Find us on all the socials: WacomXPDXFor episode 6 of ‘Why We Create’ we had the honor of sitting down with three-time Eisner Award Nominated Comic Book Illustrator and writer, Ibrahim M. Moustafa. Ibrahim is a Portland, Or based comic book writer, illustrator, car enthusiast, dog lover and time-loop afficionado. Ibrahim may be best known for his work on the Eisner Award Nominated publications such as ‘High Crimes’ and ‘Jaeger’, his work can also be found across several publishers such as Marvel Comics, DC Entertainment, Image Comics, Dark Horse and more.  You can also see his work in his newest book, ‘RetroActive’. For the first part of the episode (we had so much fun we needed to split this ep. In two parts) we discussed the daunting nature of world building, the cool tech of the future and of course, which Bat Mobile is the best.  We got to nerd out on the construction and concept of time loops, which naturally led us to discuss our favorite time travel movie. We hope you enjoy the episode and stay tuned for pt2. Dropping next weekWEBSITES: https://www.ibrahimmoustafa.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA:                IG: @ibrahim_m_art               TWITTER: @Ibrahim_M_Buy your copy of ‘RetroActive’ here: https://retroactivecomic.com/ Interesting things referenced in this episode: Edge of Tomorrow, MovieGroundhog Day, MovieAll You Need is Kill, Manga

Find & Follow us on all the socials: WacomXPDXSeason 2, Episode 5 of ‘Why We Create’, we sat down with educator, writer, doodler and mismatch sock wearer, Carrie Baughcum to chat about the power of sketchnoting.  Carrie has been a special education teacher for the past 24 years and one of the top advocates for sketchnoting. What is sketchnoting, you ask? Well, you’ll just need to listen to the episode. 😊 We’re kidding... in brief, sketchnoting is a form of note-taking, hence the “noting” part of it, but as you might guess it involves bringing more visuals into the process compared to typical note-taking, hence the “sketch” part. The best part about it, you don’t have to be the best at drawing to participate. Alongside teaching, Carrie has illustrated and published books on the process of sketchnoting and its importance in life and the classroom.  During our conversations Carrie shared with just how powerful your doodles can be, and the impact creativity can have on learners of all ages and abilities. To follow Carrie and her creative endeavors, or to find out more about sketchnoting and how to incorporate creativity into the classroom, make sure to follow her on all the platforms:WEBSITE: http://carriebaughcum.com/ IG: http://instagram.com/carrie_baughcumTWITTER: http://twitter.com/carrie_baughcum Doodle & Chat on YouTube: http://youtube.com/carriebaughcum

Find & Follow us on all the socials: WacomXPDXSeason 2, Episode 4 of ‘Why We Create’, we're joined by UK born and LA based cartoonist, illustrator, and musician Luke McGarry. In what we can only describe as our most sarcastic and most hilarious conversation yet, we chat about the everyday norms of growing up in a creative family, the value of laughter and most importantly the coolness factor one earns when receiving a cease-and-desist-letter. Throughout Luke’s career he’s had the opportunity to work with brilliant minds like Jack Black and Tenacious D, as well as highly rated publications like Playboy, MAD, The Hollywood Reporter. Luke’s also created posters for Coachella, ZEDD, Vans and The LA Galaxy. We also can’t forget to mention his most notable piece of work to date, the internet phenomenon known as “Sad Chewie”.   We hope you enjoy this episode and all of the hilarity in brings. We also hope you follow Luke's advice and never forget to "Live, Laugh, Pun". Make sure to find and follow Luke on all the social media platforms, you can also find more about his work and what he’s up to on his website: WEBSITE: https://lukemcgarry.com/IG: @LukeMcgarry TWITTER: @LukeMcGarryFB: @LukeMcGarry

Find & Follow us on all the socials: WacomXPDXFor Episode 3 of ‘Why We Create’,  we're joined by Portland artist, Jenn Ely, to discuss all things illustration, visual development and the emotional currency of films. As you browse through Jenn’s portfolio you’ll see that she is truly a master of her craft. Even our amazing discord community was curious if her grasp and understanding of color was science or witchcraft (jokes of course, although we cannot confirm nor deny Jenn’s magical abilities, her skills and color mastery are the direct result of her inherent talent, experience and education). In this conversation Jenn shared with us just what it means to be a visual development artist. What it’s like to work collaboratively on a team, and what it was like to discover the correlation between art and storytelling. Jenn’s worked on projects ranging from commercials to feature films to children’s books (link to her upcoming book, “The Gardner of Alcatraz”). Make sure to follow her on IG and check out her website/portfolio for inspiration. We Hope you enjoy this episode. WEBSITE: http://www.jennely.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/elyjenna/ 

Find & Follow us on all the socials: WacomXPDXFor episode 2 of Why We Create, we sat down with 3D modeler, VFX and character artist Lamarcus Harvey.  He’s the go-to person for all things character design and 3D modeling (he’s got you), a hardcore creature and monster fan, s’mores afficionado (it’s all about that charred sh’mellow) and tire rendering expert (kidding, of course).Lamarcus shares with us the importance of envisioning yourself in your work (BE the s’more, BE the orc) and the valuable influence a teacher can have on your life, your career and your creative journey.  Where to find and follow Lamarcus:ArtStation:  https://www.artstation.com/lamarcusharveyIG: https://www.instagram.com/lamarcus_harveys_art/

