Delivering confidence to kids: Partnership with U.S Mail has given Swanson path to his passion
By Jason Vallee Sun staff writer Aug 16, 2024
MYSTIC — Mystic postal carrier and comic publisher Brett Swanson knows what it is like to be a starving artist. He also knows the joy that comes with sticking with it and persevering.
For more than 30 years, Swanson has served the U.S Postal Service faithfully, including since 2008 as a popular regular and familiar face to those in downtown Mystic. It has recently led the 55-year-old Stonington resident to be honored as part of the “For the Long Haul” campaign, which celebrates the dedication and commitment of postal workers.
A postal worker by day and established comic artist and cartoon illustrator by night (and weekends), Swanson said if not for the postal service, he would never have found a path to establish his signature “Power Kids” comic series with 18 books now sold at stores across Connecticut and Rhode Island.
“When I first graduated with a degree in cartoon graphics, art jobs were scarce,” Swanson said. “I found myself in the position of a starving artist, literally needing money to pay my bills and put food on the table. That’s when I joined the post office, and it’s allowed me to pursue my passion.”
"For the Long Haul" underscores the enduring relationships that letter carriers, retail associates and postmasters have built with their customers over decades, the U.S. Postal Service said in a release.
"Our letter carriers, retail associates, and postmasters are the heartbeat of the neighborhoods they serve," said Carissa Laino, district manager of Connecticut. "The ‘For the Long Haul’ initiative is a tribute to their unwavering dedication and the personal connections they have fostered over the years."
A Stonington resident where he lives with his wife and three dogs, Swanson graduated from the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, N.J. in 1991.
He returned home, but jobs were scarce and he soon accepted a role with the postal service in Groton in 1992. Two years later he transferred to the Mystic Post Office on the Stonington side of the Mystic River and began what has since been a 30-year career at the same location.
First serving as a substitute, Swanson found his footing as a letter carrier and was assigned full-time in downtown Mystic in 2008, a role he’s held ever since. It’s not exactly an easy feat either, with Swanson legging out nine miles of walking per day on average in order to cover the most densely-populated route in the postal district.
His route includes more than 600 residential and business addresses, with residents expressing strong support and admiration for Swanson, both as a postal worker and artist.
“Brett is such a personable and charismatic person, it’s impossible not to like him,” said customer Martha Lane. “He is always looking out for his customers and goes out of the way to make sure everyone is safe and well.”
In fact, Lane noted that when she recently underwent hip and knee surgery, it was Swanson who went out of his way to begin delivering her mail to her kitchen instead to make it easier and reduce her travel. If the door was unlocked and for some reason she wasn’t inside, Lane said Swanson would even come out back to check on her and make sure she was still recovering well.
While still getting to know him as Brett the mailman, Lane said she also had the opportunity to get to know him as Brett the artist.
Friendly discussions led her to learn he was an established author and after reviewing his strips, which she said spark motivation for people to use their talents and find non-violent solutions, she purchased a number of the books for her grandchildren.
“He is very talented and I think it’s fair to say he is also an equal part artist,” Lane said. “We all saw Simone Biles up there recently with the Olympic medals declaring her GOAT (Greatest Of All Time); well he is the GOAT of mailmen.”
Although his dedication is deep for Mystic, he is looking forward to committing more time to his art and is planning on expanding his local offerings once he reaches retirement age.
Swanson, who also has a background in painting, has recently begun working more teaching kids how to create their own comic books including hosting a seminar at the Mystic & Noank Library and an upcoming course through the Mystic Museum of Art.
“I go to various museums, schools and libraries and I teach kids how to make comic-books. I like to show them what is possible,” he said.
While he does plan on stepping away from mail service when he is eligible to retire in a year-and-a-half, Swanson said he is not looking forward to leaving his customers. He joked he may still have to take occasional walks along the route just to help both himself and the friends that he has made adjust to the change.
At the same time, he said he is also excited to see what the future may hold for his art career.
“This is my passion, it is what I went to school for and I am grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for everything,” he said. “It is this job that let me pursue what I love.”
Mystic Outdoor Art Festival draws throngs of art-lovers to town
STONINGTON — Sporting a new configuration and a full complement of artists, the 64th annual Mystic Outdoor Art Festival returned to the streets surrounding the Mystic Bascule Bridge Saturday and welcomed what one organizer called "record guest numbers."
