Last week I attended a public speech and book signing with graphic artists Seth and Adrian Tomine. I must say it was a pleasure and thank the Booksmith on Haight.
Seth talked about his early years, how he started by drawing Super-Hero characters but how eventually grew out of it, he also talked about his struggle during art school and early career. His passion for his profession is admirable. He talked about the loneliness of the cartoonist which is something that really resonated with me.
Adrian Tomine was often self-deprecating and absolutely mortified with his early work "Optic Nerve" which brought him early fame and was about to be republished despite his efforts to bury it in the past forever. In the end (and due largely to his publisher's insistence) the series will stay out for the public's enjoyment. The compromise was to make the format more suitable for the zines and at the same time more bearable for the artist. Instead of being book-bound, the zines will be collected in a simple kraft box. A medium that Adrian finds much more suited for the xeroxed stapled small zines.
We all have past work that we wish to bury deep down in the past. Adrian Tomine (and for that matter any other creative public figure) is an example on how to live with our past. By choosing a more original and organic format—and with a little bit of humor—Tomine puts his shame into humble perspective, and places things in context: a 16 year old young man learning to draw.
