Meet Edwin Gomez | Independent creative & mentor

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

Hi Edwin, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?
Growing up in the inner city gave me the opportunity to experience the multiculturalism the city of LA had to offer. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, my family moved from the Aliso Pico projects in Boyle Heights, California, to a home in South Central Los Angeles.
Growing up in a working-class family, I was never formally introduced to the arts. However, as a young boy in the ’90s, I developed a passion for cartoons and comics, which eventually led me to create my own stories filled with the characters I experienced through my home away from home, the inner city.
Having to take the bus to and from school would put me on a long bus ride between South Los Angeles, Downtown LA, and Boyle Heights.
Not knowing or expecting anything from my bus ride this gave me access to discover the hidden gems scattered as hidden easter eggs waiting to be discovered.
Diversity became my playground, and my comic strip-like stories had found the voices they needed to expand into my newfound artistic playground.
I never thought of arts as a career option it was more of an escape from the reality of growing up in the lower to middle-working-class community I called home.
Drugs, gangs, crime, and discrimination would have become a bigger part of my norm if I hadn’t immersed myself in my fictional reality.
As a college student, I knew I loved the arts and understood my passion: I had a passion for the art of storytelling.
Cartoons and comics played such a vital part in my development as a young artist that I decided to pursue a career in the arts with a minor in media and animation.
In the late 90s, I was fortunate to work for a non-profit The Rogelio Flores Foundation based in Boyle Heights CA, which had a section of the foundation focused on bringing awareness to inner youth of their indigenous connections to art and culture.
Through that experience, I had my first opportunity to visit the Walt Disney Company, which brought me that much closer to finding my reason for pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.
The stars aligned, and at the end of this event, I was approached by a Disney writer who took me under her wing and taught a young inner-city boy how to be a professional artist in a color-blind society.
I have many reasons for pursuing a creative career, but at its core, my reason will always be the amazing worlds and stories I could create outside of my reality. And

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.
My career as an artist has changed and evolved through the decades and I have grown as a creative with every change I’ve experienced.
As a young professional, I started my career as a muralist at the Rogelio Flores Foundation a non-profit in Boyle Heights CA.
Working as a muralist helped me understand the importance of visual storytelling, understanding the importance of color, and finding my subject’s visual spacing.
The idea of being a muralist was a dream come true. The pride I felt in beautifying my community and bringing to life Indigenous stories for generations to appreciate made me feel like a muralist of the past like José Clemente Orozco.
Learning new techniques from experienced muralists and skilled artists helped me learn to see my surroundings and appreciate my working-class community and the stories they painted every day.
I then transitioned into a career in the entertainment industry as an intern at the Walt Disney Company as a conceptual designer in their consumer products department.
Working in that creative forum took my appreciation for storytelling and helped me understand how to expand my creativity through the art of team-based development.
Working under creative director Chris Takami helped me understand the power of creative energy and how to develop a relationship with the product you’re creating.
Our young intern team at Disney grew from every situation we were placed in during our days of working production.
Some of my favorite memories of working in production at Disney were pitching stories to creative directors from different departments.
Working in a team on stages of development to create story-driven pitches and being able to experience everything the Walt Disney Studio has to offer.
After my venture at Disney ended my career took me over to Hollywood Ca for an opportunity at Klasky Csupo the animation company behind Rugrats where I was given an opportunity to work on every aspect of animation production.
At Klasky Csupo I worked on every aspect of pilot show production. From story development, storyboarding, character design, character rigging, layout, and animation production.
Having an opportunity to learn every aspect of animation helped me grow as a creative professional in the animation industry.
After working on animation production I was given an opportunity to become a college professor and I leaped into the collegiate ranks as a professor of animation entertainment.
Being an educator took my passion for the arts and animation to a new level of appreciation and understanding.
The change in perspective you need to take when you become an educator creates a new appreciation for the industry you’ve loved as a professional artist.
Mentoring and molding young students looking to transition and enter your industry is a responsibility I don’t take lightly and I always make sure I give them the insight they need to reach their goals.
I now find myself working as an independent creative working on independent animation productions, a High school teacher teaching entertainment, arts, and animation, and still mentoring and educating as a college professor.
The one thing I’ve learned through my decades of experience as an artist has been family comes first and how to be adaptable because life is full of adventures.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living and experiencing everything that our multicultural communities have to offer would be my recommendation as a great location to visit and check out for food, entertainment, and a true perspective into the beating heart of LA!
My heart will always be linked to the East Side of Los Angeles. I love the food culture and the working-class people that make up our community.
Restaurants like El Tepeyac have been a staple in the Boyle Heights community.
Locations like Mariachi Plaza and its iconic mariachis playing and giving you a taste of the beautiful Mexican culture.
Discovering and showcasing the historic murals that make up the history of our multicultural city brings anyone closer to the story of our beloved city of angels.
I love the hidden treasures our city has to offer and continues to create!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We all need a little support in life, and I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with a wonderful family that has been by my side through the rough patches in my creative career and have helped me appreciate the creative successes I’ve experienced in my professional career as an artist.
I would also like to thank my parents who helped me understand the importance of being proud of where I come from as a first-generation Central American.
Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who’s ever mentored me through my career as a professional artist.

Website: https://Dropcloth.org

Instagram: @Dropclothartstudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwin-gomez-85170a14