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Ryan Brosmer
2.9k Plays1 year ago
Ryan Brosmer is a cartoonist and illustrator who lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with his wife, two dogs, and four cats. He aims to create stories that meet at the intersection of classic Saturday morning cartoons and newspaper comics. Ryan has been creating comics all his life except for a brief period between ages 10 and 32. He probably has something new out now or coming soon found here:
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:02
Speaker
You are listening to something rather than nothing. Creator and host, Ken Delante. Editor and producer, Peter Bauer. So you're doing well, yeah? Yeah, yeah, doing well. It's Friday. Getting some interesting weather here. We're getting some of those storms blowing through the Midwest, and we're getting a bunch of wind and rain right now.
00:00:32
Speaker
In Shenandoah Valley? Yeah, Shenandoah Valley, you know, Blue Ridge Mountains. Little... I'm in a town called Stanton. If you look it up on the map or if you ask Google Maps, you would think it's, you know, Staunton over Stanton. About like 45 minutes west of Charlottesville, where University of Virginia is. Wow. 20 minutes south of Harrisonburg, where James Madison University is, but
00:01:02
Speaker
Yeah. A little, uh, like 20 square foot town or 20 square mile town. Uh, yeah. Nistle in the mountain scene. It's nice. Yeah. I'm
Meet the Guest: Ryan Brosmer
00:01:15
Speaker
born and raised in Virginia for the most part. Lived here all my life, except we, uh, took a brief detour to Colorado Springs for about six and a half years. Okay. And lived out there. Um, and then came back to Virginia back in 2020. Wow.
00:01:31
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's nice, uh, chatting with you. I might as well introduce you to everybody. Uh, Ryan Brosmer, uh, good, great. Okay. Comics. Um, we, uh, connected on, uh, Instagram and, uh, did an image for the something rather than nothing podcast. And just, uh, I just want to say is part of the spirit and nature of things. Nice, nice to have you hop on and, uh,
00:01:57
Speaker
You know pop on to the show and talk some comics and talk, you know this and that so I really appreciate you on the show but Welcome to the podcast great. Yeah, I'm happy to be here. You know really appreciate you know when you first reached out it was you know, I'm so used to Someone reaches out to me in a DM on Instagram. I first assumed was a scam. Yeah, right But you know I started you know, I looked around the look at your show and I'm like now there's people I know on here this guy's legit school and
00:02:26
Speaker
Yeah. Thank you. It's like one of those people, like I sidle up on you and sneak up on you. I'm like, whoa. And you're like, OK, wait a second where this dude come from. But all right. Like there's something some sort of jazz he's got going on. So I I appreciate the energy. And, you know, I used to live out out in Washington, D.C. for a couple of years. I'm from Rhode Island originally. But my first stop outside of that
00:02:53
Speaker
area where I grew up in was Washington, D.C. and Silver Spring, Maryland, that whole area there. I worked in a bookstore over in Bethesda, but I would make it over towards Virginia, you know, for concerts and things like that. And I know the area, not specifically where you are, but within Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, which is a very
00:03:18
Speaker
beautiful area very inspiring I think of writers I think of William Styron and I think of writers of Virginia ilk you know when I when I think of those areas is that kind of romantic or is there's there's something there no absolutely there's something there actually you know last weekend in Charlottesville they hosted the annual Virginia festival of the book that happens which is a very kind of prestigious weekend event that happens annually
Virginia's Literary and Comic Scene
00:03:49
Speaker
that I haven't been able to get to since moving back. But they have, yeah, Charlottesville is a very literary town and then it spills out. And then obviously Richmond, I know they have a big, you know, the James River Writers Group was a large organization out there, but it's definitely a good place to be. And, you know, I grew up, you know, outside of DC, I was in Loudoun County, where I was born and grew up through middle school.
00:04:19
Speaker
My dad grew up in Maryland in the Silver Spring area. Actually, my grandparents lived up there for a while. So I spent a lot of time up there in DC, obviously, taking field trips there. Yeah, a little bit. Every other weekend in school when you live up there. I didn't think about that. I've seen every Smithsonian Museum about five times.
