We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeff Langcaon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jeff, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I wrote and illustrated a children’s picture book about my father, who served in the US Navy on the Battleship Missouri and who had been giving tours of the ship during his retirement career. In the book he leads a tour of his granddaughter’s (my daughter) school class.
The book gave my father and daughter some small moments of fame and pride and led to many special shared moments for the three of us.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a graphic designer, but my business cards also say that I do caricatures, cartoons and comics. The design work helps pay the bills, but the other stuff is the fun part.
I have been doing “Draw You as a Superhero” commission sketches at local comic conventions for the past few years. The sketches take about 40 minutes and I do them at an Artists Alley table while the buyer walks around the con. The thrill and satisfaction that the buyer has when they come back to pick up their finished art is the best part of the experience.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I enjoy the feeling of bringing something new into existence. Creativity is a celebration of life.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think a majority of “non-creatives” are just unwilling to try and fail at things they may not be immediately comfortable doing. I’m amazed at how many people will declare “I can’t draw” when they find out that I’m an artist. It feels like they’re conceding so that they don’t have to complete.
Creativity is not a competition.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jefflangcaon.net/
- Instagram: Dancingpencil
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/jeff.langcaon/
