We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robert Waldo Brunelle JR a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert Waldo, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

It is very difficult for a non creative to understand creative people. When they view my art they inevitably ask me “How long did it take you to make this?” If I answer that it only took me a short while, they are dismissive, and say things like “anyone could do that!” not realizing the amount of time I’ve spent practicing to learn the skills. If I say it took me a long time, then they say things like “I wouldn’t have the patience to sit there and do that all that time!”

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 am a 7th generation Vermonter, born in Rutland in 1958. I am a descendant of William Brewster of the Mayflower, and count among my ancestors a great-grandfather, great-grandmother and great-great grandfather who were fine artists. My great-great grandfather, Cyril Brunelle, was a member of the Hudson River School of artists of the 19th century. I was a born artist, and learned to draw before I learned to write. Fortunately my parents realized the importance of art in my life, and always made sure I had plenty of art supplies when I was growing up. I graduated from St. Michael’s College in 1980 with two degrees, one in history and the other in fine arts. In 1981 I became a middle school art teacher, a job I held until retiring in 2012.
I launched my political cartoon strip Mr. Brunelle Explains It All in 1997. It currently appears in the national humor magazine Funny Times, and on the website of Humor Times.
For 20 years I was the president of the Northern Vermont Artist Association, which was founded in 1931, and I currently serve as the NVAA’s Vice President. I am also a founding member of the Vermont Comic Creators Group, which has 150 cartoonist members.
I am a painter, kinetic sculptor, book illustrator, art educator and political cartoonist.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I find social media very useful for promoting and selling my artwork, especially because poor health prevents me from traveling. Social media allows me to connect with buyers and galleries from all over the globe from the comfort of my own home. I found the secret to successful promotion on social media is to carefully build one’s list of friends and connections. I treat posting on social media as a job, and I post pics of my artwork or cartoons every day.

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?

Non creatives often assume that my art is just a “hobby” that I do in my spare time. I tell them that it is my job, in fact, it is more than a job, it is my life. I am compelled to do something creative every day, or I can’t sleep at night. I think we creative people are driven by some mysterious inner force that is difficult to describe to non-creatives. We don’t make art because we want to, we do it because he HAVE to!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mrbrunelle.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.w.brunelle/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQeG-xnHGXw&t=405s
• Other: https://www.humortimes.com/2635/mr-brunelle-explains-it-all/

Image Credits
all images by Robert Brunelle JR