Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bob Doucette. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bob , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
When I was young my Dad, (an amateur artist) wanted one of his five children to be a professional artist so he made sure we always had art supplies and the proper education. I came from a large working class family that did not have a lot of extra money but my Dad always prioritized our “art” education. I had drawing lesson and painting lessons since I was very young and I always had some kind of art supplies at home to make things. My mother was far more practical and was dubious of an “art career” so when it came to picking schools to go to she tried to veer me away from expensive art schools. I had just been accepted into a trade school in Boston which I was not so thrilled about when my acceptance letter from RISD came in the mail. This was my top choice and a school I had heard about my whole life. I was ready to throw this opportunity away but my mother took me aside and said, “if this is really where you want to go you should do it, just be aware that there will be loans and you are going to have to pay them back.” I’m grateful for both my parents support, dad gave me the dream but mom kept me grounded in practicality.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I identified myself as an artist since I was very young and always made an effort to get jobs that were creative and if I couldn’t find them i would create them. I started a puppet troupe, Messypeace Theater as a child and made and performed puppets with a friend. The puppetry coincided with my interest in theater and when i started a job at a summer camp the year I started college I found the “art” in that job and became the set designer and resident illustrator as well as teaching art, photography and videography. I worked there for ten years in the summer months which led to me designing sets and costumes for an opera director I met there. After college I spent two years improving my puppetry skills working at an amazing puppet theater in Rhode Island, as a designer and performer. At age 25 I moved to California and went to CalARTS for grad school and focused more on my animation, another hobby I had been practicing since childhood. I had a variety of jobs right out of school from creating walk-around characters for the Ice Capades to working at Bob Baker’s Marionettes designing puppets. Finally I got my break into animation at Warner Bros Animation where they were producing Tiny Toons at the time. I stayed there for over a decade, designing , directing, producing and creating my own show. After a slump in the industry I left WB and went to work for a small international company, Splash Entertainment, in which we primarily created programs for PBS and toy companies. I helped create Clifford’s Puppy Days for Scholastic and a lot of other interesting projects. Through out my career, which was filled with variety. However, I was still feeling like I never got to fulfill my dream to make my own art full-time. I had been making art dolls with my partner and selling them in galleries but only as a side “hobby.” We reached the pinnacle of our success when we were invited by the Clintons to create a doll for the 1999 Whitehouse Christmas Tree. In 2008 I planned my escape from the animation industry by spending all my free time developing my painting style, it was like having two jobs. But when i finally had an opportunity to jump ship in 2013 I had already started showing in galleries. It has been a hard transition but I am used to working hard and always trying to improve myself so I have managed to survive. I’m grateful for my Dad’s magical belief in me which remains my north star and my mother for keeping me grounded and practical. I have always kept my feet planted on the ground while my head was dreaming in the clouds.
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?
Most non-creatives will assume that you were blessed with some magic wand at birth that gives you all the talent you need. I think the concept of “talent” is completely mis-understood. If you think of talent as it relates to physical abilities you would think that the person blessed with the most “natural” skills would be the most likely to succeed as an artist, but this is untrue. I have perfect proof of this in my life because my brother was born with amazing hand-to-eye coordination and could draw anything as a child. He reached his prowess at age ten and left most people gob-smacked with his “talent.” But it came so easily to him that he didn’t treat his “gift” with respect and he let his skills wither away by not practicing at it. I on the hand was not very good when I started drawing, but I was passionate about it from the start. I was not very good at anything else and felt like an outsider from society, shunned and bullied for being effeminate I went on an inward journey on my creative path. It was lots of hard work that got me where I am, but if you are doing the “right” job it never feels like work. If you are lazy at all I would not recommend going into a creative career, it requires complete dedication to your craft and no, I do not have a good work/life balance, my life is Art.
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
I have no interest in NFTs, it’s just another trend that would take me away from the my creative pursuits. I think the “intentions” I put into my work is very important and I need to stick to my goals. The older I get the more I realize that there will always be something new and trendy going on that takes you away from your craft. When I was young I tried everything, but in the end you become a jack of all trades and master of none. I think as a creative it’s easy to get bored with our path and be dazzled by every new thing passing by. Once you have found the medium that best expresses who you are you should pursue that with all your life’s passion. I’m so enthralled with the pursuit of perfecting my craft that I can’t afford the time to wander down other paths that I don’t have time for. I primarily paint and sculpt and those tow pursuits keep me busy and happy, what more can i ask for.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bobdoucette.com
- Instagram: art_of_bob_doucette
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobdoucette1962/
- TikTok: @artofbob