When it came to bringing DISECTO’S character to life, it was more of DISECTO bringing me to life. A big part of me doing all this is for me to learn about myself and what I’m going through to make myself a better person and artist and that’s what comic characters should do for you.
Amongst every superhero and villain, each character created has their own unique person personality, struggles and superpowers. Have you discovered your superpower yet? There are many types of superheroes, from the HULK to SPIDERMAN. Not to mention, your parents, police officers, teachers, favorite players, military troops and anyone making a positive difference in your life.
The GORILLA-RILLA is a big inspiration for RAIDERS LEGACY 51. A superhero can be anyone who inspires you and lights that fire in you – an eternal flame (AL). I would like to share a personal story that inspired me to keep creating and to not give up in here. A superhero story.
One morning on my way to work, I came across a WWII magazine laying on a prison table. I took a quick glance at it and put it in my folder to look at it at a later time. I was in the process of creating DISECTO, so I knew the reference in the magazine would be useful for the WWII time period. Later that day, I was having a bad day after work. It was hot and it was just one of those days. There is nothing inspiring about getting eight cents an hour and working in the blazing heat all day.
In prison, they have this thing called unlocks. Meaning; your building door should open on time every hour to get in or out. On this particular day, the correctional officer in charge of opening the door on time was on the late train. It went from 1 minute to 5, 10, 30 and the next thing you knew the hot asphalt we were standing on felt like 120 degrees. It was extremely hot and it was starting to get frustrating. I wanted to get back to my prison cell so I could shower and get ready for my self-help group later on in the day.
Nobody wants to be in a small room with a bunch of other guys trying to learn, and everyone is sweaty and stanky. You can’t learn or focus like that. As I was there burning up and keeping my comments to myself, the heat started to get some other guys waiting with me all riled up. I needed something to help me stay focus and on point. I could not let the heat get the best of me. So instead of joining the angry birds and tweeting a bunch of negativity that was created by the lazy officer. I grabbed my stuff and found a sit-up bench to sit on.
Keep in mind, everything made in prison is made out of metal and steel, so I basically sat on a hot grill ready to sizzle my buns. It was so hot, I could not even feel the heat anymore. After separating myself from all the negative energy, I pulled out that WWII magazine I found laying on the table in the morning.
Saving time in prison is critical when your in RILLABILITATION mode, so I took advantage of the situation to skim through the WWII magazine for references. As I was looking for clothing references for my next paintings, I had no idea what was going to happen next. Find out how DISECTO’S character brought me to life an inspired me to create regardless of my situation.
Stay tuned and JUST CREATE BABY!
Always remember life is short every second is important you are the only person responsible for you stay are your path we all live in this crazy world but you are you and that’s what matters