Gary Larson’s Self-Described “Greatest Strength” Defines The Far Side (But Hurt His Public Profile)

Creator of The Far Side Gary Larson once described his greatest creative strength – though, as it turned out, part of what made him a successful artist also had the side effect of limiting his exposure to wider audiences. As Larson explained, he was impressively in-tune with himself as a creator, but he often struggled to articulate his work, and his process, which was largely a subconscious effort.

Amusingly, in an interview published by the Chicago Tribune, Larson admitted that he wasn’t fond of doing interviews. Speaking with his editor at the time, rather than a reporter, seemingly gave the author and illustrator a bit more comfort, allowing him to open up and give some fascinating insights into the mind behind The Far Side.

Larson said interviews were always difficult for him, largely because, despite being asked the same questions over and over again, he continually found himself unprepared. This is particularly interesting in the context of comments he made earlier in the conversation, about the subconscious nature of his creative work.

The Far Side’s Creator Avoided Publicity As Much As Possible

Gary Larson Didn’t Like Doing Interviews

Near the very end of the Chicago Tribune piece, Gary Larson and his editor had the following exchange:

Q–I was struck by something you said recently when you were talking about how you react when people ask you where you get your ideas.

A–I think what I was saying was that the reason I don’t do a lot of interviews is because I’ve been asked those kinds of questions, and they’re very strange for me because I wasn’t expecting them. I hadn’t ruminated on them. Even after I’d do an interview I wouldn’t go home and really think about them much and get ready for the next one. I would continuously be caught off-guard by the same questions.

I’ve heard myself described as camera-shy, but the truth is it’s because people are asking the kinds of questions for which I don’t have a perfect answer. This was my job; it was the thing I did, and I thought about other things. I didn’t really go soul-searching to find out what the creative process is for me and where these ideas come from. I hadn’t spent a lot of time of my life contemplating it. It’s just me.

Larson’s response has a similar form to some of his greatest Far Side comics. At first, it seems unusual, even inscrutable, but a closer analysis reveals a resonant perspective, one that creators working in all mediums can draw inspiration from. For many successful artists, the “how” and the “why” of their creative process is something they spend countless hours thinking about. Gary Larson was a stand-out exception – and his success came precisely as a result of that.

As Larson put it, speaking about his work in interviews proved difficult because his conscious mind wasn’t actively engaged in his process in the way it is for many other artists. Instead, his work came from a deeply intuitive place. This resulted in the deeply idiosyncratic style and humor that made The Far Side famous, as well as Larson’s unique perspective on his own work – one that proved hard to put into words and explain to others. Understandably, this made discussing his process less pleasurable for Gary Larson than it is for other creators, another way in which he was set apart from everyone else.

Gary Larson Had Unparalleled Access To His Creative Self

He Was “Tuned In” To His Own Process

Certainly, Gary Larson could provide a step-by-step walk-through of what happened when he sat down at his desk to work, but answering the question of where his ideas came from was much more difficult. For Larson – and as his work became increasingly popular throughout the 1980s, for the press – this proved to be a challenge without a clear-cut resolution. Even after his retirement, The Far Side’s creator was still hesitant to engage with certain questions about himself as an artist.

Larson’s Chicago Tribune conversation contained a perfect example of this:

Q–What do you think your greatest strength as a cartoonist is?

A. I’m not sure how to answer that. I could answer it in a very general way and say, oh, I was just in tune to myself, in tune to my sense of humor. I feel I always had a really direct link with that part of me – pretty unfiltered in that sense.

Despite his attempt to be demure with his answer, this is in fact a significant insight into his creative process in itself. Gary Larson operated on feel, placing enormous trust in his creative instincts, and allowing his humor to flow directly out of him, rather than being shaped by intentionality in one way or another. This also mirrors comments made by Garfield creator Jim Davis, who advocated following inspiration over routine, as the key to his own success.

Likewise, Larson noted that his “unfiltered” access to his internal reservoir of creativity, and his ability to consciously take a step back and follow his subconscious artistic lead, were vital to his success with The Far Side. Unlike Jim Davis, however, Gary Larson was unable to – or more appropriately, unwilling to – sell himself, and sell his art, beyond a certain limit. When it came to licensing his work, this seemed to be a matter of artistic integrity, but as for promoting himself, Larson seemingly lacked the instinct corresponding to his creative abilities.

Far Side Was A Look Deep Into Gary Larson’s Mind

Weird As It Was

As bizarre and abstract as The Far Side could often seem to be, it was always a deeply personal creative effort for Gary Larson. By letting his subconscious flow uninhibited onto the page, Larson left his thoughts and feelings on innumerable subjects baked deeply into his cartoons, to be deciphered by generations of readers to come. All of this was the result of a deeply passionate creator, even if he came off as very reserved in interview appearances. In some ways, Larson can be said to have put more of himself into his art than many other artists.

Especially considering how different the media landscape of Larson’s era was, he didn’t need to thrive as a “personality” in addition to being an artist. Arguably, he and his work were better off for it. The Far Side may have been controversial at times, and confusing at others, but in its own proprietary fashion, it was always honest. Sometimes brutally, sometimes slyly, Larson always called things like he saw them – even if how he saw things, and how he rendered them in comic form, could be unusual, or downright outrageous.

It can certainly be argued that his lack of enthusiasm for interviews placed constrictions on Gary Larson and The Far Side’s success. If that is the case, however, it should also be said that these were the limits Larson set for himself. Whether consciously, or subconsciously, the creator of The Far Side was uniquely savant-like in his understanding of what was good for himself, and good for his work, a clarity he followed without hesitation from the start of his career through its conclusion.

Source: Chicago Tribune, October 6, 1996