We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lorin Morgan-Richards a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lorin, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
When I was young, I struggled with dyslexia and doodled and joked to manage stress. Art has always been a way to express my feelings and interests. I create art to not only bring forward a message but to feel less alone.
With dyslexia, I often over analyze things. In K-12, it was easier to accept failure and to work on my art that I knew I had control over. Having dyslexia is like falling down the rabbit hole and enjoying the flexibility of a Wonderland, while trying to cope with the stress of it.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In 2009, I started A Raven Above Press as an outlet for my creativity. Since its inception and actively, I’ve published over 13 comic collections primarly about the Goodbyes, a dark comedy about undertakers living in an Old Weird West. Along with this, I’ve written two novels about the characters and the world forementioned: ‘Me’ma and the Great Mountain’ and ‘The Goodbye Family and the Great Mountain.’ I am currently working on a third ‘Hollis Sorrow and the Great Mountain.’
For the last three years I launched my art into streaming: ‘The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series’ appearing on Tubi, Roku, Apple TV, among others. We have a great cast of voice-over artists: Nick Gligor (Cousin Kook, Lou Steed), Nana Grace (Lee Minor), Richard-Lael Lillard (as himself), Elijah Shaffer (Rowe Barrow), Amy Kern (Dr. Sue/Sam Shave), Timo Standing Buffalo Cano (Jay), Madeline Hinkle (Max Star), and many others. My immediate family and I provide the voice of the Goodbyes: Berlin as Orphie, Valerie is Pyridine, and I do the voice of Otis. Heathen Apostles provides a killer soundtrack and last but not least my outstanding editor is Jessica Rose Felix.
Also some know me by my colorizations of early Old West photography, and producing the docuseries ‘Biographies of the West.’ There’s more but I’ll leave it at that.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Seeing my name involved in a lawsuit regarding an AI company using my artwork without my permission and knowing that AI is dramatically affecting artists, we must push against its use. Thankfully, as of now, you can figure out which is the work of an artist and which is not – count the fingers on a hand. But is everyone looking? Soon this will be mastered. Before AI came to the forefront, I wrote and illustrated a book called ‘Imperfectualism,’ art that cannot be easily replicated by machine. I suppose, it was like the canary in the mine. But humans need to produce art, it is a fundamental right of everyone. AI tools can assist, but it must come from the mind of the artist. Otherwise we are doomed to fall in an endless loop of the classics and what a select few elite consider art.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Partly, I want to show the DIY approach is still relevant and doable. Author and publisher V. Vale I have to thank for giving me this confidence. It’s a long road but in this day and age 99 percent of artists work a second or third job. If you consider art your only job – I congratulate you. But wonder too if the said artists works for a corporation or might be forgetting all the hats of what a business makes? I fall in the last boat but also enjoy my day job and every available moment of fatherhood. In fact, I’m currently writing this on a break between dance acts as my daughter gets ready to take the stage. It’s encouraging to know, we have a few years before AI does live performance art.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lorinrichards.com
- Other: I could include all the social media accounts, but probably easiest to just go to my website, or check out my animated series ‘The Goodbye Family’ on Tubi, Roku or Apple TV.
Image Credits
Lorin Morgan-Richards