We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Genesis Lugo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Genesis below.
Genesis, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I think I’ve always been very creative as it fuels my art. I think where I get my good ideas is from life. I think the best art advice I ever heard was from Michelle Lam, an animation industry professional YouTuber, she once explained how she got better at art. She said that doing studies or practicing is good and all, but felt she got better by growing as a person. I think I took that advice and I realized I felt the same way too. Art is about capturing life… how does one become better at capturing life? It’s living it! So, what fuels my creativity is being inspired by life. My best ideas come from real life events that happened to me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am Genesis Lugo a Latinx storyboard artist and comic book artist. I am aspiring to work in the animation industry as a storyboarder I’ve applied to many studios and gotten close each time. I feel it’s really hard to break into the industry especially right now during these times. I still want to get myself out there and I like to share my boards on social media. I also got into a storyboard mentorship at Story for All, which is an amazing experience. For that program I recently finished a storyboard titled “God Only Knows How Much I Meow You” which is loosely based on my childhood growing up not knowing how to speak English. I was very lucky to show that storyboard to Sony and Dreamworks at Lightbox Expo, an animation and entertainment convention. I also worked as a comic book artist for a client and self published. I’ve been involved in exciting projects and very blessed to have those experiences of collaborating with great artist. However my biggest self fulfillment as an artist are self publishing my own comics. I published my past webcomic in 2021 Our Bodies Out of Tune which was a very great experience for me. I want to do that again with my new upcoming webcomic hopefully by the time this article its published a few chapters are out on my instagram. The comic is called Crow Song it’s about a crow who turns into a human girl and wants to find love. They try to find it with a girl who doesn’t love them back. It’s a story that I’ve been working on for 2 years it’s been great to grow along with it. It’s been amazing to see it completed and I’m excited to share it.
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?
Three things that were impactful in my journey is to achieve, to grow, and to connect. I think a lot of artist get stuck in the work in progress and not being able to complete projects which I feel makes your growth stagnant. When you finish a project you learn so much from it and can move you along to the next one. You also learn how to make a project approachable and doable with yourself. I feel achieving a completed project is what made me where I am in my career. I finished a student short film twice in school. The first time I finished I knew I can tackle the next one and make it bigger than the first one. Also, every time I finish a storyboard I learn so much from it and I grow. Also growth doesn’t have to be art it can be self. Art is about capturing life what better way to get better at art is to grow as a person. Whenever I overcome anything or go through a life changing event my art improves a lot. It’s way more growth than just doing studies or practice which I’m not saying they aren’t important. It improves me as a storyteller and an artist as I grow as a person. Also, connect….. connect to others and make friends. It’s easy as an artist, we are the introverted type, to get lost in our tablet screens. I think interacting and forming connection with others one gains a better perspective, but also friendship is so important. Many friends are the reason I got the art gigs and job opportunities. I didn’t become friends with them to get a job or anything more that I wanted to form a connection with someone who I thought to be a good person. This is my advice to anyone on your journey these are the things that helped me on my journey.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
My biggest growth in the past 12 months is just personal really. I learned to be more confident with myself. I started working out and have felt better cause of it. I hope to one day be able to run a marathon. I think also I went through some personal growth and started to dress the way I always wanted and express myself more like myself. I think that really reflected in my art as I got more clarity with myself a bit I got more with my art. I came to realize the art I create is good and it’s okay to say it and feel that way. Yes, there’s always growth and I’m excited to see how I grow from here. However, I think my voice is good and I want to share it. I was recently told I look taller. I told that them it’s impossible for me to grow taller and I’m stuck at my small petite height. Then they said, “You just don’t hunch anymore.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://genesislugo34.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genesisinn321/?hl=en