Find us on all the socials: WacomXPDXLoad up those rattle cans, grab your backpack and let's get ready to make our marks. 🖌️We’re back with another amazing season of “Why We Create” and who better than to launch us into the new year than Chicago native and multi-faceted creative, Amuse126.  Amuse126 is known for his ability to lure an unaware audience into the dimension of graffiti-inspired abstract illustrative and typographic art. During our conversation we discussed his early start in street art and graffiti, his love for typography and his unique perspective on how the art of graffiti is more like a sport that one might think.  From the most inconspicuous of locations, to the smallest of tags, all forms of expression and creativity are encouraged. We hope you enjoy the first episode of the new season.  WHERE TO FIND AMUSE126:WEBSITE: https://www.amuse126.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/amuse.126/  REFERENCES FROM THE CONVERSATION:KAWShttps://www.streetartbio.com/artists/kaws/http://www.artnet.com/artists/kaws/ STYLE WARShttp://www.stylewars.com/site/ 

Who doesn’t love a good festival, sprinkled with a dash of inspiration, education and of course some Creative Chaos. For this episode of ‘Why We Create’ we’re discussing all things creative chaos and Connected Ink. To give season one a proper send off, we figured who better than to speak with but Wacom’s own CEO, Nobu. And what better subject to discuss than Connected Ink, a project near and dear to his heart. Connected Ink is a 24 hour hybrid (virtual and select in-person events) happening on November 16th -17th. Head over to register and sign up for the newsletter here: CONNECTEDINK.WACOM.COM The theme this year is (you guessed it) Creative Chaos and our colleagues around the globe at Wacom are pulling together some amazing activations, discussions and workshops.  We hope you enjoy this inside look at what Connected Ink is and what makes it so amazing.We also want to thank each and every one of you for helping make season one so amazing. We appreciate you taking the time to listen to the show and look forward to sharing more amazing BTS conversations in season two and beyond. For more info on Satoru Kobayashi check out these sites:                       Heralbony Artist Profile                        Satoru Kobayashi story on Connected Ink

 Ep 11 brings us back to the early weeks of August and the exciting events Portland based footwear celebration, SneakerWeek PDX.  For this special live recorded episode of 'Why We Create' we sat down with 3D designer and emerging photographer, Brett Brown. We discussed everything from his long nights as a 3D modeler in the game industry to his journey into the footwear industry. Brett’s creative journey isn’t just limited to the 3D realm, he’s also taken the last couple of years to explore the world of studio and portrait photography.  For more info on Brett, you can find him on social media, or check out his website: Website: https://brettbrownphotography.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.brettbrown/   For more info on what’s happening at the Wacom Experience Centers, head over to our lnk.bio for links to everything we’ve got going on: https://lnk.bio/WacomExc  

In Ep. 10 of ‘Why We Create’, Surrealist illustrator, Author, and professional night owl, Rafik El Hariri, sat down with us to discuss the power of tapping into your own creativity. Based in Tripoli, Lebanon, Rafik has been a professional artist since 2016 when he was gifted his very first Wacom tablet by his sister. In that time, he’s contributed both illustrations and written pieces to, publications like Vice Arabia, Vouge, the National and many more. His style is a combination of peaceful color pallets mixed with whimsical textures and a dash (or two, or three) of surrealism. Add to that occultist symbolism and you’ve got the perfect recipe for images that allow Rafik to explore topics ranging from mental health and other “taboo” social issues. His illustrations create dreamlike space for viewers to reflect upon and relate to their own personal struggles, successes and all the feelings we experience as humans on this earth. Since our conversation, Rafik’s latest book, “I Found a Heart” , has been published (currently available in Lebanon), and was interviewed by The National News on August 17th, you can read the article here. To find out more about Rafik you can follow him on social media:IG rafikillustrationTWITTER rafikelhariri_https://rafikillustration.com/  We also had a special guest interlude for this episode featuring Art Therapist, Nicholas Keen. 

 We got 99 problems but this episode of "Why We Create” definitely isn't one of them.   For EP. 9 we sat down with UK based Illustrator, Animator and Hip-Hop appreciator, Ali Graham. Ali is best known for his adorable and wholesome illustrations of some of the greatest hip-hop legends of all time.   From his early years creating webcomics to one of his most popular series "99 problems", Ali's love and appreciation of hip-hop has carried his careers to new heights. Ali’s illustrations are a hilarious and tongue and cheek interpretation of what many would consider NSFW rap lyrics. By filtering these descriptive lyrics through the lens of innocence and all-around wholesomeness, Ali’s characters rank, on the overall scale of cuteness, somewhere right around the level of Muppet Babies. Now that those 99 problems have been tackled, you can find Ali crafting Lil Ye Land, a wholesome universe that takes our lil baby Kanye on a series of adventures. (you can play it here ‘CLICK’) . Its as if the hip-hop world collided with Super Mario, and of course tossed in some special cameos.  For more info on Ali, make sure to follow him on all the socials:@lil_yeYou can also find his work, prints and of course the link to download and play Lil Ye Land here: Ali Graham Link Tree