CREATEaPRO.com

When I was 15 years old, I got my first taste of what it was like to get paid for a creative service– making t-shirt illustrations in our family print shop in Laredo, TX. Before that fateful period in 1991, I took it all for granted. The noise, the smell of the chemicals and the piles of freshly cut paper were just the set dressing that helped to remind me of where I was when I awoke from my after-school naps on the old pleather chair in Mom’s office.

If I could go back, I would have paid more attention. I would have started my education not then, but at 8, when I first discovered the blackroom they had stashed behind my uncle Richard’s light table. I would have spent more time studying the racks of lead type before dismissing them as just things that got my hands and homemade clothes covered in ink.

I’m not saying that I’m disappointed with how it all turned out. I’m not, by any stretch. Paying more attention back then would have made things easier for me later in life. In that shop, I had almost 20 people who would have been more than happy to mentor me and teach me everything they knew about things I had to learn on my own later on. Away at college, I quietly wished for advice and guidance from some of those folks who were by then long gone once the shop closed down.

It is in that spirit of guidance, sharing and advancement that I present to you CREATEaPRO.com. My goal with this site is to use my years of experience and insight to help equip and motivate you to launch or elevate your creative careers.

Who’s this for? Well, pretty much anyone who is trying to become or already a creative professional: The design student wanting to line up a good post-graduation job; The comic book artist trying to figure out a good way to pitch a book; The graphic artist wanting to break out of the corporate marketing department and into an agency; The new freelance illustrator who’s not sure how license out their work; The fine artist who’s just a little less than confident… I’m going to try and touch on a little of everything.

I hope you get as much out of this as I plan to put into it. Feel free to drop me a line or make a suggestion about what you’d like me to cover. I’m confident that together, we can launch some careers, expand our horizons and ultimately CREATE a PRO.

John Rubio