After years of false starts and mental health struggles, 'hustlerbyname' drew his first comic when he was 30 and immediately fell in love with the art form. Better late than never!
His early efforts were mainly autobiographical. "Write about what you know" as they say. It was a good subject to begin with as he didn't know about anything else, and it was a cathartic way to express inner struggles of a struggling artist in the hope that others would relate. He has always felt like he didn't quite fit into society and comics turned out to be the perfect way to explore that 'outsider' status.
After a few years of this, he realised that he was actually a bit of a boring fella, and if he wanted to take his work to the next level, he had to start talking to people who had much more to say about the world and its injustices.
Hustlerbyname turned himself into a conduit for other people who could enrich the page with experiences and understanding far beyond the puny artist. The work that followed, in turns advocated for better understanding of mental health issues, explored the power structures of high society, the toxic side of celebrity culture, and has taken a deep dive into the history of repression of the working class.
The whole world is open for scrutiny, and hustlerbyname is only just getting started.
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2025 03 26 - Therapy is cool...