the ART DRONE
Artistic Evolution
The Larval Ascension by Jon Hunt & Brandy Rumiez [digital]
by Jonathan Hunt
“Survival of the Fittest” is a familiar axiom that seems to have taken on a lot of negative connotations. It’s a phrase that many people assume excludes cooperation, empathy or diversity. It’s a phrase that jocks use to put down nerds and multinational corporations snidely reference as they squash local businesses. But you know what? I’ve decided that I do not need to be cut-throat or subscribe to a dogeat-dog philosophy to be happy—or successful. Competition is one of the truths of existence in this universe. Species compete with each other for space and resources such as food and water. Strange and beautiful flora and fauna have evolved to take advantage of environmental niches that go unused by other species. There are even those creatures that have developed symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationships with other species. Humans have one distinct advantage over other living things on this planet. Our talents for communication and cooperation as well as our capacity for empathy, imagination and analytic thought are unsurpassed. Because we are creatures of both logic and emotion, we not only wish to survive but to thrive. We hear about businesses making the “hard decisions” to raise prices, layoff workers or move jobs to foreign countries because of “The Bottom Line”. In case you haven’t figured out the code, this “bottom line” refers to money—more specifically, immediate, 12
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short-term profit for those highest up on the totem pole. I am an illustrator, designer and author. I too run a business. I have bills to pay and a family to support. I also have a vested interest in the “bottom line”. But as every artist out there understands, the bottom line for us creative types is not just about cash (because let me tell you, there are far easier ways to make money than doing art). Even more than profit, every artist I know is interested in making art: Beautiful, fun, colorful, insightful, silly, brash, subtle, traditional, eclectic, meaningful ART. We do it not just to make a living, but because it gives us a reason to live. Waaay back when I was in art school, I was constantly reminded of how much harder it was going be once I went out into the “Real World”. It was as if I would be crossing some invisible threshold into a dimension where all the illustrators battled to the death over contracts. The funny thing is that despite those warnings, the curriculum did not adequately prepare me for the scenario that I was being warned about. Sure, I was taught to draw and paint and design by some incredible artists whom I respect to this day, but I wasn’t taught how to parlay those skills into a sustainable career. Luckily, I had two amazing professors who shared information about contracts and conventions and introduced me to a network of really cool professional illustrators and authors. Today, I am more than happy to do the same for my own students.