Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan “Laboogie” Labuga.
Jonathan, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born in El Cajon but consistently moved across San Diego over the years. I now live in Rancho Bernardo. In my early years, I couldn’t sit still, which resulted in me doing terrible in class. I doodled in between lessons and thinking of stories. I was diagnosed with ADHD, and doctors tried getting me under medication, Mom said no thank God. To keep me still as a kid whoever took care of me had to sit me down in front of the TV and play cartoons. There I journeyed deep into cartoon history — from old classic Disney, Looney Toons, Tom and Jerry all the way up to the 90s classics — of which there are too many to name. I was mesmerized by these moving drawings. My love for animation was always with me.
My three points of inspiration:
My dad took me to my cousins house when I was about eight or nine years old, and I spent time with my cousin Jeremy, who was a few years older than me. We toured his room, and I saw a collection of his artwork: pinned to the wall, open sketchbooks, art lying on his slanted artist desk. His dad bragged about his son’s art accomplishments, which of course embarrassed Jeremy. But I was in awe. I wanted to be as good as he was.
Exposure to Japanese animation and video games in grade school really ignited my passion to create stories through animation. Growing up, I did not realize cartoons could be so gritty, edgy, or comedically different and exposed. It was nothing like I’ve ever seen. It was so cool, refreshing and exciting to see! The Final Fantasy franchise took this several notches deeper and brought me to distant lands with lovable characters. It took me a whole summer to beat my first one — these games are extremely long. When the game was over, I fell into a deep depression. It felt like I was stripped away from such a beautiful world. It felt so real to me like I woke up from an amazing dream. But what got me out of this depression and in fact inspired me was the realization that I could create my own worlds too. The power was now in my hands.
Lastly, bboy and hip-hop culture has been a large influence. In high school, I was exposed to b-boying or breakdancing. I re-branded myself in 2004 as “Laboogie”. Bboying became another layer to my personality and inspires my art every day. Dancing satisfied my outlet to express myself physically and mentally. The aesthetics, the coolness, the movement, and the culture nourished my soul in ways drawing did not. Battling rivals to earn respect, proving yourself and growing by working towards something reminded me of a really cool animation. Knowing there isn’t really something out there like that, I’d like to be one of the few to create and fill that void.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art is a mix of visual inspirations from my life coming from the style of Japanese animation and video games, as well as graphically appealing comic books, and animated music videos.
Right now I am doing a 365 project which requires me to complete a drawing a day. I decided to dedicate my drawings to my inspirations and heroes in bboy/bgirl culture.
I want my legacy to be a blueprint for the next generation. That I am now my own producer and I can win by giving back. We now have full control of our own narrative, and that we don’t a Studio to tell us what to create, that if you want to go for and do it, you can. I am for my community and a rebel to those who take advantage of us.
My vision is to tell others of my history, where I’ve come from, what I’ve seen and to translate them to foreign worlds but familiar to our human spirit. To create animations and stories that make other people feel how I felt as a kid: In awe, hopeful and inspired by imaginative worlds separate from their own. I want to make people laugh, cry, sad, happy, mad; to grip them and never let them go.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
LOVE THE PROCESS!
· Figure out what is important to you. Not what’s important to others, and have their thoughts project onto you. Listen to that inner self! Never stray and if you find out it isn’t the thing for you, at least you’ve truly explored that door for yourself, and that door can be closed by you. Make sure the door is only closed by you, not by anyone else’s perception.
· The Internet is the middleman, if you want to do your own work, go for it! You are now your own media team — you don’t have to work for anyone else, and the media isn’t controlled anymore by four or five top people. You are now in control. Go and grab it.
· What is your destination? Create your map and visualize the end destination: where you’re at, who are you with, and what are you doing at that time. Reverse engineer how you got there to where you are now and walk the path.
· Put in the hours. Put in the years. Put your head down and wake up 10 – 20 years later. Choose what it is that you want to do.
· Really understand yourself. Money should not be the destination. It’s all about what makes you happy!
· Always observe and be aware. Start making observation of people as a scientist writes down their observations. For example, certain fishes have their fins in different areas: what do the shapes remind you of? Get into this habit and never turn it off.
· Be a part of a community or create one. Start a club or a Facebook group. Anything. I feel it is crucial to be around other artists or like-minded people. It is a necessary skill to be able to make friends, to network, and to learn from one another. You can’t walk this journey alone.
· Audit yourself; don’t just recklessly judge yourself. It is important to be objective and to figure out how to better one’s own artwork, but if your thoughts are “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not worthy,” “I’ll never get there”, then you will create a wall for yourself and that statement will be true because your mindset is truly a powerful force that can create your reality. Instead, think with specificity and observe carefully.
What can you do to fix a specific illustration? What were you going for and does it meet the desired result? Why or why not? “I feel like this doesn’t portray the feeling I want it to. Maybe if I change the composition more and create the shapes in this way, then it will have the feeling that I’m aiming for.” Also, show it to any artistic friends or even friends that don’t do art. Observe their reaction; if they don’t have the reaction you’re expecting, then the illustration is unsuccessful. If they do, then you’ve hit your mark!
· Have other interests! Live outside your art as well. Because I stumbled upon dance, now I have something to base my work on since both are my passions.
– Be for the community
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube: @Laboogieart
– I try to provide value in terms of entertainment and education as much as possible
– DM me on whichever platform if you want personal prints or lessons in art or dance.
Contact Info:
- Email: LaboogieArt@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laboogieart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaboogieArt/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/laboogieart
Image Credit:
Bboy Focus
Bgirl Genesis
Bgirl Myw
Bboy Keebs
San Andrea
Bgirl Kanami
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
