Back in December 2022 I ran a creator-and-holiday-themed Q&A via my CANVAS Creator profile over on Webtoon.
Towards the end of the month I caught COVID for Christmas (which seems to be my new holiday tradition as it’s happened two years in a row now), and being too sick to keep up with the remainder of the Q&A, I told those following along that I would post the entire thing here on my blog as soon as I got it back up and running.
It was my intention to do so two weeks after I had said that, buuuut it didn’t happen.
So, now, it’s eight months later and it’s finally time to get this thing posted.
Without further ado, here’s my December 2022 Q&A.
Q. Who are your biggest artistic influences?
A. In no particular order, the Big Four for me are Mister Rogers, Brad Montague, Hayao Miyazaki, and Min Yoongi. There are so many artists whose works inspire me, but these four men have the most influence on my own work. I appreciate them so much.
Q. Would you rather have three feet of snow for Christmas, or no snow at all?
A. Growing up on the East Coast of the United States, I liked the snow and thought I would never tire of it.
But then I attended college in the Northwest, where it snowed… a lot.
I lived in my snow boots from October to April; I’d have to walk to school in zero degree temps; Walking across town was confusing because you couldn’t tell what was sidewalk and what was road. Everything was just buried beneath a blanket of snow.
And I slipped on sidewalks. And I saw other students slip on sidewalks.
One time I was walking home from campus and slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk, so the guy walking behind me tried to help me up… and almost ended up slipping and falling on top of me.
That was my life for four years, so no snow for me now, thanks.
Q. When is your favorite time of day to create?
A. I like doing illustration work mid-day and I like writing from evening into the night. This isn’t always when I get these things done, but it’s what I naturally default to. And I’ve learned that all of my best scenes and favorite For Humankind letters come to me between 1 AM and 3 AM. Even if I’m sleeping. The idea wakes me up and the only way I can fall back asleep is if I write down whatever is in my brain.
Q. What’s your favorite Christmas song?
A. Feliz Navidad and Dominick the Donkey are favorites in my family.
Though the song I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas is growing on me because my baby brother thinks it’s funny and keeps wandering around the house singing it in his little voice.
Q. Eggnog or hot chocolate?
A. Hot choco for sure. I try to like eggnog every year and I have yet to succeed.
Q. Tell us about your favorite medium.
A. SCREENWRITING. I love it.
I discovered screenwriting when I was fourteen and took to it right away, even though I knew zero about the formatting and structure. The first script I ever wrote was a 100-something page feature, then after that I started writing half-hour television scripts (which are roughly 23 pages), and this is the format I still (mostly) write in today.
I adore words written in all formats, but there’s something especially magical that swirls within my heart when I read the words of a screenplay. Screenwriting makes a story feel the most alive to me, and, in turn, makes me feel the most alive. I love it.
Q. What are you working on at the moment?
A. Currently I’m reworking my website, drafting an outline for a feature length script (which I haven’t done in eleven years, so this will be interesting), and writing for-fun episodes because when am I not. I’m also drafting up the next three For Humankind letters.
Q. What’s the best piece of art advice you’ve ever been given?
A. I don’t know if I have a “best” piece of art advice, but I recently came across this piece of advice from author Brandon Sanderson, which I really like and feel is applicable to all art mediums:
“WRITE IT BADLY. Write it badly, write it badly, write it badly, write it badly. Stop what you’re doing, open a Word document, put a pencil on some paper, just get the idea out of your head. Let it be good later. Write it down now. Otherwise it will die in there.”
Q. What is your favorite holiday treat?
A. I really like gingerbread and anything with a peppermint/chocolate combo 🔥
Q. Where do you find inspiration?
A. My three unfailing sources of inspiration are nature, music, and animation. Nature is comforting to me, so it’s worked in to just about everything I create. I find it makes everything a bit softer. Music is great because it helps me come up with characters, scenes, and the overall vibe I want a story to have. Animation is always pushing me to dream bigger for my stories because in animation literally anything is possible. It also inspires me illustration-wise.
Q. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
A. Every year my family decorates 2D gingerbread houses (they’re basically giant gingerbread cookies) and we decorate those houses with buttercream and an assortment of candies. Everyone gets their own house and decorates it to their liking, then we show off/explain what we made and try not to eat the entire thing in one sitting. I’m not a huge “traditions” person, but this is one tradition I genuinely look forward to every year.
Q. Ice skating or snowball fights?
A. Snowball fights. Not that I want people throwing things at me; I’ve just slipped and fallen on enough ice for one lifetime (see Q&A 12/2).
Q. What is your absolute dream job?
A. I would love to run my own creative studio where I can make whatever I want regardless of what medium it is (comics, animation, music, etc.). I would always be learning new things and expanding my skills while also getting to oversee the business side of things, which is a challenge I find very fun.
Q. What one thing are you most grateful for this holiday season?
A. I get to celebrate Christmas with all of my siblings! Well, give or take one or two of them, but still! It’s difficult to get all of us together since we’re scattered all over the place, so I’m grateful we can be together this year ‘cause they’re my best friends and I’ve missed them.
