We were lucky to catch up with John Yurcaba recently and have shared our conversation below.
John, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint one specific method for keeping my creativity alive, but the over all theme is really treating it like a living, breathing thing. My connection to it is genuinely a relationship. I have a deep love for it. It has been a constant companion since I can remember. I walk through life hand in hand with it, and it is the cumulation of every idea, dream, and inspiration I have ever had. At my highs and my lows it has been there to guide and support me, get me out of tight spots, and into incredible opportunities. It is emotion and desire magnified and focused by possibility and will, and the only way it works is if I treat it and respect it like the magic it is. I am in constant conversation with it, asking if it’s taxed or tired and letting it rest when needed. Checking if it needs to be fed and what it’s hungry for, and making sure I give it time to feed and explore. If I know I’m going to need it’s help, that I’ll be relying on it’s strength, I commune with it. I know what ramps it up and what calms it down, how far I can push it. Sometimes it needs to go back to old feelings, favorite songs, and the things that inspired it initially to touch base before leaping into the unknown with a familiar tether to ground it. I know it as much as it knows me, and we’re honest with each other. My connection to my creativity feels like a safe, unshameable celebration of that honesty, and because it exists, I’m not afraid to take big swings and leaps of faith, creatively.
However, that means that I have to first be honest with myself about who I am, with no shame. I have ADHD, and I know that means my brain operates in ways that don’t always easily adapt to my environment or the situation I’m in. I do my best to keep that in mind, for my own sake as well as for the sake of my creativity. For example, I’m an illustrator and a writer, so I make sure I always have something near by to either take notes or make a quick sketch if I have a random idea, whatever it is. In my home, especially in my workspace, I have multiple whiteboards, and I use them often! Knowing that I’m ready to catch those thoughts allows me to let my creativity freely weave through my life in a way where it always feels as accessible and present as possible.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’ve basically been a lifelong creator, and I was very fortunate to grow up in a home where creativity was encouraged by my parents. As much as they had the capacity to do, my siblings and I were given the tools and the opportunity to explore and try things that interested us, and it is something I will always be so grateful for.
It was because of my mom that I grew up with a healthy appreciation for Star Trek, Godzilla movies, Stephen King, and ABC soap operas. One of my proudest moments was getting to share with her that I’d been hired to do cover illustrations and design a character for a Godzilla comic book series a few years back. To have her share her love of that world with me as a kid, for me to grow my own love for it, and then turn around and put that love directly back into the thing itself was really cool. I remember the first convention appearance I did after those issues were released, she was the first person through the door to come up and buy a print of the art from me in person. She refused to let me just give it to her, even though I owe so much of my ability to do this to the determination that she raised my siblings and I to have.
Though he never pursued it as a career, my dad is an immensely talented artist, and I grew up marveling at his pen and ink drawings of buildings done from black and white reference photos he would take himself, or watercolor paintings of freshwater fish. I absolutely caught the bug from him and wrung every bit of knowledge I could out of him. The time he took to show me how he did what he did formed the foundations of everything I do now. I still send him all of my projects to look over with his artist’s eye before I submit the final product to whoever is waiting for it, because as much as he likes to tell me the student has become the teacher, I am still the kid sitting at his dad’s feet, watching him carve pumpkins with the spookiest, most intricate designs and wondering how on earth he does it. I always will be, even when he is asking me to sign comics for him.
The movie Ghostbusters was the magic key that first unlocked my creativity. Some people just see it as a classic 80s comedy that let Saturday Night Live all-stars run amok. As a child, with no awareness of who the actors were or the adult humor at play, I saw quirky characters with a really cool car and sweet laser guns take the monsters under my bed and the unseen creepy things hiding in the dark, and turn it all into a spooky adventure full of gadgets, eldritch lore, and red light running. The animated series, sequels, and toys only grew my obsession. Before I knew it, I was writing and drawing my own Ghostbusters stories at the kitchen table, with my own characters, and all sorts of class 3 non-corporeal entities and class 7 interdimensional demon gods for them to fight. When my mom introduced me to horror movies and my dad decorated for Halloween, I wasn’t scared. I knew I’d be ok if I had my proton pack. It’s still the thing that lights my creativity up the quickest. I am so very lucky to be able to say that similar to Godzilla, I’ve had the chance to take all the inspiration it has given me, and give it back directly by contributing illustrations to various aspects of the franchise, and interacting with the people who created it, and who keep that world alive. I hope there are more opportunities to come!
