Susan Camilleri-Konar was coming to a Major Life Decision: leave her long-time, steady gig as a library technician and assistant with the Vancouver Public Library to give cartooning a serious, professional go.
Her plans were admittedly modest at first. She’d submit her cartoons to a few Canadian publications and see how things panned out.
“To my surprise, the editors wanted to publish my work, and it just caught fire from there,” says Susan. “So, eventually, I left the library and committed to a full-time freelance cartooning journey.”
Since that Major Life Decision moment, Susan’s amassed an enviably long list of credits, with her irreverent, sardonic works appearing internationally in publications like the Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, Harvard Business Review and Alta Magazine.
In addition to her own cartooning, Susan regularly writes gags for other syndicated cartoonists, has a line of greeting cards and even regularly lends her distinct illustrative talents to children’s books.
The freelance cartoonist goes digital with a .CA
Susan is also one of CIRA’s longest-tenured users, registering her .CA, susancam.ca, back in 2007—marking her first foray into the digital space.
“My .CA site was the very first online presence for me, and it was pivotal,” she says. “A good friend and excellent technical whiz had recommended CIRA and a .CA to launch my freelance work.”
Nearly 20 years on, susancam.ca has been one of the main avenues for Susan to share her body of published works and introduce herself to new clients.
“I think my website’s been a major asset in attracting new clients—especially since I am a member of a large cartoonists’ society and it all feeds back to my site,” she says. “For the future, I’m hoping to update it with some new work and links, and perhaps even revisit any new technology I might’ve missed.”
Despite the international reach of her work, having a .CA and being recognized as a Canadian cartoonist remains important—even if it sometimes means making slight adaptations according to her audience.
“As with any aspect of Canadian identity, a lot of my work has Canadian influences and humour,” she explains. “But at the same time, I do have to be cognizant of the American and international audiences and adapt for the culture. My editors are usually pretty good at spotting some of the strongest Canadianisms.”
What inspires and drives the creative cartooning process
Susan’s first love in the world of cartooning were the Archie comics from her youth.
These days, she names cartoonists like Berkeley Breathed of Bloom County fame, and Rina Piccolo (best known for Tina’s Groove) as well as editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes among her biggest influences.
As for what drives her creative cartooning process—Susan says she never quite stops thinking of the next good gag or concept for her greeting cards or comics.
“Everyday life is a great resource to mine for those ideas. And as with many creatives, inspiration can pop up at the wee hours, like 3 a.m.,” she says. “So, I always keep a writing pad by my bed.”
Have you been a CIRA member for over 10 years? We’d like to hear about your .CA domain and membership journey—submit your story!
About CIRA membership
CIRA is a member-based organization that values the input of its members and their contributions to enabling a trusted internet. Having a .CA and being a CIRA member supports the great work we do for Canada’s internet.
Membership is free and exclusively for .CA holders. It remains active as long as your domain remains registered—there’s no additional renewal process beyond renewing your .CA domain name!
If you’re not a member and have a .CA domain name—become one! Don’t have a .CA domain name? What are you waiting for—register yours today.
As the Manager of Membership Relations at CIRA, Julie manages the development, planning and delivery of CIRA’s membership and Member-related activities and engagement. She strives to create opportunities for Members and consumers, and partners to share, connect, and learn and get the most out of their relationship with CIRA.
