

After that experience, I learned that it was ok to put myself out there and share my passions, but maybe tone it back a bit. The last thing you want is your boss thinking you’ll run off and join the cartooning circus.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I would say my cartooning won’t pay off for 7-10 years. It takes a long time to build up an audience and make a living off of something that people expect to get for free. Comics are seen as throwaway media. A quick laugh, then you never think about it again. It is really hard to make a business case for someone to purchase a collection of your work. But with enough time and effort, I believe I can make my dream of becoming a full-time cartoonist come true.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chipperdoodles07.wixsite.com/ericbatemancomics
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eric.bateman.art/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-lo-bateman-434940137/
• Twitter: https://x.com/ChipperComic
• Other: Webtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/chipperdoodles/list?title_no=463802