INTERVIEW WITH JASON BRUBAKER:
How did you get started writing?
I never really considered myself to be good at writing growing up, so I focused all my energy on learning to be a good artist instead. But as I started getting jobs in art, I noticed that art and storytelling could actually be the same thing. In fact, I learned that I could tell complicated stories without writing a sentence. All this time that I was drawing scenes and movie moments, I was actually writing stories.
Years later I decided to just see what people thought if I wrote and drew my own stories. I jumped right in, crafting a story the way I would like to draw it and the way I would like to read it. It ended up being extremely enjoyable to make, and people seemed to really like the art AND the writing. Now that I have a few books under my belt, I love to tell people that I'm not only an artist but also an author.
Who influenced you?
Growing up I was heavily influenced by many of the comic artist/writers of the 90's as well as the newspaper comic artist/writers. The idea that an artist could create something from scratch and it would be his/her unique vision was fascinating to me. I was rarely ever interested in an artist who went to work for Disney or any studio just to do what he was told to do. For me, the thrill of art was all about those individual artists and writers who created their own vision from the ground up.
Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?
As for a book, subject and characters, I love reading the Bible, and it seems like I am always pulling from characters and themes in it for my own stories. I love the subject of the spiritual battle which we cannot see and that requires enormous faith in order to even grasp. I think faith is a subject that everyone struggles with, and it always seems to be a reoccurring theme in my stories.
On the other hand, my favorite settings are either an alternate universe or post modern world. This allows the reader to genuinely not know what will happen next because they are unfamiliar with the world. I love stories where you are learning about the world as you are reading the story.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?
Only write about what is really important to you. Don't chase what everyone else is doing in hopes of finding a hit, or you will always be chasing what everyone else is doing.
Where is your favorite place to write?
Alone in my studio. I need it to be quiet so I can really think about what I'm writing. I can't write in Starbucks like everyone else can.
What else would you like to tell us?
I just wish every artist/writer would start a Patreon.com page for their project. This platform is really shaping up to be a blessing for artists to get a salary from doing what they love. If you haven't heard of the site, it's kinda like a tip jar for artists who create their own content. You can check out my page at www.Patreon.com/JasonBrubaker.