Meet Herbertonic | Artist

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

Hi Herbertonic, why did you pursue a creative career?
Serving in the U.S. Military taught me the importance of leadership and freedom, so I decided to trade in a Rifle for a Marker and grew my hair out; now I make Art! I am highly motivated by my passion for evoking emotion in my audience through writing or illustration. Sometimes I am an Artist that likes to scribble, and other times I am a Writer that likes to doodle, but I am always creating something new in the world.

I believe everyone has the ability to create or destroy, and in life there is a natural cycle of creation and destruction. My life has had its fair share of destruction. Destroying things is easy and can be dangerously fun. However, I have found that creation is harder and takes more skill. Creativity can be seen as another form of intelligence and I like to make smart choices. I hope to constantly keep creating to leave my mark. Leaving marks is what my creative career is all about.

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 have always been fond of collecting and creating stickers. Paper stickers, vinyl stickers, stenciled, printed or hand drawn stickers. As a young adult I would create stickers and mail them all around the world to different countries. Those sticker artists would do the same and mail me their stickers. The point was to create a huge sticker collage where all the different artists around the world would be together in one place. It was a sticker-bomb-slap-attack for adhesive addicts. I had my sticker art on every continent.

After delving into the world of finance and retail stock trading I thought it would be a good idea to solve a problem. The problem was that retail stock trading stickers were not mainstream, and I was going to change that. I started to create stickers for investors. I thought they could stick them on their computer equipment used for trading. They could stick them on their brand new Lamborghinis. The truth was it was a complete failure. Retail traders and investors don’t want stickers, they want profits. A lot of my friends told me early on I should turn the stickers into NFTs. “What in the world is an ‘NFT’?” I would ask them.

My Tower Squad brand was created and developed as a fun form of self-expression that has paved the way into the World of Non-Fungible Tokens. I believe in inspiring others, stimulating the human mind, and evoking emotion in my audience. My current flagship production is a Profile Picture project featuring a Giraffe.

My latest project is called, “Tower Squad: Origins” and is found on the GameStopNFT Marketplace. This collection features four different factions fighting for control of their realm. There are currently 52 unique characters and more are planned to make an appearance.

Why Giraffes?

Well Giraffes have the biggest heart of any land animal because they have to pump all that blood up all that neck. They are a symbol of love. When you “Go Long” in finance you are “Bullish” or hope the underlying value increases. The truth is when I was in grade school making flip-books out of post-it notes instead of paying attention in class, I would also draw Giraffe fur patterns on my school work. They were like crazy fun bricks I would piece together. Thus the legend was born.

Connecting with my audience has always been something that I’ve strived for. I begin by engaging their interest. I enjoy telling stories, describing characters, situations or scenes. Sometimes the best story is the one that isn’t told through words but instead derived from empty space, tones, shades, and lines. The most dynamic stories are born inside our heads as we fill in the blanks. The gaze and smirk of a character can speak volumes.

This connection is established through my unique brand of self-expression consisting of imperfectly hand-drawn lines and flat colors. I hope to convey a playful mood while still retaining a pinch of seriousness. A good example of this particular blend comes from the juxtaposition of dangerous objects next to cute items. This contrast is stylized with bright colors and bold lines.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well first things first, rent a Lamborghini and drive to Las Vegas. We would throw some bones, eat some shrimp, and put it all on black. Upon returning from the City of Sin to the City of Angels we would make a pit stop at the Farm Animal Sanctuary to touch some Cows, Pigs, Goats, Sheep and Donkeys that were saved from the Meat & Dairy Industry. Learning to paint while consuming Cannabis might be something my friend would be interested in so a Paint & Puff or Blaze & Brush class is a must. Going to the Crumbs & Whiskers Cat Café to pet rescued kittens while sipping on Coffee is a wholesome experience. Hiking through Runyon Park then having ice cream at Mashti Malones to fill in the burned calories to retain proper Dad-Bod-Balance. Then a picture at Matt Groening’s Hollywood Star which is also right next to The Simpsons Star because my friend loves 90s Cartoons.

There is so much to do in Southern California that a week-long trip could never do it justice!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is dedicated to my wonderful Wife Boudicca Bar and our loving family of pets: Johnny Rocket the Indian Pariah, Wurmy the Chow-chow & Blue-nose heeler mix, Lexi Panterita the Junkyard cat, her brother Dr. Bentley Burton and our two fat hamsters, Sushi Roll and Lil’ Truffle. We laugh together, we cry together, we eat together, and we love together. I believe one day we will add other creatures to our Zoo to include: Rabbits, Pigs, and maybe even one of those Human Baby things.

Website: https://www.herbertonic.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/Herbertonic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Herbertonic

Other: https://nft.gamestop.com/user/Herbertonic https://loopexchange.art/collection/facesofdrs

Image Credits
Boudicca Bar