The festival, which continues today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., features 252 businesses, mostly artists and artisans, and over a dozen nonprofit kiosks, according to Mystic Chamber of Commerce Vice Chairman David Labbe, who runs Bridge Marketing.In 2019, the festival was partly located on Main and Water streets, the busiest in town. For the sake of convenience and congestion, the organizers decided to stick with the COVID-curtailed arrangement from 2021 and placed vendors on a couple of more scenic, quiet streets. It's a configuration that the participants enjoyed.
“It’s a lot more comfortable, and not as hectic. We’re less squeezed,” said Power Kid Comics! author and Stonington resident Brett Swanson, who has been attending the festival since 2006.
Labbe agrees.
“You get the best of both worlds now, because you have the art stands on this side of the bridge, and when you go down further on Main Street, you have the classic businesses that we all know and love," he said
Creators of various forms of art originating from different towns throughout the New England region enjoyed the big crowd, sunny yet breezy weather, and the revamped tent locations. The tents and trucks were all set up across three streets adjacent to the Mystic River — Bay, Holmes, and Cottrell — allowing patrons to admire a view of the marina while perusing the businesses and maybe enjoying a frozen treat from the Del’s Lemonade stand.
“I like it better, and I think everybody does. I can tell by how many people are here,” said Madison, Conn., resident and fourth-year attendee Walt Eichler. “ I know it goes all the way down to the Seaport now, so it’s awesome. The variety’s better.”
“This feels like a more relaxed vibe, because I remember it was hectic when I first came here,” said New London resident Maggie Bucaram. She brought her niece, Nell, all the way from Ireland to see the show, and Nell, Bucaram said, was inspired by the seascape art, oil paintings, and the colors.
“There’s such a wide variety of people that come to this festival, from all kinds of places," said Greg Stones, an illustrator and official Star Wars author from Rhode Island. "Mystic is well-known, and a lot of tourists come to this town, and the art-lovers know about the festival.”
Pop art illustrator Tim Shanley has been attending the festival for over 20 years, and is based in East Stroudsburg, Pa., which is about four hours away by car, he said. Young illustrator Andie Gamboa, who lives in the Philippines, said she grew up in the Mystic area and came back to Connecticut, acquiring a grant from Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition to set up a booth at the event.
“A lot of people have been very kind and encouraging to me. Someone told me they had a hard time finding art in the context of the Philippines, and that’s the gap I try to fill …. I hope I can have an influence even just a little bit. I think the people here are open-minded.”
Eight year old Joey Kelley (center) of Johnston checks out his new Power Kid Comics book, personally signed by local comic artist/author Bret Swanson of Stonington/Mystic, at the 2023 Mystic Outdoor Art Festival in downtown Mystic on Saturday, Augustus 12. Joey’s parents Jonathan and Erin claim their son fell in love with the brand of comic books when he first saw them a month ago at the Wickford Art Fair in North Kingstown, RI. | Jackie Turner, Special to The Sun.
His superpower: This longtime letter carrier teaches kids how to create comic books
Oct. 31, 2024 at 5:01 a.m. ET
My name is Brett Swanson and I’ve been a letter carrier in Mystic, CT, for 30 years. I also create my own line of comic books.
I’ve always loved drawing, and from a young age, I wanted to be a comic book artist. I went to school for cartoon graphics in the late 1980s.
I publish my own line of comic books and I exhibit at shows, fairs and comic conventions.
For the past few years, I’ve also been going to various schools, libraries and museums to teach kids how to make comic books. This can be a way for kids to tell stories, express their feelings or gain discipline while developing their talents.
The story I’m working on now is called “Power Kid.” The main character is Johnny Brooks, a fourth grader who gets his superpowers from a glowing rock. Johnny and his friends fight robots, aliens, dinosaurs and even demented vegetables.
My books are positive and funny. I like to tell entertaining stories, and these are a good way to get kids to read.
Being a comic artist is a lot of work. You start with a blank sheet of paper. From your brain to your hands, you have to come up with the whole thing from scratch. Most of the books out there are done by teams: One person writes it, one person draws it, one guy inks it and another colors it. I do everything myself and by hand. It takes about three or four months for me to complete an entire book.
If you really want to draw comics, be patient. You won’t get it done in a day. Don’t worry about what others think, and don’t be discouraged if you need another job — most comic artists have a side job.
If you become really big, you could make some serious money. But I just do it because I love it. Creating comic books is mostly about having fun.
“Off the Clock,” a column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits, appears regularly in Link.
https://news.usps.com/2024/10/31/his-superpower/