00:04:42
Speaker
Yeah, I can't I pick it now about maybe if if it is lined up for your trips How if you're are near you'd be like, well, you know, these C's are right, but I seen it a bunch. Yeah As a kid, you know as a kid, you know If you're in the wrong museum as a kid or an adult you're in the wrong museum. So exactly Yeah, we loved it. I'm the youngest of three brothers. So we were always up there having fun with the air and space museum science museums. Excellent
00:05:10
Speaker
Yeah, tell the listeners about the good, great OK Comics. You know, it caught my eye. I'll just say just my impression was like I was excited by the, I don't know, the playful energy within it. And it just it just really was like really cool to see a lot of the things that you do. So I connected with it in that way. But
00:05:35
Speaker
You want to talk a bit about the work you've done and things you published and what your angle is? What are you looking at things? Yeah, absolutely. So I'm a self-taught artist. I like to say I've been making comics my whole life, except for a break between ages 10 and 32. I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons.
00:06:02
Speaker
You know, back to growing up in Northern Virginia, I had access to the Washington Post. We got that every day. And, you know, one of the best newspaper cartoon sections in the country. Yeah. So you read that all the time. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Every day. And, you know, kids post section. So just very formative. And, you know, I part of when I was growing up, you know, I thought being a newspaper cartoonist would be the coolest thing for a while. I wanted to be a paper boy when I grew up.
00:06:34
Speaker
Then, you know, I was making cartoons and comics as a kid. Grew up kind of, you know, stopped drawing. I decided I wasn't very good at drawing, so I wasn't going to keep up with it. And then, you know, later on in life, I decided, you know, that's just an excuse that I made for myself. I'm going to get back and try this. It's always something I wanted to do. I was always jealous of people who could draw.
00:07:01
Speaker
And I settled into kind of a style that I think fit my capabilities that I became happy with that was inspired by those cartoons that I grew up with. And it's fun for me to create and fun for me to see people's reaction to that. And I kind of settled that I enjoy
00:07:30
Speaker
creating things that just by happenstance tend to be appealing to a younger audience. Kids comics, middle grade, YA, call it what you will. But I realized I'm not going to be making overly serious indie comics that I love to read and inspire me. I draw influence from.
00:07:56
Speaker
I don't have any interest in drawing that, you know, I've tried to kind of take that angle, you know, write some serious auto bio, write some, you know, that's tough. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I don't want to do that. I don't want to reflect on my life. You know, I kind of use, I like the cartoony escapism of it all. Yeah. Yeah. For myself. And, you know, I don't want to dwell on, on real life. When I sit down to draw, you know, I like to escape into a different world. That's kind of what I settled on. And it's, you know, kind of the zany,
00:08:27
Speaker
out there wacky cartoon style that resonates with me and luckily has resonated with other people, I think. Yeah. Yeah.
The Art of Comics for Youth
00:08:36
Speaker
Thanks. Thanks for sharing that too. And, um, you know, we'll talk some more about the ways to connect to your art right at the end, but everybody good, great. Okay. Comics. Uh, we're chatting with Ryan Brosmer and it's a, it's a kick, um, kind of the connection we're able to make here. Um,
00:08:54
Speaker
uh, reporting, connecting with Ryan from, uh, the Oregon coast and the Hasidah head, uh, lighthouse. There's a bed and breakfast and had planned this out to be out this way. Supposedly there's a, uh, uh, a presence possible of a woman who is looking for her child seemed to be generally, uh, benevolent, not a negative spirit, but a little, uh, noisy.
00:09:24
Speaker
or sharp elbows and sharp elbows into walls at times. And so it's a real treat to connect here. And like I said, in the chat and a bit about about Virginia and, you know, I appreciate you chatting about like that, that writing and some of that in farming, I like to kind of
00:09:44
Speaker
connect with what what that vibe is. And, you know, there's a great piece about that I found around Washington DC, which is a complicated area, you know, socially and politically, but I found that the demand for thinking and thought and policy and technology and particularly growing media in Washington DC is a good fertile ground for people who
00:10:10
Speaker
Use their mind a lot and want to create things. So people have different impressions of that area. I've always felt. Pretty electrified, not electrified like after New York City, but electrified in my head with art in the Washington Post or just reading papers or whatever, you know, and magazines and stuff. So it's good to catch you over that way and and
00:10:37
Speaker
And so tell us a bit now. I don't know if anything came up. He had reached out late feelers to some folks about any topics you might want to kick around. It's a little bit of an open forum. But did you get any weird comments or we need to make any shout outs to things in your area or things that you find pretty jazzy?
