WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS, SLAM THE DOOR HARDER?

If you were a young artist seeking career opportunities and were given the chance to be featured in a national magazine showcasing your art talents, how would you handle it?

Here’s a tale of two such artists.

One of the perks for artists attending my Creating Comics Seminar in the Philippines this year was that TWO of them would get featured in a top Manila magazine, with an article showcasing their talents.  I chose one gal and one guy from the many portfolios I reviewed.  I looked more for potential than mastery of their talent — thinking about tomorrow’s possible superstars in terms of style, of how well characters live and breathe in their drawings, and so on.  It was a way to give them some attention, build some confidence in them, and — this is often critically important — show their families that these artists aren’t wasting their time.  In so many cases, terrific artists’ dreams are extinguished by families telling them to give up the dream and “get a real job.”

I carefully chose two artists.  One was Ana Carissa de la Cruz, still in college but loaded with innate talent.  Her styles — plural! — were still developing, but she had a wonderful sense of bringing her characters to life in her drawings.  She hadn’t yet tried sequential storytelling; that’s why she came to the Seminar, to learn how to do it correctly.  She was a smart choice.

The other artist, a male, was a few years older, had a strong, commercial style, some storytelling sense, but some inconsistency in his work that would smooth out as he learned what to do — and what not to do.  He was a terrific second choice.

At the conclusion of the Seminar, each was awarded a plaque and their information was given to the magazine.  True to their word, the magazine’s editors followed up with both artists.

What happened?  Ana follow through.  The other artist didn’t.  It was as though he had vanished.  He didn’t submit his information, or send the art they needed.  What’s more, he never explained WHY he bailed out of the opportunity, to me or to the magazine’s editors. 

In the months since then, I’ve not heard a word from him, and he has missed many career-building possibilities.  By comparison, Ana has picked up a bit of work — not to mention pride — at being featured solo in the magazine, and she regularly submits new work for GHG to review so that she can continue to improve.  When she finishes school and is able to take on steady art assignments, she’ll be ready.

The other artist?  Not so much, I’d wager.