Meet Evan York

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

Evan, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

How do I keep my creativity alive… Great question. The most realistic answer that I can give is, it depends on the day. I work creatively every day drawing, animating, writing and rewriting. So staying creative is super important for me. Sometimes ideas come to me in a dream, they inspire me and then I get to work. I keep my creativity alive because I absolutely love what I do. I love to execute an idea such as a story, a drawing, anything that brings more thought into the world. I’ve had a creative mind since childhood – I believe it’s what has always fueled my soul.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an artist living in LA who truly enjoys the creative journey. Mainly an Illustrator… I love to draw; you can do it anywhere. I recently created a 103 footlong landscape drawing titled, “The Connection Of Everything.” This piece took me a year to create and I enjoyed every moment of that journey, which lead to a solo exhibition in Los Angeles and was published in Juxtapose Magazine. The show Criminal Minds enlarged sections of that piece and featured it on an episode. Over the years the show Criminal Minds featured several pieces of my work and commissioned new work as well.
I started creating art around 1994. Switching from wanting to be a working actor to wanting to be a working artist. I painted on everything; furniture, doors, and even the walls in my home. Whatever was insight! Sept.11th, which is known to the world as 9/11, at 1:00am on the other side of the country, moments before the horrific event I decided to hang my first cardboard Street Art painting – approx. 6 feet tall in Laurel Canyon. Thousands of cars drove by that morning – word got back to me that some saw my painting as a statement of unity. In truth, just a coincidence. What it did do was inspire me to continue creating large cardboard paintings and hung them everywhere. I created over 100 of them, hanging them in LA, NYC, Japan, Spain, Berlin, Amsterdam. From there I started a hand-drawn clothing line. I would show some of high-end boutiques images of my Street Art. Some of the store owners
had seen my Street Art and started carrying my tees. From there, stylists started picking up on what I was up to and placed my tees and art on TV shows and movies. I then started creating original clothing pieces for Steven Tyler, Billy Idol, Melissa Etheridge, John Rzeznik, Jane’s Addiction and Reebok. The clothing line expanded and was in 100 stores in Japan, throughout Europe, LA and NYC. Simultaneously, I was co-producing and directing a documentary on Mardik Martin – Screenwriter of Raging Bull and Mean Streets. My long time friend for around 30 years and creative partner Ramy Katrib and I won five Best Documentary awards for that film. Since then, I created my own style of animation and fell in love with this medium for storytelling. I’ve created over 200 animated shorts and other works; even won awards for some! We’re currently about to launch our animated series and YouTube channel. Ramy and I have been developing “Documators” – our animated show for several years with 29 episodes to launch and new ones being created as I speak. We’re super excited to finally share it with the world. Please check us out on YouTube @documators. We focus on short stories and short documentaries on subjects such as Lifestyle/Life stories, Arts, News and Technology; all told through animation with humor and heart.

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’m not sure what skills impacted my journey because I’m self taught, so I feel bit of the “Imposter Syndrome” about my skills. Regarding knowledge maybe a bit of the same Lol! I didn’t go to art school and I don’t use animation software. I think my skills and possibly my knowledge come from organically having a desire to create things and to tell stories, therefore I use what’s in front of me. If my brain doesn’t understand traditional methods,I figure out how to get it done with what I’m capable of. My advice for anyone new on this journey – just do what you love to do as best you can. It usually gets more refined with time, and if you’re an “Uber smart” self disciplined artist, take some business courses so you have knowledge in selling and protecting your work.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

Throughout my life, my mom and my older brother have always had my back and have been my biggest supporters along my entire creative journey. At a point, some issues go beyond the reach of your family.You want to give them a break (lol) and seek out a professional to help guide you through life, work, conflicts and blocks.
A friend recommend that I speak with Kathleen LeBlanc. Kathleen is a Career Strategist/Consultant and now my hero! She’s 100% helped me with personal development and growth in my creative journey and has given me tools to utilize while making life and career decisions, while at the same time inspiring me to be the best that I can be. She’s honestly changed my world. You can find her at: aspirewithki.com. I hope that helps.

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