00:11:05
Speaker
No, I think I posted my my call for questions a little too late I should have thought if I thought about that sooner would have got that up yesterday So I didn't get any any no one asking me to spill the tea No, no one asking me to reveal any secrets here I got one from uncle Vinnie from from the Bronx who says this guy seems pretty this guy seems pretty cool Keep going keep going buddy. So hey, there we go. Yeah
00:11:32
Speaker
I appreciate that. Straight from the Bronx. Washington Capitals fan when it comes to hockey. Do I take OK, tell me, tell me about that. You have space and room for hockey. This is a very. Generally friendly space for hockey and folks about. And I love I love I love the shot of Ovechkin. I respect the the Capitals. I'm very interested in them. But tell tell us here's your capital space. Tell us tell us capital stuff.
00:12:02
Speaker
Yeah, I know. So actually, I was telling this story to some friends recently. We were talking hockey. And I ended up doing a little comic about it. I posted on Instagram a few weeks back of kind of how I got into hockey and specifically into becoming a Capitals fan and how it's an embarrassing story from my childhood that has haunted me to this very day. And I felt I had to illustrate it, but it was third grade.
00:12:30
Speaker
I had my first cool guy teacher. I was a young, impressionable kid. Sure. That can be important. Yeah. Yeah, it was great. His name was Mr. Rudnick. So shout out, Mr. Rudnick. All right. I have not talked to him since third grade, but I know he is now an elementary school teacher in Northern Virginia. Thank you. Very elementary school principal in Northern Virginia. But he was from Philadelphia, and I wanted to impress him so bad I wanted to know
00:13:00
Speaker
All I knew about Philadelphia was Liberty Bell, you know, history, whatever. Rocky, maybe. Yeah. Well, I decided I loved Philadelphia because I wanted to be friends with Mr. Rudnick. So one day, you know, I watched the Cavs first, the Flyers game. My parents let me put it on TV and I watched the game start to finish. It was the first hockey game that I really, you know, remember sitting down and watching, choosing to watch.
00:13:29
Speaker
And I let my parents, or my parents let me bring in the Washington Post sports page the next day. And I was very excited to be able to talk about the game with Mr. Rudnick and talk about my new found love with the Philadelphia Flyers. And he's, you know, he didn't realize I was such a big hockey fan and neither did I. But we lay out the paper and start looking at it. And, you know, I tell him, you know, I love, love the Philadelphia Flyers so much. And, you know, especially their cool,
00:13:59
Speaker
Eagles logos. I think that's the Washington Capitals logo. I had no idea what I'm talking about, just trying to impress this man and he just laid it on me straight. And then I fell from then on. I had to lean into it. I knew what I was talking about. But I also learned that I really enjoyed watching hockey.
00:14:25
Speaker
Take your ground once you sometimes you stake out ground. That's that's too far out. You're like, well, yeah, I'm out here anyways I'll stick with it. Yeah. Yeah, and he knew I needed to be set in my place. He could tell You know, I was trying too hard. I appreciate it was a lesson learned But yeah, that has haunted me to this very day. I
00:14:44
Speaker
Well, it's I know there's some tribulations this season and I am a two top hockey team growing up with the Boston Bruins and my second team Winnipeg because of my strange connection to the Winnipeg Jets, which I talked to with
00:15:02
Speaker
a cartoonist, creator, musician, Nick Friesen a few episodes back. So anyways, that was that there, but enjoy the ability to talk about hockey. All right, from hockey to, I want to hit you with a couple of questions, give you opportunity to kind of wrangle with, wrangle with art, you know, and creativity. I wanted to see, Ryan, what your opinions were about
Defining Art: Personal Expression and Intention
00:15:30
Speaker
What is art? What is it? I take, you know, the very open approach of, you know, I don't consider anything art. If you if the creator considers it art, it's art. So that's all I need. You know, I'm not going to judge what you know what you're creating, how you're creating it. If it's meaningful to you, the process, the creation, you know, that's art.
00:16:00
Speaker
Um, you know, there's so many different types of art. Um, I don't think it's, I don't even know if you can, you know, categorize up my types. It's just, yeah, it's so wide open. Um, you know, I've always been driven to create in different forms, um, you know, music, writing, cartooning, painting. Um, yeah, it's, it's sounds kind of cheesy, but it's such a powerful force. Um, you know, I truly believe in it for, you know,
00:16:29
Speaker
its ability to heal, help you cope, help you express, and however you get that out. I don't think it's up to anyone else to tell you whether it's hard or not. Everyone doesn't have to like it. And that's up to them. That's up to the beholder on the other side. And I take an approach of, I know what I like when I see it or hear it or read it.
