Today we’d like to introduce you to Hab Oh
Hi Hab, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been drawing my whole life, even as a toddler I would fill up composition notebooks with random doodles and watercolor paintings. It wasn’t something that was openly nurtured, but I was allowed to express myself pretty freely as a kid. I don’t know why my young mind was captivated by drawing but I never stopped. In middle school, my best friend and I would draw in the same composition notebook. My first collaboration. We worked on this Dragon Ball Z inspired comic; he was MUCH better than I was in terms of skill, but it didn’t matter. We were just having fun! From there, I just kept going, eventually coming up with my own characters in high school and college. I’d post webcomics and other illustrations online, meet new artists — kids doing the same thing as me, and grow a little community where we’d collaborate often. Then, one day, I decided to take art seriously as a proper career. I had no idea how to start or what to do but I knew I was going to do it. No matter what. It’s not been easy, but I sit here today, in the year of our Lord, 2024 as a multidisciplinary artist who has exhibited work in galleries, spoken on panels, and actively sells work. I’m not balling by any means, but I work diligently to make that a reality for myself and my family.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There is nothing smooth about the life of an artist. We live in a world where artists are constantly told to “get a real job”, among other things. There’s no true respect for this career path. As a Black man, there’s an extra level of tedium involved. When I was younger, my identity was anonymous — I was also illustrating white characters exclusively, which is a whole different story for another day. I got to a point where I wanted to make a change for myself and live in my truth and once, I revealed myself to be Black, a large portion of that fanbase I was growing in the community I mentioned, left.
As an adult, the biggest challenge is trying to maintain relevance for the general public without compromising my goals to put positive Black narratives, characters, and designs at the forefront. I don’t want to be another Black Artist who forgets where they came from and tries to appease white audiences. I know due to this specific mission; it will take longer to reach the financial stability I need; it will take longer to reach the “right audience”, it will take longer to get grant funding or access to specific resources but I’m okay with that.
My very existence, as a Black Artist, and the art I create is an affront to many who wish to remain in their comfort zone. Because of this, I’ve been trolled, ridiculed, and shunned in specific spaces. Nothing that would ever phase or break me but it’s unfortunate to see certain people have such vitriol for another person’s culture and experiences.
The current state of the art world, in general, has brought its own unique challenges. Online, I have to battle against the many algorithms of the various platforms I upload my work to. We’re now in an age where we are constantly bombarded with everybody and they momma “trying to make it”; there’s art everywhere. Cutting through that noise having to think up strategies to be seen or blessed by the Algorithm Gods is laborious. Hashtag this. Viral that. I just want to make art and have conversations but now it’s juggling SEO, Trends, Hot Topics, and all this other social media jargon trash. Offline, in-person, it’s breaking into more public facing spaces: galleries. The themes of my work are heavy, raw, dealing with the subject of mental health and race. My style and aesthetic also aren’t something you’d see within your typical institution every day — a lot of these places are looking for old, stuffy shit. Something safe. I’m not safe. So, it’s just a tad bit more difficult to make progress in that area.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an artist with many hats: illustrator, cartoonist, animator, performer, comic artist, I could go on and on. What I specialize in is creating conversation, telling stories. It all started with Unit 333: Introspect, a comic I created in 2018 inspired by true-life events I’ve experienced. I tried to kill myself, ended up institutionalized, witnessed horrible things while inside, and when I got out, I had to tell this story. The comic itself is fictional, a tongue-in-cheek horror story. The pop-up exhibition I curated by myself became an open forum for Black folks to discuss mental health in our community. The level of emotion and vulnerability that exuded from that space that day was like nothing I’ve ever seen before and certainly nothing I’ve never experienced with my own artwork. The proudest moment in my career, thus far. Unit 333 carries on to this day in a new project I’m developing called Unit 333: Reveries. A brand-new experience across multiple mediums that will continue to advocate for mental health awareness for the Black community.
There are only but a few of my contemporaries latching onto this mental health movement. I’d go as far to say that, as far as comic art and illustration is concerned, I’m the one that pioneered it. And I’m grateful to be a part of this conversation.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I had a very good foundation at home, both parents. To this day, they are the blueprint for what I deem a good marriage. Family was always around: cousins, uncles, aunts. Only had one Grandma and she was THE BEST there ever was.
This is going to make somebody roll their eyes but growing up in Brooklyn gave me a pretty sturdy personality. We’re just built different over here, haha! I’d say I was pretty loud and “all over the place”, I blended with everyone. I went to all Black schools, we didn’t have the weird groups you’d see on TV: jocks, preppies, nerds or whatever. So, I was able to get along with just about everyone. Even though I was an only child, I did like to share. I’d let my friends borrow things all the time, share food, you name. On average, I’d say I was no different from any other kid as far as interests go. I played outside a lot, loved video games and cartoons, and every now again get into a fight or two. I didn’t win all of them, but I did have hands!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.habtoons.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/habtoons/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/haboh
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@habtoons