As I moved through life in the 90s and 00s, other things left their marks on me in similar ways. Goosebumps, Power Rangers, and Beast Wars: Transformers (another property I’ve been very fortunate to do covers for) became favorites, and in middle school I fell hard for the mature themes and fluid, detailed imagery of anime, thanks to Cartoon Network’s Toonami programming block. Mobile Suit Gundam (which inspired copious amounts of fan fiction with an imaginary soundtrack by Michelle Branch), Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Tenchi Muyo, and Evangelion all deeply influenced my creative sensibilities, as did a growing love for horror movies.
As a teen, I walked into a comic shop for the first time on Free Comic Book Day and saw comic book artists drawing in person, and it took everything I loved and demystified it in the best way. It was now a tangible, achievable thing, and when I walked out of the shop with a copy of Ultimate Spider-Man #1 and a new love for superheroes that day, I knew there was no turning back. This is what I wanted to do with my life. To tell the kind of stories that had meant so much to me and shaped who I had become. Every step I have taken since then has been in service of that goal.
When I put pencil to paper (or as is mainly the case these days, stylus to screen), I am channeling all of my love for horror and Halloween, action and adventure, romance, science fiction, anime, comics, and everything in between into something I hope feels uniquely me. I do my best to bring that to bear in the original characters and stories I am currently working on, both with incredibly talented fellow creators, as well as in my solo projects, and in the IPs I am always so excited and thankful to be involved in. I’m excited to do more writing in my future, as well as more sequential storytelling, in addition to cover art. The irons I have in the fire right now are some of the most creatively fulfilling I’ve ever been a part of, and I can’t wait to share more!
There’s a moment in the movie ParaNorman at the very beginning when the main character, Norman, is walking to school on an Autumn day, and between the visuals and the music, it so perfectly captures this whimsical and cozy feeling of having your own little world to yourself. Of seeing and feeling and interpreting things in a way that allows you to feel alive, even in the face of the unknown. It feels like a kid on Halloween who isn’t jaded enough to not believe in magic and possibility, even if that possibility might be a little scary. Every year on October 31st, I like to wake up, go on a walk, and listen to that song. Without fail, that feeling comes rushing back within the first few notes. I give myself over to it, and it feels like the younger versions of me who just discovered Ghostbusters, stumbled across Gundam, and saw a comic artist drawing in person for the first time are walking there with me. It feels like anything could happen.
If I can put even a fraction of that feeling into my work and the stories I tell, then I’ve done my job. And if sharing how and why I do what I do, or even the work itself can be like a lantern to anyone else that wants to walk a creative path, then I am humbled and happy to hold that light.
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?
I think the three biggest things that impacted my journey all kind of revolved around the idea of being able to take ownership of the journey. For a while, for all kinds of reasons (ADHD, imposter syndrome, etc), I was kind of waiting for someone to “find” me. To be discovered and plucked from obscurity by just sort of aimlessly sharing my art into the void, convinced that if I was “good enough” the right people would magically see me.
The honest truth is that I was giving other people, who were at that point imaginary, the power to tell me I wasn’t good enough by essentially doing nothing. It was self-defeating. Things actually changed for me when I started doing three big things.
First, I stopped being afraid to just do it anyway. Skill-wise, there are certain things you just don’t know you can do until you challenge yourself to do them, and I was waiting for someone to give me permission when really, I had everything I needed. I had pencils, I had paper, and I had ideas. My first comic was drawn in my spare time after work back in 2014 based on an idea I had in high school. When I was done drawing it I saved enough money to have a box of copies printed at FedEx. I asked a local t-shirt shop that also displayed art if I could host a “release party” there. I put up signs around town in cafes, bookstores, and art supply shops, and between the party and a local comic-expo that weekend, I sold out. Set goals for yourself and don’t let the idea that you need to be at a certain level or get “discovered” stop you from doing it anyway. If nothing else, it’s practice. It can show you where your skills are at now, and what you need to do to get where you want them to be.