00:16:59
Speaker
I'm not going to tell somebody what to like, what's good, what's bad. Um, because I think again, it's all valid. Um, as long as you're not doing something to actively harm someone with your, your, your art or your creation or what you're doing in life and go for it. Do what makes you happy.
00:17:22
Speaker
Yeah, I like to have vibe and I like, you know, the just going in rate, you know, on the point from the intention, you know, I think a lot about that and the intention of what somebody's trying to do, particularly around the topic of healing, which is I keep like.
00:17:39
Speaker
You know, what is the podcast about? Well, art, philosophy, weirdness, healing, you know, all these type of things. But I think of healing as that component. And when you have a way to do that, whatever that is for the artist, there's there's something sacred about that. Again, without harming others, without, you know,
00:18:00
Speaker
what we might consider ill intentions and that could be debated but you know like about you know, just just maybe Right conduct or proper conduct and just being mindful of things so I like that piece of it because I think when I asked the question is Sometimes I feel whatever on mood I'm in right like if I just saw on the old guitarist by Picasso in the Art Institute of Chicago
00:18:29
Speaker
And like that experience for me is pretty intense and I've seen it two or three times and I go outside and somebody says, what is art? And I'll be like, I'll tell you what art is. It's right on the other side of the wall. Look at that Picasso from his blue period, you know, like in in in, you know, just pointing to how sometimes.
00:18:50
Speaker
It's a discussion to have all around. Sometimes it's just the object itself. Look at that Picasso. I don't want to talk. Just look at it. But I appreciate your thoughts about really the process, which I think is another component of it. And how helpful has it been for you
00:19:09
Speaker
You know, it's not all peaches and cream I think as far as how it goes, but how how is Creativity and tapping back into space that you allowed yourself for the way you wanted to express yourself Like what's that done for you?
From Alcohol to Art: A Sobriety Journey
00:19:24
Speaker
I mean just just talking about that that healing component yeah, so You know, it's actually been really important when I really sat down in You know
00:19:38
Speaker
This was late 2020, early 2021, and decided I was really going to get back on this thing, focus on comics, kind of learn how to do that craft. It actually came along with me deciding to get silver from alcohol, actually. And it came with, I'm going to sit down and draw every night and create something instead of
00:20:08
Speaker
I've got free time. I'm going to drink and hang out and stare at my phone, stare at the TV. And if I don't, if I drink, I'm not going to draw. If I don't draw, I'm going to be mad at myself. And that worked.
00:20:28
Speaker
whether that's healthy to be, you know, beating myself up as motivation, but small efficient engine of hell, but efficient and efficient or I don't know. Right. Yeah, it worked. You know, it started as, you know, I'm going to sit down with a sketchbook on my tablet and just draw something every night and maybe post it online, maybe keep it to myself. Um, and eventually it was, uh, I'm working on a comic book now and I'm going to work on a page a night and I'm going to, you know, I'm going to
00:20:58
Speaker
do pencils, I'm going to do ink, I'm going to color. And next thing I do, I wasn't drinking and I had a comic book ready to publish. Good on you. That was my first book that came out in late summer 2021 was the result of that initially. In the end, it's a little funny, cartoony comic book, but there is that kind of behind the scenes of
00:21:29
Speaker
What got it there? Well, and I think that's, that's the piece to dive into and talk about. I have a sobriety from alcohol date of, uh, these are the digits 0 9 0 9 0 9 September 9th, 2009. And so as a kid, I've always been interested in numbers. I don't understand at all, but my brain's interested in numbers. And when.
00:21:57
Speaker
that number was tied to my stopping alcohol. I said, I can't give up 999. It's like you're at the slots. It's a bad metaphor, analogy, whatever. But you know what I mean? You hit it like I hit it on the number. So and I think in trying to do these type of things when I've been around helping people get sober, get better, whatever way you want to put it.
00:22:25
Speaker
that whatever, whatever, if you need a thread, sometimes that extra thread like carries you along. So you got the thread, you know? So good on you for, you know, good on, good on you for, you know, and talking about that and, you know, tying art to that process. It just means more, right? Tell the story, right? Like that's what comes out of it. Like my early painting came out of me screaming. It doesn't mean that it's not,
00:22:53
Speaker
good or something like that. But it means that I was yelling and sometimes I yelled in ways that were appealing to me and others and other times.