Q. What was your biggest holiday cooking or baking fail?
A. Last year was my first attempt at making gingerbread. I’ve been baking my entire life, so I’m not sure how I’ve never made gingerbread before, but that was my first time. Did it turn out well, you wonder? The world may never know.
My family was out of town and wasn’t going to return until a few days before Christmas, so I made gingerbread dough in advance and stored it in the freezer for us to use as gingerbread houses when everyone returned.
And when everyone returned… they all had COVID. So holiday plans (and my gingerbread) were forgotten as everyone was too sick to do anything but lay in bed.
I consider this a baking fail since I have no idea if my gingerbread turned out all right or not. Maybe I can search for it in the freezer…
Q. What does your work aim to say?
A. I want to remind people that they matter and that it’s good that they’re here (that is, exist). That’s what I try to communicate through my art.
Q. How has your style changed over time?
A. My illustration style hasn’t changed much over the few years I’ve been drawing, I feel, but I have definitely grown in my ability to execute my ideas.
My writing style has changed a lot, though. I started out writing strictly slice of life drama, then moved to strictly slice of life comedy, and now I write mostly fantasy, with a fair helping of drama and comedy throughout.
Q. How do you develop your art skills?
A. I practice… a lot. I also watch videos of artists talking through their creation processes on YouTube, and I study and analyze whatever art passes my way.
Q. Peppermint or gingerbread?
A. Peppermint! Peppermint has the power to instantly boost my mood, so I love it.
Q. Does art help you in other areas of your life?
A. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression since I was a teenager, and at that same time, by some miracle, I discovered that expressing myself through art gives me the strength to endure those struggles. That’s still true for me today. And in the times I’m spiraling downwards, art always has a way of helping me back up. 10/10 highly recommend.
Q. What do you think is the most important skill for an artist to have?
A. I think being able to make the art you want to make without worrying or stressing about how well the art will be received or how much attention from other people it will get is a skill that’s important for an artist to have.
Q. If you could spend the holidays in a foreign country, which one would you choose and why?
A. New Zealand! I just think it’s really pretty and would love to see it in person.
Q. Is there anything you would change about your comic?
A. The only thing I would make an adjustment to is the font I use in the comic. If I could go back to when I made the font, I would make the tail of the lowercase “a” a little more noticeable. I have no problem reading it since I know what I wrote, but the lowercase “a” looks very much like an “o” and surely there’s at least one person I’ve confused with it.
Q. What’s your current art/creative struggle?
A. I’m worried I’ll run out of ideas for my comic. I know the more I use my creative muscle, the more ideas I’ll come across, but I still worry.
Q. Have you ever gone caroling?
A. As a teenager, I caroled every year with all of the different groups I was involved in. It was an activity I dreaded each December, but I was usually in leadership roles for these groups, so I went. (Plus, my mom made me go haha.)
For a shy person like me, standing on someone’s doorstep and having to sing is a mortifying experience. Now that I’m an adult, I’m hoping to never go caroling ever again.
Q. Would you rather build a snowman, go sledding, have a snowball fight, or stay inside drinking hot cocoa?
A. Can I watch YouTube while I’m inside drinking hot cocoa? That sounds nice.
Q. How do you stay motivated when working on a piece that’s challenging?
A. I make myself sit down and chip away at it, reminding the part of me that thinks it would be easier to simply quit a challenging piece that I’ve faced challenging projects before and conquered them, and that I’ve become a stronger artist because I did so. I’ve done it before, so I already have what it takes to do it again.
Q. How often do you show your work to others and what is your feedback process like?
A. I very rarely show my work to others before I publish it. I do have a brother and a sister who like to write and draw, though, so I show my WIPs to them on occasion. They’re super useful to have around whenever I want to talk out whatever I’m working on.
And I don’t usually ask for feedback when I show my work because I tend to know what’s going well and what isn’t, but I do ask people what they liked about my work. It’s always fun to hear what parts of a thing I made someone else enjoyed.
Q. When are you next posting on Webtoon?
A. Sometime towards the beginning of next year! There is no set date, but I am hoping for February or early March.
I miss posting and sharing my comic with all of you, but my wrists and brain are very grateful for the break, so thank you to everyone for being patient and understanding. I appreciate you.
Q. How do you define success as an artist?
A. I keep having to be reminded that art is to express myself. If I’ve done that, whether I consider what I’ve created “good,” “bad,” or a “masterpiece,” as long as I’ve gotten across something I feel or something I want to say, I’ve succeeded.
Also, if I have fun making whatever I make. That’s important, too.
Q. What goals do you have for your comic in the new year?
A. I have quite a few goals for my comic this new year!
1: I’m publishing my comic into an ebook in the hopes of spreading my little comforting comic to anyone who needs it. I’ve already finished the whole thing, I’m just finalizing the site for it.
2: I’ve been learning the basics of animation and want to combine some of what I’ve learned with my comic to add some movement to it. I’m working on a little short and it’ll be up on my IG when I finish it.
3: I want to return from my break and also find a better routine for my comic creation so I don’t burnout so harshly this time ‘round.
Thank you to everyone who followed along with my December Q&A! I really enjoyed chatting and interacting with y’all. You’re great.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Let’s all agree to ignore the fact that it’s currently August
Olivia Forero 