We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacinda Aytch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jacinda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on–and that I’m currently working on–is my comic StepSisters. I’ve worked on this series off and on since I was a freshman in high school, constantly starting and stopping because whenever I would attempt to tackle it I would feel like my art and storytelling abilities weren’t at the point where I could do the story and the characters justice.

The story itself is about Mariya Kato, a high school student that lost her mother in a tragic accident, and her journey of adapting to the change of having a stepsister and mother, high school drama and overcoming grief. The reason this project is meaningful to me is that it explores the evolution of not only Mariya but her friends, family, and even her “enemies”. The evolutions people go through aren’t necessarily all good, some people make huge mistakes they can’t come back from and some grow to be softer than they were.

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’ve been drawing since I could remember honestly. I actually never planned to go into the creative field until I was a senior in high school and realized that I couldn’t ever see myself doing anything other than creating.

I am an illustrator and graphic designer, I’ve worked with numerous clients to provide them with character reference sheets, and branding for content creators. I’ve also illustrated a children’s book called “Black Girl, Black Girl”. One thing I love about working with clients is that I learn about them while learning what direction they want their projects to go.

I also stream on Twitch sometimes, though that has become sporadic since I’ve taken up my graphic design job.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing that society can do to support us is to realize how big a part art and creativity play. The Marvel and DC movies you love? Those were based on comics which were drawn by artists. The TV shows that your children enjoy–artists helped bring them to life. Even on a smaller scale, artists create billboards and branding for businesses that you may frequent. I think that society as a whole doesn’t understand that the majority of the media they enjoy had an artist behind the scene or at the helm.

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?

It is work, a creative doesn’t just happen to pick up a pencil/pen/brush/clay and magically create a masterpiece. We have to practice and learn our craft and we are constantly striving to improve on what we’ve learned. Not only do we have to hone our creative skills, but for those who chose to make money off our art we also have to wear the hats of many people: accountants, social media managers, promoters, and our own agents. We have to be more than just creative.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jacindaaytchillustration.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/theartofaytch
• Other: You can read StepSisters here: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/stepsisters/list?title_no=264739 https://tapas.io/series/StepSisters