Javier Gonzalez
Artist Statement
I never really understood what there was for me in the world. Never once as a child had I thought about what I wanted to actually do when I grew up; I had only really given false answers in hopes people would one day stop asking me. When I was 13, I stumbled upon a manga series called “Bakuman.”; it changed the course of my life far more than I had realized at the time. After reading the series, I took a high interest in art, although back then I was never any good and mostly got by with tracing images I saw online. I remember a time when my dad once caught me tracing art off of my computer and said something along the lines of “How do you expect to get better if all you do is trace images online?”. Never did I really have the chance to thank him for what he said at the time, and I don’t think he really knew how much those words really meant to me; although nowadays I know many professionals trace things like 3D models and such for a faster workflow. Eventually I stopped tracing altogether and focused on creating images that I felt could portray what I truly felt and wanted to see in the world. My interest in art then had me interested in how art is marketed and distributed to a wider audience, this led me into the field of Graphic Design. I enjoy graphic design greatly, and producing work that can be displayed in various locations whether it be physical or online has me always eager to work on a new project
Every project is a great pleasure to begin, however I do find myself slacking off a lot of the time when working. I sing, watch videos, play video games, and much more when I really should just be working; but at the same time, I kind of feel empowered for doing other things, embers of ideas rise from the flame of my heart when engaging with different forms of media. When I go back to a project after consuming various forms of media, I feel empowered, almost as if I’ve gone into a state of flow. So many ideas and concepts come rushing to me, many things I witness that I thought were cool or interesting breakthrough my mind and I begin inserting them into my work. When I am moved, I excel in design; the ever-growing flame of passion continues to spark as I am further influenced by the media around me.
Art has moved me in a great many ways. I cry a lot when digesting various forms of media almost daily, I can’t think of many days where I didn’t feel like crying after reading, watching, playing, or listening to something that I felt got to me. My own work is something that I hope would do the same for others one day. Whether I be doing something simple like creating posters or logos or whatever, I just want someone to look at my work and be influenced in some way. If we’re being completely frank about it, I would very much like to write and illustrate in my time as an artist from here on out. No matter what job I end up working after school, I just want to create a series people can read and look forward to continuing. As many manga, anime, video games, and songs have done for me in the past twelve or so year of my life, I hope to touch the hearts of many and have them constantly ready for that next page, that next line, yearning for the changes and events that follow. Even if only one single person were looking forward to my newest work, I would be happy. I hope to remain close in the distance, even after I am long gone, living on through tales of loss and fire and faith.