00:23:03
Speaker
I was yelling loudly and annoyingly. So yeah, yeah, I appreciate your thoughts around that. Well, in talking about creativity and healing, the related question I have is the role of art and you can roll into that and expand, you know, if you wish. Yeah. Yeah. So I know art is, you know, it's always kind of been
00:23:32
Speaker
a part of my life, my process, and healing. In high school, in college, it was more music focused. I was trying to write songs. I was playing a punk and metal bands. And kind of like you said with your painting, trying to scream it out and get over things that way. And that worked for a while. It scratched that itch. And then it
00:24:03
Speaker
kind of faded away. I played in a variety of different bands over the years. You know, did some did some light touring here and there. And then, you know, I kind of left that go away. And it left kind of a void of creativity there. But I think was helping hold back
00:24:25
Speaker
Or at least deal with. Let's do a pause record scratch there when you're making when you're making music. Well, I mean, what, you know, when you were playing or you creating it, like, what was your vibe? I mean, what were you digging on? Yeah. So, you know, my first band was a punk band in high school with some of my best friends called Radio Contra. We were basically at the time a rancid cover band or a rancid ripoff band with some sham 69 covers thrown in.
00:24:55
Speaker
Um, you know, we, we were in kind of a, you know, a small town suburb of DC, um, Fredericksburg, Virginia. It's smack dab between DC and Richmond. Um, and kind of gets, you know, gets, gets an art scene that feeds off both. Um, so, you know, we were playing shows at the local VFWs and pool halls. Um, and you know, it was, it was a great time with my first exposure to music. I was playing bass.
00:25:22
Speaker
and doing some backup vocals and writing songs as much as three-chord punk songs go. And then from later on in high school, I was playing in, switched over to guitar, playing in more of a hardcore screamo band at the time with a few of the same friends and some other folks that didn't last as long, but some great memories.
00:25:52
Speaker
And then after that in college, I was playing kind of solo. We'll do some solo stuff, solo acoustic. I would pick up anything with strings. Um, and you know, my college years kind of unlocked my long dormant love of country music. That's where I was raised off my dad. Um, my first ever concert was Hank Williams, Jr., Charlie Daniels band, Randy Travis. Um,
00:26:21
Speaker
one other, I can't even recall, but I got to see the Golden Fiddle, that rolling museum. So, you know, in college I started getting into, you know, some classic countries, some of the more, you know, folk punk bands that were coming up at the time, you know, against me was, you know, really big when I was in college. Sure, sure. Bands like Defiance Ohio, and that really influenced that era. And then I just had,
00:26:51
Speaker
became very good friends with some guys that were very into the hardcore scene. And I ended up picking up and playing bass with them. And another kind of short-lived Richmond Virginia bass band that we got some good little regional touring out of, played some great shows. Some very cathartic music to play.
00:27:13
Speaker
Very loud, very fast. Yeah. Get it out. Get out of your soul and bones, right? Yeah, absolutely. And then post-college, I started another project that I called Ryan B and the Dead Sea that was very country folk blues inspired. Started out as a solo thing. And I put out a couple of EPs, home recorded,
00:27:41
Speaker
and then decided I was going to put together a little tour and a couple of friends kind of volunteered if I wanted to fill out a backing band. So I got a bassist and a drummer and we rehearsed for about three weeks before hitting the road for about a week and a half around the mid-Atlantic, out to Tennessee and Kentucky and down in North Carolina, up into Maryland and around
00:28:09
Speaker
and played a week full of shows where the sound kind of evolved back into a louder thing with this full band. It was a great time. There's actually a mini documentary out there. The guy who was playing drums has gone on to have a pretty successful travel YouTube channel and he did a little mini documentary while we were on that tour. What's your name? So it's Katie and Eric.
00:28:37
Speaker
Katie is spelled K-Y-D-E, but Katie and Eric, they're based out of Tokyo these days, but they've traveled the world and documented it all very openly.
00:28:49
Speaker
Cool. Thank you. Thank you for, uh, for sharing that. Yeah. I, um, I was digging back in my head. Uh, I, uh, I liked seeing shows, uh, in the DC area and a very good friend, uh, of mine, uh, Sean Brown, I was the lead singer for a Swiss and Dag nasty. And I actually have four, uh, I have eight tattoos and he's done four of them.
