I teach geography and film studies at Western Oregon and am interested in the relationships between people, place, and culture. I began noticing that Portland was home to a large number of comics writers and artists and was interested in exploring why that was. Cities like Portland have been successful at attracting the "creative class", but not every city has been a magnet for this particular group.
I wish I had good funding stories! I have built up my equipment over a few years, partiy with my own funds and partly with university support. My work last summer was underwritten by a development grant from Western, and I had a small group of students and recent grads working on the project for credit and experience. From here, who knows. I am benefitting from the accessibility of digital technology and a profession that affords me time to develop these kinds of interests, but I have not yet ventured into serious fundraising to support my work.