Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Sutton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi David, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I knew that I wanted to be a professional creative at 8 years old, of course I didn’t exactly know what to call it. I just knew that I wanted to draw and create my own characters. I assumed at the time that artist and storytellers earned enough to live off of. I was a kid in Detroit city that just loved to draw and make up stories, my love for art was very strong.
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 an American artist that was raised in Detroit, Michigan until the age of 17 and then I moved to Greenville, SC. After graduating high school I joined the United States Navy, and after many years of military service I attended the Art Institute of San Diego and finished my Bachelor of Science Degree in Media Arts and Animation. After graduation it was probably one of the worst times to look for employment in any field. The good thing about that was it got me to refocus my efforts on working for myself instead of selling my time to others.
I decided to start working in the medium that was my first love, comics and graphic novels. Once digital comics came on the scene it became easier to get out stories and make graphic novels without printing cost, which is very costly if you are an independent creator. However this path requires discipline and lots of hard work, there are times when I may spend up to 14 hours a day at my desk. When you love what you’re doing you never really notice how much time has passed while working, and I certainly don’t have any regrets or wish I was doing anything else. This is a journey that is filled with a lot of competition and very talented artist, which is great because it pushes me to work even harder.
I hope that what I create will inspire, entertain and stand the test of time.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
From my experience what non-creatives struggle to understand about my journey as a creative is that it is really hard work. Yes it is rewarding and fun but it is still a job that requires skill, constant research, and time management. Writing and drawing can be very lonely unless you work in a writer’s room or at a studio with other artist. Also creating in a vacuum you may not know if your work is good, so in many cases as a writer and artist I have to get readers that are trust worthy to give me feedback on what is not working. As for the art side I have to show my work to competent artist to make sure that a piece or page is working or not.
Here is the big one, interruptions. When family and friends know you work from your studio at home, many do not respect your working hours. Because it is art or writing some view it like it’s some kind of hobby. Many times I have made it clear that I am not available during certain hours of the day. These interruptions disrupt the creative process, as a writer I may be searching for that perfect word in a scene. As an artist I may be on the cusp of finally perfecting a character or creature design. I have deadlines and milestones to meet just like many non creative jobs out there.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
One of the things that drives my creative journey is time. I started my creative career later in my life. I understand that life doesn’t always go the way that you want it to and it can be hard sometimes. My life has been hard and that’s okay, I took those hits and I’m still standing. The other thing that drives me is that I will not let the 12 year old David down. I owe it to my younger self to see all of my dreams and aspirations through, to fight for those dreams with everything that I have. I believe the one of the worst things that a person can do is not take action. You give up so much of your own personal power when you sit back and do nothing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ravenus.net
- Instagram: @ravenus
- Twitter: @DavidMSuttonII
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/RAVENUS-Issue-DAVID-M-SUTTON-ebook/dp/B0B3JVW94W/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TF8OCILPC4MX&keywords=RAVENUS&qid=1701669327&sprefix=ravens%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1
Image Credits
David M. Sutton II Maysa Bogheiri (digital colors)