Source: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-jared-hudson/
We recently connected with Jared Hudson and have shared our conversation below.
Jared, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I do both! My art life, whether it was music years back or illustration now, I’ve treated my artistic endeavors like a professional hobby. It’s something I’m passionate about and devote most of my time to outside my day job, while also treating it like a full time profession. I work with my publisher, develop physical merchandise, books, handle commissions for clients when I have them open, etc.
I want to think it doesn’t have to be all or nothing when it comes to a “regular job” vs. creative field. I’ve done the freelance lifestyle in web design and development. While there is liberation working for yourself, the feast and famine lifestyle is more stressful than I would like to deal with. I’ve been lucky enough to find a similar job with a web agency that allows me to exercise my creative talents, guide the vision of projects, and delegate and manage them to a team.
The beauty is, this puts food on my table, keeps my finances stable, all while being able to go after my graphic novel project without the stress of keeping up with my mortgage! For me, this peace of mind keeps me in a much better mental state. It’s hard to be creative when you’re stressing about finances. I think I’ve found a great compromise!
If my graphic novel takes off and becomes the next AAA franchise, then I’d probably dive into it 100%, but those cases are rare (but certainly possible!)
Jared, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am the author and illustrator of the graphic novel Cashmere Sky. It’s a retrofuture coming-of-age action/drama driven by two brothers who uncover a grand conspiracy that could destroy the world. The short version is… cartoon cats haha.
I dove into this project blind at a grassroots level. My background was in music for years, but I had a major pivot to illustration when I was around 30 when I had a “creative crisis” in my life. I had a fire lit in me where I was going to create a world and a story that people could experience and enjoy.
My goal is to tell fun and engaging story for young adults that is heavily inspired by animation and cartoons. I wanted to tap into all the things we used to love as kids and re-imagine it for an older audience. The dream is to come full circle and make it an animation itself (movie or show), but the part I’m able to do is getting it down on paper over multiple volumes.
I believe I have something that is unique that an audience could really enjoy. The goal is getting it out there, promoting the brand and expanding the IP. I push myself constantly to get better, as delivering the highest quality experience possible is always the forefront of what I’m after.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Back when I was in high school, my ambitious younger self said that I wanted to make my mark in life and be recognized for something. While I reluctantly admit my ego was showing itself, I still didn’t want to be a drone going through life. As I matured and went through many experiences, this mindset evolved. I started believing everyone should do one thing with their life where they give back, whether it’s a service, a book, a song, anything. Put something new into the world because you existed in it!
While consuming is easy, it can become unfulfilling. I find that building something and being constructive has long lasting benefits. When I pursued illustration and comics, it wasn’t just about attaining a skill. It was about mental therapy, improving on myself, my attitude, and simply being a better person. After listening to so many industry pros, I was humbled by their values, views, and life lessons. I was learning that my own art journey could help me develop in a positive way. The hardest parts I learned were keeping your head in the game, developing a thick skin, and forming a strong discipline, especially in something as daunting as comics.
When I hear positive feedback of my work from readers and fans, it reminds me that all those blood, sweat, and tears have its rewards. I obviously have dreams of making this art journey financially rewarding, but that isn’t the core that drives me. I do this for myself first and get reminded by others why I started in the first place. It’s my therapy.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
For those that know me, an abundance of my life was in music. I played violin, was a drummer in high school and university jazz bands, did marching band, and eventually started writing music for orchestra. I eventually went to the Berklee College of Music and got a degree in film scoring. I had made many amazing contacts in Los Angeles to start my career and had planned to move there, but then the writer’s strike of 2008 happened. My life was put on hiatus since there was no work on the west coast, so I lived at home for about 3 years still working on odd job music projects and as an Apple Mac Genius.
In 2011, I got a job opportunity in New York City with a digital agency partnered with a record label. During this, I still had some unique opportunities from my same contacts in LA and helped arrange the 25th Anniversary Super Mario orchestra suite for Nintendo. I remember this happening with deadlines due at the same time all my belongings were in the back of a U-Haul truck, which I must say was a VERY stressful time in my life!
To make a long story short, my passion of music was sadly fading from view over the next few years. Between my own motivation and some drama emerging with my friends and LA contacts, I found it difficult to sit down and write unless I was hired to work on something. This got worse and worse and hit a pinnacle point around 2013.
I played this game called Dust: An Elysian Tale around Christmas of 2013. It practically casted a spell on me, awakening the kid that lay dormant for over 15 years. I felt like I was watching Saturday Morning Cartoons again, having that childlike excitement that I had completely forgot about. It was from this moment, I knew I needed a creative shift. I had been searching subconsciously for a year, and think I stumbled onto it.
It was from this moment I went 100% towards this new creative goal. I started remembering my childhood where drawing was actually my first love. I was nurtured into music (and still thankful for it), but art was something I went after all on my own, to the point that I had a reputation for it until I joined band in junior high.
Just how art got turned off when I started music, it came full circle when I rediscovered art. Since January 2014, I have not written a single note of music since I began my art journey. My 88-key digital piano still sits upright in the closet collecting dust and have repurposed my music desk as an art desk. I’ll admit I can get sentimental about it, but I have absolutely no regrets pursuing this new path. The journey has been rewarding and amazing so far.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cashmeresky.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cashmeresky
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/cashmeresky
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-lee-hudson/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fxscreamer
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/cashmeresky
- Other: https://www.fenrispublishing.com/cashmeresky (my publisher and book)
- https://bsky.app/profile/cashmeresky.com
Image Credits
I am responsible for all illustrations and photos.
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