Meet Leah Hayes | Illustrator and Graphic-Novelist

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

Hi Leah, how do you think about risk?
Basically everything about my career has hinged on a huge amount of risk-taking.

My first career risk was getting a freelance editorial job at The New York Times by knocking on their office doors of when I was 19 (with a physical portfolio in my hands). In retrospect it was a weak portfolio- it only had school illustration pieces in it at that point. But someone in the Art Department took a risk themselves by seeing something in me and offering me my first editorial assignment. Then I had that published piece in my portfolio and under my belt and I was able to move forward/upward from there.

My first graphic novel was published when I was 20 when I decided to submit an out-there, weird manuscript to one of the top publishers in the country, without even looking at their guidelines. In retrospect, it was pretty brazen, a little arrogant, probably kind of stupid, and a big risk. I sent the entire original graphic novel in an envelope- not a copy. I could have not gotten it back, or gotten rejected. But when they called me six months later and told me that they were going to publish it, I had the reinforcement to start my next novel and begin again.

I was offered a job teaching Illustration at Parsons School Of Design when I was 25. I had never taught before, had no teaching degree. But I said yes. It was terrifying and exhilarating. Since the day I entered my first classroom I have not looked back…and have since become a illustration teacher at several universities over the last 15 years.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am an illustrator and graphic-novelist. I’ve written several graphic novels, published by Fantagraphics Books, who I’m very honored to be represented by. My last graphic novel, “Not Funny Ha-Ha”, was a New York Times Best-Seller, and was optioned to make an animated series (still in the works). I feel extremely proud of these books. I just sold my first children’s book, which means even more to me now that I am a new mother.

Students often ask me how I got from Point A to Point B in my illustration career- it’s a hard question to answer because it’s so personal/different for everyone. But I would say that bravery, risk-taking, and a hefty amount of optimism have always been part of my trajectory. I think that I could have thought through some of the risks I took earlier on (I got burned by several jobs, situations, etc), but at the same time I don’t think that I could have achieved what I’ve achieved without that same risk-taking instinct.

I also teach Illustration and Graphic-Novel Writing at the university level, and I’m very proud of my teaching. I love telling my story and seeing the talent, and “career hunger”in my students. It’s inspiring.

I am a musician as well, and have produced and written songs for many artist, including Lil’ Wayne, Azealia Banks, Dillon Francis, and many others. Music is my other career and love. I moved across the country and signed to a music publishing company called Heavy Duty Music to write songs for other artists. I did it alone, and at a time in my life where I threw a LOT of caution to the wind in order to pursue that path. While I was doing that, I wrote my latest graphic novel. So there were sort of dueling careers going on, which ended up being very productive…despite looking/sounding insane to everyone else. It was weird to explain to a rapper who I was writing songs with with that I was also a comic book-illustrator, and it was just as weird telling my book publisher that I was writing songs for rappers. It’s been a strange but beautiful life.

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?
Los Angeles: playing/relaxing

-the park and dog run on Silverlake Blvd (I lived across the street from it), and for that matter: the entire Reservoir
-any stone stairway that creeps up a hill/tiny alley
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Los Angeles: eating

-L & E on Silverlake Blvd for a glass of wine and oysters
-Lil’ Dom’s in Los Feliz (for a hard drink after flying back into town)
-Musso and Frank’s for taking your boyfriend’s parents to dinner or for celebrating something
-the rooftop bar at Hotel Erwin for airplane landing/takeoff views
-The Country Store in Laurel Canyon
-PACE restaurant…for pizza and sitting next to Johnny Knoxville at the bar.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d love to dedicate this to my students over the many years. You have been a constant inspiration to me and I have learned more from you than I could possibly teach in a lifetime.

Website: http://www.leahhayes.com/

Instagram: @scarymansion

Twitter: @notfunnybook