We were lucky to catch up with Morgan Boyer recently and have shared our conversation below.
Morgan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
One of the most unexpected and difficult challenges I’ve faced in my creative journey came last year, on June 26th, 2024 which was the day my mom was diagnosed with grade 4 brain cancer, glioblastoma. As I sit here writing this, we’re just 22 days away from the anniversary of that day, and without a doubt, it was the beginning of what has been one of the hardest chapters of my life. Watching someone you love go through something so devastating, knowing there’s nothing you can do to stop it … that kind of helplessness is brutal. It makes time feel both frozen and relentless.
Anyone who’s lost a parent knows that grief doesn’t just take them from you, it takes pieces of you, too. I was the kid who everyone wanted in their group project because they knew I’d make the poster look good. I doodled in the margins of every notebook, had a massive collection of those terrible pill-y spiral sketchbooks (IFYKYK), and bought a full set of soft-lead Prismacolors the second I had job money to spend. I’ve been through my share of hard things: heartbreaks, losing jobs, losing friends, losing versions of myself I thought were permanent. And through all of it, I always made art. Art has always been just how I processed things. A way to feel grounded. Something that felt completely in my control. But after my mom’s diagnosis, that part of me just… stopped. I’d open a blank Procreate canvas and stare at it for hours. I’d scroll through Instagram, Pinterest, anything to try and find that spark again. And nothing came. And it wasn’t that I didn’t want to create I just couldn’t find the point in it. When everything around you feels meaningless, it’s hard to make something meaningful.
This past May was especially brutal. It’s my mom’s birthday, Mother’s Day, and because the universe has a twisted sense of irony it’s also Glioblastoma Awareness Month. Grief felt inescapable. But in that weight, something shifted. I realized I could pick up my pencil. I couldn’t change what was happening to her. I couldn’t slow it down, or fix it. But I could draw. And so I did. Just one piece. It wasn’t perfect or polished but it was the first thing I had drawn in almost a year. And it reminded me of my mom. Of all the small good things. Somehow, that one drawing opened a door that had been shut for months. It gave me a way to speak again. About my mom. About GBM. About how unbearably heavy everything has been. I ended up turning it into a print, added infographics to raise awareness, and started donating 20% of each sale to the Glioblastoma Research Foundation. It wasn’t a huge breakthrough. It didn’t fix everything. But it was movement and after months of stillness, that was enough.
It still in a way feels like coming home after being away too long, and realizing someone moved all your furniture an inch to the left. Everything’s slightly off, but it’s still yours. Still familiar. For a while, I thought I had to wait until I felt better to create again. But that’s not the case at all. What I learned (the hard way, if I may add) is that waiting for peace or inspiration can keep you stuck. What pulled me out wasn’t clarity or motivation. I stopped chasing a perfect idea and just made something real. The choice to create through grief, not after it gave me my voice back. And once I figured that out, it made it easier to started moving forward. Not all at once, but baby steps with a purpose.
Morgan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ll be the first to admit it: I have no idea what I’m doing. Like, literally ever. Social media? Not my favorite. I hate the way that artists have to pitch themselves like Billy Mays pitched us Oxyclean to get people to view our art. It feels exhausting and kind of fake. So, what sets me apart? Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe my art looks like someone else’s, or maybe someone else’s looks like mine. But here’s what I do know: I’m here to have fun!
My creative process is all about exploration; playing with color, texture, and letting things happen, even if they don’t always work out perfectly. I’m not chasing perfection or trying to fit into a certain mold. In a world dominated by millennial grey and zillennial beige (that’s what it’s called, right?), I want my art to be like a burst of nostalgia– the kind of vibe you get from Limited Too or Lisa Frank, or honestly, the Disney section of the paint swatch aisle at Lowe’s. Bright, bold, playful, and fun.
What I want to offer is a little bit of color and light in a world that can sometimes feel muted and dull. Whether it’s art prints, stickers, or merch for your local queer art market, I want my work to make people smile, spark a memory, or just give them something visually joyful to hold onto. I’m not here to solve huge problems or change the world overnight (though I’d love to!) Mostly, I’m here to share a slice of my own creative journey and invite others to find their own joy in color and play.
What I’m most proud of is staying true to myself through all the noise, and being honest about the messy, imperfect process of creativity. I want potential clients, followers, and fans to know that my work is genuine, approachable, and made with a lot of heart. If you’re into art that’s fun, colorful, and a little bit nostalgic, you might just feel at home here. And if not, you’re still always welcome!
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
When I was 10, I was really into Naruto. Like… really into Naruto. And like any other reasonable 10-year-old, I was absolutely in love with the broody character of the bunch. Such depth! Such maturity! When I wasn’t playing ninjas on the playground, riding my bike talking about Naruto, drawing Naruto, or watching Naruto after school on Toonami, I was on the family computer browsing through 100 pages of Naruto on Photobucket, right-clicking and saving every single picture I could find of my favorite character. Like, to the point where I had THOUSANDS of saved photos. Because then I “owned” them and I could look at them whenever.
The people who buy NFTs are basically the adult equivalents of 10-year-old me destroying a brand new computer saving pictures of Sasuke Uchiha and downloading AMVs off Limewire. And much like my Naruto Photobucket picture collection, NFT’s are welcome to fade into irrelevancy where they can stay forever.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I think the most rewarding part of being a creative is the connection it builds with others. There’s so much conversation lately about the “loneliness epidemic” among younger people, and I see it all the time online. But being involved in my local creative community has made me feel deeply connected to so many people from so many walks of life.
People come by my booth at events just to say hi, or to tell me how excited they were to find me again, or to share how someone reacted to a gift they bought from me. Even though I’m not physically part of those moments, my work gets to be and that’s something I don’t take lightly. I might not be there for those moments, but my work is and being part of that joy, even in a small way, feels incredibly meaningful to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: me0wgs
- Other: [email protected]
