Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Corbin.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My story eh? Well it starts perhaps not so different from anyone else. Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was my classwork. I yearned to write persuasive essays about writing persuasive essays, take notes on PowerPoints about geography, and take math tests all the live long day, but my teachers would have none of it. They demanded that I pretend to be super bored and draw pictures of stuff and things on my worksheets (as well as come up with new and creative ways to hide the results of turning in said worksheets from my parents). Resigned to my fate, I persevered through this rigorous training for what I was sure must be the betterment of all mankind. Strict and rigid though all that was, there was actually surprisingly little artistic instruction involved. In terms of my scribbling, I’m mostly self-taught with the exception of the things others taught me to teach myself.
I have a degree in graphic design from YouTube university, and am currently working on their graduate program majoring in sequential art with a minor in monster truck videos. I am actually a quite diligent student now that I am out from under the oppressive thumb of those villainous instructors of my youth. I go out to my local comic shop every Wednesday to pick up new independent study materials I can go over in my free time.
Please tell us about your art.
What I make and why kind of changes more often than the lineup of Menudo. Mostly I draw stuff. Sometimes I paint it. Occasionally I’ll punish myself and try to convince me I can sculpt, most often resulting in temporary but crushing defeat. I’m not shy about getting down with crayons or sidewalk chalk. I’ve even got a tattoo or few under my belt. I’ve never tried the whole drawing with pancake batter thing, though you better believe it’s not for a lack of wanting. I’ll get around to that one. I suppose primarily what I do right now is draw things in a bunch of little-is boxes crammed on a page that, when taken together, combine Voltron-like into a story of some sort. I love the collaborative nature of storytelling in that way. Generally, if you are working together with other people on these monthly box picture page magazines, the result is often incalculably more than the sum of its parts.
Completely different minds are bouncing off of each other creatively, changing and enhancing ideas, then ultimately outputting something completely different from anything any one of them could have come up with on their own. Check out Nonplussedcomics.com to get a slight taste of that sweet nectar (Not yet though, we are still finishing it up. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you when). When I’m not doing that, I will often draw a thing to go on stuff that people wear or items they think are cool. I love the ability to think “wouldn’t this (insert one of my many great ideas here) make a red shirt?”, then be able to be wearing that very shirt a week or two later. I’ve also dabbled not so briefly in actual grown up style graphic design, designing incredibly exciting things such as BROCHURES! and CONTACT LENS INFO SHEETS! and BOXES! Eh, it was ok I guess. If there is one thing I think you absolutely need to know about my art, it’s two things. I’m not telling what they are.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
The biggest challenge facing artists today? I don’t know that there is one for artists in general. Creation and creativity are free. Yours for the taking. The biggest challenge I think most artists face is the pressure they put on themselves to become “working artists”. The biggest thing that can stifle creativity is trying to make it a job by any means necessary. Once you start creating things other people are telling you to create as opposed to the things you want to create, you aren’t a working artist. you are an illustrator for hire. Art is expression dudes. If you can get paid for it and still enjoy it, great. But don’t force it. Now if we are talking me personally? My biggest artistic hurdle is pickles. It’s such a funny little food on near every level, but I just hate them so much.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can see me and my art at my house any old’ time. I try to play DnD and other such games whenever I can, so if your down come join. You probably know a guy who knows a guy who knows me. I also sell stuff here www.etsy.com/shop/TheStaziac and post pics of other stuff on the old’ Instagram (search the. staziac). If you wish to support me and/or my work, all I humbly request is that you tattoo a picture of me or my art somewhere on yourself and send me a pic. Generally, I find the face and neck region leaves me feeling the most supported, but really anywhere you choose is still quite helpful. Thank you all in advance.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/TheStaziac
- Email: thestaziac@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/the.staziac/
- Other: Nonplussedcomics.com
Image Credit:
All images courtesy of good ol’ me
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.
