Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jerry Cunningham. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jerry, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

One day in my freshman year of high school, I was inspired to pick up a pencil and start drawing. The person who inspired me- may they rest in piece, is the departed Akira Toriyama. His work is responsible for who I am. Knowing what I know now, I should have studied more diverse subjects along with a consistent study of fundamentals, this would have sped up my learning processes. At the time certain skills weren’t what I focused on as I was just starting my art journey, it wasn’t until I developed a few years into my art where I reflected on which skills to improve on. While it was nice to draw for fun, it was an obstacle at times to the growth of my skills.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For the new faces out there, you can call me Crimsott- just look for the red otter in a cyberpunk jacket and you’ll find me! As I mentioned previously, I started drawing in high school during my freshman year. What you’d expect from me are illustrations featuring characters from well-known franchises or characters from my own series that I aspire to share with others on a webcomic website. YouTube video content is another creative outlet I use (though I currently struggle with a dedicated upload schedule), where I discuss my thoughts on stories, games, TV shows, you name it.

I’m proud to have a supportive community no matter the size where I can speak to others like myself, or appeal to someone who isn’t much into art. Most importantly I find value communicating with others and learning something I didn’t know before.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There were a few people in my early art years that… didn’t exactly support me in the way you’d think one should when they first start out. A statement I will never forget for how- blunt it was and severely disingenuous it was is this: “You could have been better years ago.” Those words still ring around in my head from time to time. This is not something you should ever say to anyone new or old in their artistic journey. Despite this statement, here I am several years later with a much healthier perspective of myself as an artist and creative. There were moments where I plateaued, and was on the cusp of giving up, though I realized this occurs with every artist. Growth is not linear, like a mountain, artistic growth spikes and divots, and there’s no sure way of controlling the path.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There’s something cathartic about the finished artwork I create and it turns out exactly as I envisioned it. It’s also rewarding if there’s someone out there that had a positive resonance with my illustrations. The greatest reward is being able to create illustrations where I can capture my imagination and tell a story big or small.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/crimsottartistry
• Twitter: https://x.com/CrimsottArtstry
• Youtube: youtube.com/@crimsott_arts97