"At some point in 2010 I was going through a crisis due to some issues at work, so I decided to start this blog as a way of trying to find what I was doing wrong", as described on SNOTM. Lets learn more about Alex and his blog in a quick interview with him below:
Alex, please introduce yourself to E-junkies.
Hi, I'm Alex Noriega, an almost 30 years old cartoonist from Barcelona living in Mozambique. My girlfriends works for a Non-profit here in Maputo and I get to bum around and draw my comics in our apartment. I love her.
Great! Firstly let's talk about your very charming blog 'Stuff No One Told Me'. What is it all about?
I explain a bit about it in the blog. I actually was working for a huge fashion/textile company (I won't say it's name) and I had a very nasty incident with a few people in the office. I also don´t want to explain too much about it, because I'm making a graphic novel about the whole thing, so, you´ll actually get to read it eventually. I started the blog as a way of trying to organize my ideas so that I could actually see and understand what was happening and why. It didn't work as I originally intended, but apparently people seemed to love the little cartoons. At first they were full of anger because I was upset with so many things in my life. Now it's more contemplative, I would say.
Can you recall any incident that made you realize you want to be a cartoonist? Do you remember your first illustration?
My grandfather was a landscape painter. It was his hobby and he used to take me out with him when he went to out to sketch near my parents house. I LOVED watching him draw. He passed away when I was 4-5 years old, but I inherited his art supplies and his passion. I never stopped drawing since then.
Your illustrations look amazing and are too hilarious. No doubt about that! What tickles the creative side in you?
Pretty much everything. I read a lot of comics and novels, listen to a lot of music and watch lots of movies. I love culture and art in general.
Prior to starting your blog, you've worked in corporate world. And now it's more than a year when you had started your blog. Would you like to share your blogging experience with us and how different it is from working in C-world?
I've been blogging in my sketch-blog since 2005. I started SNOTM over a year ago, so I guess I have a bit of experience about blogging already... it definitely has nothing to do with the corporate world. I worked for three fashion companies in the last 8 years and I 'm REALLY happy to be out of that industry. I actually plan on making a series of auto-bio comics about my adventures in the stupid world of fashion. It will be fun for sure.
Absolutely! Did you ever think that you will have such a huge fan following some day?
I never thought that SNOTM would get so popular. I'm very happy about all the attention I'm getting. It really makes it worth it and pushes me to keep drawing. I'm actually very well aware that most artists don't get nearly as much attention and that's a bit sad... artist tend to be insecure about their own work and need constant support and cheers... I wouldn't be nearly as productive as I am now if I knew people didn't like my comics.
Now, it is going to be a difficult one. You've worked on so many wonderful creations. Which one is the most special for you?
That's a tough question. Right now I'd say my most special SNOTM is the one about finding someone to laugh about everything with ( I don't remember it's number). It means a lot because that's pretty much my girlfriend and I ... we're constantly laughing about each other and cracking jokes. I love that.
Tell us about your ongoing project 'Anosmic'. When is it going to complete?
Well, Anosmic is a graphic novel that I'm working on. I started it at the end of last year and I have a bunch of pages already. It's about a very sad and stupid incident that happened in my last job and how I dealt with the whole thing. It's kind of a very personal story, with lots of "lonely" moments, where I'm pretty much the only character in the story for pages. Lots of inner dialogues too. I don't know when I'll have it really, but I'm aiming for 120 pages at least... so that will take me one more year.
Do you have any dream project?
Not really, I simply like very personal stories, so I love what I'm doing right now. I'd love to publish more books. But that's just a question of time... Time to keep working, that is.
Share the best compliment that you've ever received for your work.
I get quite a lot of fan mail and I love it. There was this kid who told me that one of my cartoons made him gather enough courage to ask out the cashier of a supermarket that he liked for quite a long time ... the girl said no, but the guy was very happy about it anyway... I liked that one.
That's really cute! So..a final words for our readers. Many other artists and bloggers would draw inspiration from you. What message do you have for them?
Just keep going. Art is an amazing career and it's very unfair that it's SO hard to make any money in it. Don't expect money, don't expect recognition, don't follow trends...just do it because you NEED to do it...because it's the only thing that keeps you alive and gives meaning to your life.
Very well said Alex. I am sure many of the budding artists and bloggers out there would draw inspiration from you. Thanks for such a wonderful interview. It was a pleasure to have you with us. Your blog is awesome and I look forward to more stuff by you on SNOTM.
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