We had the good fortune of connecting with Leo Garcia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leo, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I think it was a desire for self-expression and a lifetime of consuming media. It’s a very satisfying thing to be able to make something out of nothing, and even moreso when it’s something that nobody else is making and speaks uniquely to you. Working in TV Animation is a lot of fun, but I always find myself way more enthralled with the personal pursuits of artmaking.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I try to really just “go for it” and draw whatever it is that I want to see made real. As a professional, part of my journey was learning to stop wondering what studios wanted to see and just making things that I knew I liked and was good at. Getting to this point was definitely not easy. I think a lot of success is owed to dozens of people who push you along and hold you up when you can’t stand.

I learned that you can’t really make a path for yourself – there’s always someone who inevitably helps you get to taller heights, and oftentimes the growth is mutual. It’s so very important to be able to have peers on your same level so you can mutually develop and grow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely give them room to see things that they want to see, and as for things that I’d plan, I would show them around Koreatown, get some really nice KBBQ, maybe go to a Karaoke place. Little Tokyo is also a lot of fun. Lastly, I think Griffith Park is such a great time. I would 100% try to take a day trip up there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It’d be a very long list if I went into specifics, but my family has always been supportive and encouraging, and my longtime friends have been absolutely invaluable. It takes a lot to work your way up in skill and experience and eventually there’s bound to be lows that come with the highs, and it was my friends who helped me through the lows and allowed me to persevere and continue creating. I think that’s the thing I value the most.

Website: https://leogarcia.art/

Instagram: @hiyaleo

Twitter: @hiyaleo

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