We were lucky to catch up with Ren Taylor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Artists face certain biases, as do people of color. When you combine these together, you’re faced with an unfortunate Venn diagram on what people think you and your art should look. When I was younger, I had an avid love of cartoons and animation, but I always wanted to make character designs and backstories that appealed to my point of view. As much love and encouragement that I got from friends, I recall how my other classmates would say give their two cents on how my black characters could or couldn’t be black because I combined them with certain characteristics (like changing their hair texture or giving them powers). That didn’t keep me from adding fantastical traits to my drawings, but it always stuck with me.

Another scenario is that when I talk to business owners and I mention what I do, their eyes light up when I say that I’m an artist. And most of the time, their next question is if I do logos. I understand that art is a commodity and a service in a lot of ways, but it felt as though my value wasn’t in my line of work, but how I could service them. That’s not to mention that most of the public don’t immediately recognize that graphic designers have a special skillset that varies wildly from my own.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Ren, and I own Keraunic Tonic, LLC. As an artist, I work under the psuedonym “Volt Lotus”. I love comics and coding, which pretty much correlates in to my services as a freelance artist and web designer. While I started as a technical consultant, I couldn’t stop drawing or wanting to make stories, so here I am!

I love helping other artists create their portfolio sites and comic artists create their webcomic sites. I’ve also enjoyed helping small businesses create their first websites and consult on editing their live sites. What I enjoy is helping my clients build a website and instruct them on upkeep and maintenance. I believe that if you own a domain, you should be able to edit as you need on your schedule.

As for my stories, I enjoy creating fantasy and modern-fantasy stories that are inclusive to people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. My art is stylized, toony, and colorful, inspired by the shows and movies that have inspired me!

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

Right now, all sorts of artists (visual artists, writers, voice actors, etc.) are being told boldly that if you’re on the internet, someone else has the right to steal you and your works’ likeness and have someone else’s name plastered over it for credit via A.I.

This excessive use of A.I. stems from a lack of respect for not only individual artists and creatives, but for the human aspect that lies in the heart of every piece that we construct. Value and pay for the artists that you know and those that you don’t. Appreciate the pieces of their humanity in everything they make.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the best and most challenging aspects is that there is no finish line. You can make great strides in understanding and creating in your specific craft, but there’s always something you can refresh yourself on, and always a new technique or tool to learn.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://voltylotus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voltlotus
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-taylor-steam
• Other: https://ko-fi.com/voltlotus