00:29:14
Speaker
Yeah, i'm gonna bring this back around when he's okay. Very very good i'll leave it so take in the information I need to give you but um, Uh, but uh, yeah, uh sean, uh haven't seen him in a while and um, his partner, uh, michelle roberts Very good friends of mine and uh, so I have that strong connection over there to that area
00:29:38
Speaker
Also another band I'll drop before you go. Loincloth, I think it was Richmond, Virginia, which is a very good friend of mine's brother. I tell you, Portland, Oregon is the type of place where I found two loincloth albums.
00:29:58
Speaker
You know that I could purchase which is pretty particular in my opinion, but go ahead rock and roll Ryan Yeah, so, you know, I've been I know I mentioned when we were talking before my my journalism background That also started in Fredericksburg, Virginia at their little hometown newspaper called the freelance star and when we moved there we me and my brother Michael became friends with some folks, you know our age and
00:30:28
Speaker
middle school and high school, I was 13 at the time, who wrote for the youth section that the freelance star newspaper had. It was called the It section. And they cover music and movies. And it was, you know, high schoolers and middle schoolers doing full blown journalism, writing reviews, interviewing bands. So, you know, we decided my brother and I to go to one of these meetings and find out what it was all about. And the editor
00:30:58
Speaker
of this youth section was Dave Smalley of Dag Nasty and Down By Law. That's why I do this show, right? So I've known Dave Smalley since I was about 13 years old and
00:31:21
Speaker
Well, folks, I mean, we're indulging ourselves, Ryan and myself, your host, but really connected to DC Underground Punk 90. Some of it depicted in a documentary called Salad Days.
00:31:42
Speaker
So very nice to chat about this. But folks, what I'm saying is related to what we're chatting and laughing about, which is very wonderful and entertaining, is that there's a lot of good
00:31:55
Speaker
particularly that documentary Salad Days on the scene to acquaint yourself with like intense political energy, intense punk energy, intense scene energy. I really dig on that. Nice to chat with you about it. Absolutely.
00:32:14
Speaker
That's good on the music. Now, when I did the record scratch to pull us off and make sure we did talk about music, the question we were kicking around right then was the role of art. And I just want to open it back up and make sure if I, 10 minutes ago when we went down this road, if you had other thoughts at that intersection. So yeah, no. Yeah. So, so these days, you know, as, as I write, I find,
00:32:43
Speaker
the things that I can turn into comics that I enjoy writing and drawing actually tend to stem from my anxieties of just everyday life. Without getting into writing, kind of woe is me, auto bio comics, I channel these into my style of cartoonishness that
00:33:09
Speaker
still feeds off those those anxieties. Sure, sure, sure. A lot of them, you know, I've written comics, you know, recently about, you know, the the situations that I come up with my head while walking my dogs in the morning. And you know, what would happen if you know, one of them got off leash, but, you know, they're sniffing around a sewer, what happens if they slip out of their collar and decide to go investigate that sewer a little closer and just running these scenarios through my head as I'm, you know, walking my little
00:33:39
Speaker
you know, Docks and Chihuahua and our golden doodle of, you know, what am I going to do? And, you know, I come home and write a comic and channel that. And, you know, it's things that do, you know, really bother me or keep me up at night. But I get it out on paper and it seems silly, but and that's how my brain works. And so I'll focus on, you know, worst possible scenario that could happen in any situation. But I can try and make myself laugh about it and hopefully make others
00:34:08
Speaker
Well, I, uh, well, I don't know how I'm going to bring it back to, uh, Sean Brown and dogs, but I can Ryan. I don't know how, but I'm going to tell you how. So, um, Sean was a neighbor of mine and, uh, he said to me in particular, I was working at a bookstore, which is what English lit majors did back in the nineties. And maybe they still do. I don't know. Um, but he, they were taking a trip and, uh, they're like, uh,
00:34:37
Speaker
Ken, can you take care of of doggo? Now, Sean and Michelle taught me a lot very quickly about. The pit bulls and how pit bulls are raised and taught me a lot. I grew up in the city. There's all these kind of ideas about what dog breeds are and stuff. So they had a pit bull. Wonderful, beautiful dog. Very strong.
