We were lucky to catch up with Robert Gardner recently and have shared our conversation below.
Robert, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Although I can name a plethora of things, the one thing I can say my parents did right by me is just by allowing me to be a child. I was fortunate to have what I consider to be a wonderful childhood. That freedom really blossomed into a healthy imagination. I might be showing my age with this, but I recall them getting a brand new VCR. The way my it was explained to my five year old mind was, you put something inside and it plays on the TV. So when I jammed action figures inside the machine, my parents, although upset, didn’t punish me for it. The impact has been vast. Not only encourage my creativity, but I also learned not to panic too much. Not to sweat the small stuff
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?
So, for those who may not know about me, I’ve always been fascinated with animation and comic characters and just the cartoony side of art. Since the age of four, I’ve wanted to be an artist. At one point, I wanted to be the youngest cartoonist in the world. Lofty goals, and of course I didn’t reach them, but it never gave up on the craft. My primary focus is caricatures and illustration. Whether that’s comic styled illustrations or more anime inspired drawings, I just enjoy doing it. Lately, my talents have been more focused on actual animation. I provide all of these services for my potential clients, including video editing services, storyboarding and character design. What sets me apart from the others is just the passion behind my works. Every penstroke, every color choice, every moment I spend on a project is truly one that I enjoy. I like art that is visually appealing to the eye. I look to draw you in with vibrant colors and sharp lines. Hoping to get that “wow factor” each and every time.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
From a personal standpoint, I have mixed feelings about NFTs. I believe in concept, NFTs are a great way for artist to monetize their works. I would say, just from the way it was ushered in, it may be one of those things that came before it’s time. There would need to be wider support for it to fully reach the potential it has. The general public still has a limited understanding of cryptocurrency, myself included. I think that in order for there to be a pathway of success with NFTs, we’d have to start there first. I say this as an artist who attempted to capitalize on the NFT market, just short of catching that initial wave.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Just posting bits and pieces here and there. I’m not the biggest advocate of the social media route, simply because it seems rather easy to have your content buried without the proponent of paying for ads. I’ve always liked a more organic approach to my craft, and some platforms are clearly better suited for that than others. My advice would be to make sure to carry the same name across all platforms. It makes your audience easier to find you. Outside of that, just to keep creating your works. For me, I tend to stockpile on my artwork and animations. For no other reason than to have a headstart on posting. Develop a schedule for your posts. Post work even if it’s not complete or perfected. A regular routine for your social media postings can go a long way over time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rlelandarts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rlelandarts/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRivalSquaD
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/@RLelandArts