Second, I stopped thinking I wasn’t worth someone else’s time. Every big opportunity I have had so far came from unlearning the idea that I had no right to just ask. Now, there is absolutely a level of social awareness that goes hand in hand with this one, but when the appropriate time arises, do not be afraid to just ask. My first professional, paid comic gig came from starting a conversation with a creator I really admired who was working on a book I was really into, asking if he’d like to see some of my stuff, and then following up with an earnest “how do I find the opportunities to do the kinds of things you do?” Most people WANT to help where they can, even if it’s just pointing you in the right direction and giving advice. At worst, someone will say no, but a no doesn’t take away anything. It leaves you right where you started, but now you know where you stand., and you can figure out what to do next instead of living in mystery.
Third, I learned the value of community. Art, specifically comic book art, where so much of it is done from home and in solitude, can be a lonely endeavor, so community is massively important. Find your peers. Plug into your local comic shop and see if they are hosting any events, like Free Comic Book Day, or a convention. Maybe you’re not ready to have a table and show off your own work, but if that’s the case, refer to the previous lesson. Attend. Meet creators. Connect. Step into that community, even if it’s just as a student. Be earnest and eager and wear your curiosity on your sleeve. Own it! There is no one, set path to “making it” in this industry, and honestly, we’re ALL still figuring it out, learning from each other, and making it up as we go. And if you do have some work to show but don’t think you’re “big enough”, refer to lesson one: Do it anyway! Your local scene is MEANT for that. This is where you cut your teeth! Where you share tips and tricks and grow and make each other sharper. I have made some of my closest friends by just attending local signings for small creators, reaching out to show support and appreciate people whose work I admire, trading info, keeping in touch, hanging out, collaborating, doing events together and genuinely rooting for each other to succeed. One of my other favorite quotes concerning this comes from the late Harold Ramis (of Ghostbusters fame, as well as so much more), who said “Identify talented people around you and instead of going into competition with them, or trying to wipe them out, make alliances, make creative friendships that allow you and your friends to grow together.”
Bonus round: Stay positive. Hard times and struggles are gonna hit when they hit, and hopefully the lessons I mentioned can help you at least start to navigate them. However, there are too many people out there who are too comfortable getting clout from making people feel bad for the things they love and the little magics they keep close to sustain their joy, or from tearing people down for succeeding ahead of them. Ignore them. They’ll try to tell you that you’re cringe.
It’s very cringe of them.
Do not let anyone shame your inspiration, your optimism, your passion, or your enthusiasm. People who do are typically just feeling insecure about their own and have decided it’s easier to try and rob you of yours than examine why they are so disconnected from theirs. Your stories MATTER because you are the only one that can tell them the way you will, and everything that makes you who you are is a part of that formula.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Without a single doubt in my mind, I would not be the creator I am, nor the person I am, without my wife, Michelle. The amount of clarity and sense of purpose she has brought into my life is something I could never accurately communicate. I am able to be my full self with her. If there’s something to be known about me, she knows it, sometimes even before I do, and that knowledge feels so protected and safe and loved with her. The depth of her brilliance, her ability to understand people, her humor, and the massive heart in her chest are things I am constantly in awe of. She looks at things from angles I would have never considered, and I have learned so much just from being in her presence. Things that have helped me become my favorite version of myself. She was the one who really helped me break out of those habits of looking for permission to do the things I loved and feeling like I wasn’t worth people’s time. Goals I had for myself five years down the road, ten years down the road, she wasn’t afraid to say “…why not now?”
Ten years of marriage has taught me that not everything we will go through is easy, but that the choice to go through it together, to work through it hand in hand with her, is always an easy one to make. We compliment each other’s skillsets, and there haven’t been many things we weren’t able to navigate as a result. She is my home, and my favorite part of existing is being hers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://johnyurcabaiv.wixsite.com/arts/portfilio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnyurcaba4/
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