Which Category best describes you?
Amateur Artist
Area(s) of Interest or Expertise:
Drawing, oil painting, digital colours
My Testimony: (We encourage members to share briefly about how their faith in Christ has impacted their lives.)
I was brought up in a non-Believing home and I was free to follow my human nature until I was about 18. I was very rebellious throughout highschool getting worse and worse, staying up all night trying to steal things from cars. I was smoking marijuana and binge drinking every weekend. My identity was wrapped up in being a Heavy Metal lead guitarist and I was fascinated by vampire movies. My health deteriorated and I felt like God kept disciplining me but I was running away. The universal truth ýou reap what you sow' was becoming evident and I started seeking answers to the big questions. I read the Bible and met some Christians who I recognised were living in a completely different Spiritual way. I kept learning more and experienced the presence of God in prayer. Finally I heard the Gospel preached powerfully and God opened my eyes to His love and redemption available to me and I have been changed by that experience ever since. God kept challenging me to change my ways and to distance myself from sin. I think it took me about 2years before I was comfortable telling non-believers including my family that I was a commited Christian because my previous lifestyle was so different.
I had to give up the idol of trying to be a guitar god and playing in bands especially as I had developed tinitus and hypermobile eardrums from loud volumes. However, God lead me into a popular Christian band called 'sons of Korah' in about 1995 who I performed regularly for about 6 years as a singer and guitarist. This was a good discipleship for me visiting hundreds of Churches as I was trying to figure out what I believed about different styles of worship, preaching and Church ceremonies.
I gave up listening to secular music for about 8 years however later felt after I had 'detoxed' from my evil influences that I needed to listen to talented secular artists as well as Christian music in the interests of culture. I try and make my art and music relevant and continue to grow and improve as an artist.
Since this time I've had a lot problems with marrying an unevenly yoked woman who claimed to be a Believer but wasn't. I don't fully understand God's plans, I know He's not a Genie in a bottle to grant our wishes but He challenges us and helps us in strange ways at times. I'm still commited to live a life that honors God and daily pray for His strength and protection to navigate all the pitfalls of life.
Dream Job: (If you could have your dream job in the comics industry, what would it be?)
I'd just love for the message of Jesus to get out there. I believe we the Church should be doing everything we can, including all kinds of media, animation, comics, movies, billboards to do that. And also just being good people, making real friends and helping people. I love making music, drawing, animating and making 3D models so I hope to keep using what I have to be put to good use.
Favorite Comic Creators:
Kim Jung Gi, Hayao Miyazaki, Herge, Javier Saltares, Jiro Taniguchi, Naoki Urasawa, Laura Hollingsworth, Matt Baker, Gene Lueng Yang
Comments
yeah it's great to see aussie artists representing. I really like your Prodigal stuff especially, great backgrounds! I got work with the Bible Society through a friend who already worked there. It's not what you know...are you trying to get work there also? Have you sent them a portfolio?
I think your art is of a very high standard already, so I'm not sure what you meant. And I'm not that old, really. A few years younger than you it seems ;)
Alter Ego is a magazine about comics - mainly from the 70's and earlier. Edited by Roy Thomas of Marvel and DC fame. It's nice to be emailing and doing bits of art for one of my childhood heroes.
Nice to meet you.
Sons of Korah? I've just got back from Faith and the Arts in Poatina
where Rod Gear was the music maestro! (Were you in the band while he was out of it?) A fabulous week in all and really helped recharge my creative batteries! I did Creative Writing as an elective, even tho cartooning is my first love!
Thinking of being an Ambo? Well the job certainly did good by me - tho now I've definitely had enough. And like you, I'm now 'struggling' to find a new career. What's the saying...'at any given time, 50% of people are in a state of transition'...or something like that. (I'm probably seriously misquoting the figure there :-)
Ciao,
Shane
Peace,
Amy.T
Sorry to take so long to reply, presure of work! Thanks for the samples, I really like the contemorary take on your style. Keep it up! Jeff
I visited your site and saw the one page stuff. The thief on the cross is appealing, but I think for our people it must be more explanatory for most of them it is something new and strange. How do we get the strange and new ideas across the people especially their literary skills are very low. This is not to discourage you but to think about making the message more descriptive so that it may provoke them to think about it more!! Do you feel that I am strange!!! Don't give up brother.!!!
J.
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