We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Reveles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan , appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Being a creative is who I am, its apart of my identity. if I don’t have an active project I’m working on, I get stir crazy. my mind is always inspired by something, whether it’s things I come across or ideas I come up with myself, my imagination is like a wild horse that I rope and try to reign. completed projects are those moments when that horse (my imagination) and myself, ride in synchronicity and create a work of art. whether I’m working on a commission or just drawing for the sake of creating, it will always be a part of my life.

I do get commissions from time to time, not enough to live off of, but I think the ultimate goal for me is to live completely off the earnings I make as an artist. in an effort to manifest that for myself in my life, I’ve just tried to be more open to learning new skills as an artist. different approaches to making art, or ways of making art more viable for myself and more tangible for people interested in my style.

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’m a southern California illustrator/ animator. I have an active web-comic series that is free to read online. within the last few years, I’ve began to create animations, one of which is an animated short series based off of the web-comic that I upkeep.

growing up as a child I always had a very active imagination, I think I played with toys until I was like 14 haha. I always was encouraged to draw by my parents, and I think as I grew older, I began to make characters and comics as a way to continue that “play” I used to enjoy. Now the action figures are the characters I draw in the world I put together. there are so many cool and interesting creations by such great artists out in the world that have come up with some really amazing stories, characters, and worlds, I’m constantly inspired and driven to create my own visions and plots.

creating art is an outlet for me, a focus. it allows me to direct my mind and energy towards manifesting and creating things into reality. I find that to be a very powerful and real magic that happens. the ability to harness a thought and express that visually for others to experience and to be influenced or inspired by, is incredible to me. I think that is one of the most powerful gifts humans have been bestowed in this reality.

ideally, my purpose and drive to create art is to create entertainment that inspires and provokes others to create and be their authentic selves. I want to create worlds and stories that people want to immerse themselves in. I want to create worlds that people want to live in and explore. I want to create characters people want to meet and talk to. and most of all I want to create stories that people can’t get enough of!

and with my art overall, I want my art and style to be a part of the American icon. I want my art style to be recognized globally as “that one artist that does that thing.” I want it to be a style that becomes an essential part of the fashion and lifestyle of a cool independent thinker who marches to the beat of their own drum. the wanderer that isn’t lost, rather Intune with their own intuition and is walking the path they know is right for them.

with that being said, I know my art isn’t for everyone, but I know my art is right for those few. and for that I say, “here’s looking at you kid.”

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

some of the rewards I feel like I’ve gained from being a creative include my approach to life problems, outlets for an overactive mind, sense of accomplishment, confidence and self-esteem, sense of identity are just a few.

creativity, is like a muscle. I believe it’s something we, as humans, all have the capability to channel. but like working out that muscle, it’s a discipline that we have to continue to nurture and develop. As you develop a stronger connection to your creativity, you are able to apply that to different aspects of your life. I’ve found that overall, I have a better ability to find creative solutions to otherwise challenging problems that I encounter in life.

With all the stimuli the human brain is subjected through by our society, constant targeted ads, constant light pollution, noise pollution, a demanding 24hour atmosphere living in a large metropolitan area and a general attitude of time is money, it can be hard to “turn off” or “tune out”. However, with art, it allows my mind to slow down, focus on an idea, work it out. and then when its accomplished, to feel like I can rest.

With each art project, there’s a beginning middle and end to the process. and as I work throughout that process and end with something that I am attracted to, I walk away feeling accomplished. I feel like I’ve grown as an artist, as a creator.

with each art project completed, whether it’s an animation or a commission for a client or just an illustration I drew, I gain confidence in my ability because I grow and evolve as I go. I explore mor complex approaches and concepts and feel more in touch with my artistic identity and thus more confident in my artistic direction.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think there are a lot of well-established artists in the creative world that are creating valuable platforms and communities to help other artists get their work out there. I think with the accessibility to information now, it’s the easiest it’s ever been, I do wish there was more funding put into our educational systems for kids to learn how to utilize art as a positive outline in their lives. I know I was fortunate, growing up, to have learned that by my parents. I think if more children knew that growing up, they would continue to nurture their imaginations and that could benefit them in other areas of study, not just art itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: trixysparks.thecomicseries.com
• Instagram: ryan_flux
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ryanflux9580

Image Credits
all images are created and illustrated by me