00:35:05
Speaker
And they're like, Hey, can you take care of the dog when we're gone? I'm like, yeah, you know, being a good neighbor and they're my friends and everything. And I was able to do it. So the first time I took out doggo, get to the sidewalk and he pulls off the leash and he looks at me like kind of like sits back, you know, if the dog's going to sit up back on the couch and like, look at you and be like, I'm just telling you what I can do.
00:35:28
Speaker
So come put the leash back on and let's take a walk and I'm like, okay So when you mention stuff around the dogs and animals I was like I get that too. Yeah No, I don't have kids worry about our zoo crew here for cats and two dogs of
00:35:53
Speaker
All the relationships good amongst the animals. Oh, they get along great. That's wonderful. It is nice to have that big energy when everything's kind of feels pretty good around the house. It's a great thing for you to have. I want to kick out the question. So we take care of all the the heavy lifting. You do weight lifting, too, right?
00:36:18
Speaker
I do. Yeah. Okay. Well, so we got weightlifting. Let me do this one. And you can, you can answer this one with the, you can answer the something rather than nothing question with the weightlifting or I'll talk about it afterwards. But the, uh, the question I asked all guests is why is there, uh, something rather than nothing? Um, I think, you know, touched on it a bit of, you know, for practical purposes of, I needed something to fill my evenings, um, for my current cartooning, trying to distract my brain from,
00:36:48
Speaker
you know, the things that were leading to nothing. But I've just always, you know, had that need to create. And not to, you know, I don't want to say to leave a legacy that, you know, that feels self important, but to leave something behind to leave some kind of mark. No matter, you know, no matter what it is, it's kind of always been there in the background of
00:37:17
Speaker
when I was making music, when I'm writing. And I think it's even stronger when I'm drawing, painting, making cartoons, having something right in front of me that I'm literally watching as I bring it into existence. It's a little thrilling on its own. Scratches that creative itch.
00:37:47
Speaker
Yeah, sorry, just kind of rambling there. This show is friendly towards the development of thought, including my own. Yeah, it's just that need and drive to create and be able to see what I'm making, be able to show people what I'm making. I don't know if it's trying to prove my worth to myself in some form or fashion that I have to be creating something.
00:38:16
Speaker
You know, I have a day job that's, you know, it's not a bad job, but it's a very mindless job. And I've been in the, you know, kind of the corporate world for the past decade since I got out of college. So I don't know if it's, you know, there's definitely some form of, you know, needing to do something for myself that's satisfying.
00:38:36
Speaker
Well, I hear that too and what you're saying, I mean, the need for it. I think I've had the experience in my life experience where I've known and interacted with just a lot of people, just a lot, a lot of people.
00:38:54
Speaker
You know, there's so much energy I think folks have towards, I don't know, whether it's some component of themselves or how we define ourselves narrowly. There's these energies behind us that I think with an artistic mindset or identity, there's a greater freedom to try to channel those out. Because for me, sometimes I'm like, I'm under the auspices of an artist and like, sounds weird, but like, don't fuck with me, like,
The Drive to Create and Leave a Mark
00:39:23
Speaker
Like you need to have some sort of thing with like creation where you could be like, I want to create and I want to do these things. And I think the word marks is something that really sticks out because I think of books, I think of sketching, I think of like leaving a mark. And that really sticks out for me as well. And that desires. It's well pointed, I think.
00:39:52
Speaker
Yeah, it kind of took me a while to get to that point myself and be able to tell myself that I don't have to be doing this for anyone else. I don't have to care. If no one ever reads my comics, I'm still going to be drawing. I'm still going to be doing this for me. And I had to get over that and convince myself of that.
00:40:20
Speaker
And I wish I had done it earlier in life with a lot of things, but I'm glad I have. And I would encourage anyone to have that conversation with themselves, you know, doubting, doubting yourself in any form.
00:40:36
Speaker
push the energy, you know, push, push, push the energy, push some of that out. Like, even if it's sloppy in a bit, just try to find some space, um, for it doesn't have to be pre-packaged. Uh, we close ourselves down a lot, man. I mean, I, I think we all do like, uh, this is what I can do this at this time. And then, and then when you cast some of it aside, you're like, huh?
00:41:02
Speaker
I'm not even quite sure where that thought came from. I might have floated in a long time ago and unanalyzed or something. So. Yeah, I've had, I've had ideas. I've had comic ideas sitting in my head where I tell myself or in the past I've told myself, you know, I'll get to this when I, when I can draw good enough, when I think I can, you know, do this justice and you know, there's some truth to that. You know, I'm going to sit down and sketch some things out, but you know, I got to the point is like, why, what do I mean once I'm good enough?
