Michigan Artist, How I got to this point in my life.
I have my Dad, Garry Kibbey, to thank for my “artistic talent”, as some would say, He always had the artists hand and was aspiring to be an artist in his younger years.
Wasted Time…
Most of my life I have lived under the roof of my fathers house, always shutting myself in my room and wasted my life playing Video Games, I loved escaping reality so much and figured my life wasn’t of any importance at all.
After moving on from grade school to high school, I decided to not attend my school and stay home because I had it in my head that we all die eventually, so why learn anything to better a life that will eventually be lost?
After dropping out of high school, I would play games from day to night every single day for 3 years, I was addicted.
One day I started experiencing panic attacks and thoughts of just ending my time in this world, I had wasted so much of my time and gave up on my education just so I could stay home and live the same charade every single day.
Something had to change
Three years after dropping out of high school and a year of panic attacks I had questioned my way of living and started talking to my parents about it. I needed to get out of the house, I needed an education, The only friends I had were ones I couldn’t physically be with, I was making no money at all and living off my dads paychecks.
I still remember my mom comforting me whenever I would text her about how fucked up my life was and how much of a disappointment I became, no matter how many times she told me she was proud of me I could never understand why she would be.
I was 19 with no education and living under my old mans roof…
I was dependent on him and living off his paychecks as a 19 year old adult
Something needed to change, I asked my dad if I could work with him at his job over at Tim Hortons, He told me he would see what he can do…
Things were starting to look up for me!
I was in my room a few weeks later, playing Dark Souls (I love the souls games <3) and my dad had came home from another day at the store, he handed me the application for the job, I had never felt so much joy and so much fear, my hands were shaking, it was my first step to adulthood but I knew I would have to give up gaming every day.
I was never so ready to change my life
I am now going on my 4th year of working at Tim Hortons and a proud owner of a 2009 Lexus ES350, as well as working on acquiring a GED so I can get an education, a better job, and a place of my own, all while making Artwork and working towards living the dream of becoming a full time Artist.
Why mention my Backstory?
I feel there is a message behind it, I had a point in my life where I thought life was not worth living, the truth is, It is most certainly worth living, you only get ONE.
That’s just a thought you put into your own head, it’s entirely up to you to make life worth living, you can better yourself and live a better life, change doesn’t just happen, YOU have to make it happen.
So what does any of this have to do with Art?
Nothing!, Art was something of a hobby that I wanted to get more serious about, I never left it, but I also didn’t practice every day as I should have, video games were a huge part of my life.
However, playing video games and experiencing the different worlds developers created really opened up a lot of imagination and ideas for my artwork, I did a lot of fanart for video games I would play and anime shows I would watch.
My artwork is heavily inspired by video games and anime shows, as well as other artists I continue to watch on Youtube such as Ten Hundred and Draw with Jazza.
Plans for my Artwork?
I’m currently taking commission work and making a name for myself in the art world, I have a long way to go but that’s where improvement of my artwork, continuously developing my art style, and most importantly, YOU come in!
In the future, I’m planning on creating and selling stickers, T-shirt designs, pins, and prints, maybe even smacking a few murals on a few walls in my area!
The ultimate dream is to be able to create a Youtube channel and showcase my artwork, share my experiences, make some tutorial videos, display my artwork in art shows, and overall enjoy doing what I love most and being able to make a living off of it.