Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leonardo Gonzalez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Leonardo, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
Early on in my artist career/education i would get into these periods of “Artist block” where i just couldn’t draw or didn’t how to draw, or what to draw. This dark cloud would linger for several weeks and months in the worst case. It was never a lack of motivation or discipline but holes in my education that kept from creating. A lack of knowledge in anatomy, perspective, color, form, composition, lighting, and the processes of creating an image from a thumbnail sketch to a finished illustration or painting. Probably the worst thing to happen an Artist is to lose the ability to create. Its a frustrating stage but also a necessary one.
During one of my bouts of Block I contacted my professor, and he helped me guide my way through these blocks. He informed that when you’re in this state of not being able to draw/paint just to do something else. To read, write, take a walk, exercise, cook, go out with friends, live a little and give your brain and soul a little break. I tried this and it actually worked, I realized my blocks were coming from a point of mental exhaustion due to an obsession or addiction to drawing and painting. I still get these blocks from time to time but now i have a way to deal with them, as opposed to getting really depressed and negative.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Leonardo Gonzalez, I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and have been in love with art and drawing since as early as I can remember. Growing up I was always bothering my uncles to draw for me, I would stare in awe as they doodled random animals on loose leaf paper. I was so amazed at this ability to draw things from one’s imagination. In Elementary school, Middle school, and High School I was determined to be the best artist I could possibly be even at the expense of my academic classes.
After graduating high school, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I believed that going to college was what I needed to become the best artist I could possibly be, so I began taking classes at Tunxis Community College. After earning an associate’s degree in fine arts at Tunxis I transferred to the University of Hartford and earned a Bachelors in Illustration.
While in college my interests in Art shifted, in high school I wanted to be a tattoo artist but the Tattoo Shops around me weren’t great, I needed a better portfolio and skills. I also wanted to be a comic book artist but had no idea where to start. So, I gave up on those possible paths. As a college student I met a few artists that came in to speak to our classes that were making a living as landscape painters, fantasy illustrators, muralists and portrait painters and thought I could probably do the same. I tried to do this type of work. I found a few jobs here and there for family and friends, but it just didn’t click with me. I wanted to draw monsters and creatures and tell stories, not paint barns and family portraits.
The comic artist’s dream was still gnawing at me, and in 2011 I was fortunate to find a few gigs as an illustrator for a few Indy comic publishers. Around this time, I began trying to break into the Comics industry, attending many New York comic cons looking for new work and meeting other artists. After about 7 years of working on Indie comics projects I was very frustrated. The money I needed to live wasn’t coming in, the comic jobs were scarce, many of the publishers I worked with didn’t want to pay, most of the jobs didn’t get published, I hated my retail job, and I was burnt out.
Around this time a lot in my life was just not going very well for me financially and mentally. I had Failing career, my mother had passed away, financial debt, failing relationship, my dog had to be put down, car issues etc. I was just in this Depressive funk, everything that could go wrong was going wrong and I was sinking.
In a desperate attempt I reached out to a well-established Tattoo Artist and asked if he was looking for an apprentice, and luckily, he said yes. I was very fortunate to find a Tattoo Studio to apprentice at that and learn from a bunch of great artists. The turning point for me was becoming an apprentice because everything in my life began to get better. I had found purpose again.
I’m currently beginning my fifth year as a Tattoo Artist in Connecticut at Visual Expressions in East Hartford, and I absolutely love every day of it. Tattooing has brought me artistic freedom, better financial stability, and just a feeling of being alive. It’s hard to explain, but I know I’m not sinking anymore.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three best qualities to have as an artist are discipline, motivation and just being hungry for knowledge. Always be open to learning something new and be disciplined enough to stay the course. There are no shortcuts to getting where you want to be, motivation and discipline are key.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most important thing I got was support. My grandparents, my mom, my aunts, uncles, brother, and sisters have always believed in me. As dysfunctional as we are, as distant as we are, they’ve always supported me in some way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lagonza.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lagonzart