00:41:33
Speaker
Like I'm comfortable in my style of, you know, I've established this, you know, I'm going to get this out and just put it on paper. What am I waiting for? Go, go, go in and do for, Hey, this is a podcast, right? And I got a.
00:41:47
Speaker
created the One of the first or let's just call it the first I say that each time I say it podcast superhero the uncomfortable But important hero of siren bay the cyborg Harambe avenging spirit whose story is yet to be Told it has been written, but it's yet to be told you know so you got to dive into some of this stuff because
00:42:12
Speaker
Uh, because you can in tapping into that. And if it's absurd, or if I want to walk around and declare that there's a podcast superhero avenging spirit that I can.
00:42:26
Speaker
because it now exists and I will. So I appreciate your... I appreciate your art and contribution to the show. I will say it's a slight prelude to a conversation I'll have with Bonnie Bloomgarden of Death Valley Girls and things in the sky and UFOs and the Fantasticks. So I think these things are woven together.
00:42:51
Speaker
thanking you for your contributions to this galaxy. Yeah, absolutely. Glad to be of service. Ryan, where do folks find your stuff? Tell us where to look around. Mainly for my art, I've taken up base on Instagram at Awful Quiet, which I try and tell people is not just a screen name, but a descriptor.
00:43:20
Speaker
normally not talking too much. So this is the most I've talked about my art or anything in a while. So appreciate you bringing me out. Oh, my pleasure. Yeah. Yeah. And other than that, I've got a shop portfolio site, goodgradeokcomics.com.
00:43:38
Speaker
Yeah, and it's important to mention that website too because I know recent guests who put out zines and things like that. I've had a lot of listeners be like, if you're into zines and you're into some of that energy and the small collectibles,
00:43:56
Speaker
They can be affordable. You know, resources can be tight for some folks. But if you're thinking about getting art that's affordable, that is tradable, that has good energy, if you tap into that, then the website's a good place to check out and, you know, get some, get some good stuff. Yeah. And I certainly, you know, part of, you know, my whole thing, I try and keep things accessible, you know, price wise and content wise.
00:44:24
Speaker
I want anyone to be able to pick up one of my books. I keep everything, you know, cheap. I'll give my comics away if someone asks as long as I know it's going to someone who's going to appreciate it. You know, if there's anyone out there who wants to trade, wants to swap, you know, fellow creators, I'm always interested. And, you know, I'm a consumer of comics, plenty myself always have been.
00:44:48
Speaker
So well, we're creating we're creating more that we get a website something rather than nothing.com that
00:44:59
Speaker
We're building up, but I think the idea with the collective idea behind the show and being able to share in exchange, create the space for that. So we're going to try to do more and more to kind of make it easier for folks to access your work. And of course, if you're in the Virginia area,
00:45:21
Speaker
uh... checking out of ryan i a very close to what i consider a mecca of a cinema and film in comic book creators in portland but in oregon in general uh... it's uh... a vibrant climate in my jaw dropped when i first got here because i didn't know that so many comic readers were from portland i was living in uh...
00:45:46
Speaker
Madison, Wisconsin for a while and I knew stuff was going on out here, but I didn't know And then when I got out here, I'm like Are you shitting me? This person's a neighbor with that person and like you could just go up and talk to them I'm like, but they're comic book You know, so it's a it's a it's a good vibe so I like tapping into uh, uh into your work, Ryan yeah, yeah, Portland I I've never been out there but
00:46:16
Speaker
I've got friends out there. One of my best comic friends is Portland based and got floating world floating world. Yes. One of my bucket list shops to get to.
00:46:31
Speaker
Well, next time I go to Floating World, what I'll do is I'll take a video of me walking around and show you some items in there. One of one of the more fun episodes was with the Greg and Fake, the Santo Sisters comic. And
00:46:52
Speaker
We've something rather than nothing. The podcast has graced the adverts in that lovely publication. So I think this is a weird sleazy 1970s New York Lower East Side trading of comics and other ephemera. So
00:47:14
Speaker
It's a good vibe. Ryan, thanks so much for coming on the show. I really look forward to checking out Yara and of course Awful Quiet on Instagram. Check out Ryan on the website. Thanks so much for coming on. Really appreciate you. Thank you. This is something rather than nothing.