Check Out Blake Eason’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Blake Eason.  

Hi Blake, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Art has always been a passion of mine and I’ve been drawings since a young age. I would spend many days drawing characters from comics, movies, and video games, and creating my own characters. Most of the time I was drawing on whatever was available which was, line or plain copy paper that was around the house. 

During school, I was always seen as the quiet art kid. I didn’t have many friends that lived near me so I would draw before, during, and after school to keep myself occupied. Over the years, my interest in manga and anime grew, and so did my interest in Japanese culture. The dynamic art and various stories captured me. I would spend hours after each issue or episode creating my own characters. Around this time, I also explored skateboarding, studied Japanese, and volunteered on the Youth Advisory Board. After high school, I worked various temp jobs until a became a server at Steak n Shake. While I was there, I would work full time and take a handful of art classes KVCC. 

I set up my first booth at an anime convention in 2010. Up until that point, I was just selling commissions on DeviantArt forums. After that convention, I wanted to cut back on my hours at Steak N Shake to focus on my art. I also switched to working at Studio Grill for a little bit, which is around the time that I started sharing studio space with the Exquisite Corpse collective at the Park Trades Center. From there, I was making art at any chance I could get, including drawing on napkins at work and at bars. 

One day, we were slammed at work, and I started feeling strange. Lightheaded and short of breath. I went to the bathroom and proceeded to have a panic attack. I don’t remember how long I was in there, but I could tell I was getting exhausted from being in a busy environment all the time. And it was sucking my energy to make art after work. I worked there for about a year before quitting pursue working full-time as an artist. 

I didn’t make it very long. I had about 3 months saved up for bills and I would have been fine; but organizing, planning, and staying focused were always a challenge. I eventually picked up a job working at East Egg to help pay for some of the bills. It didn’t take long before I began working full-time, but I continued to explore art whenever I could. I continually experimented with all types of media, watercolor, acrylic, oils, pastels, colored pencil, pencils and ink, and digital. In my free time, I would up at art hops, and comic conventions, sell art online, and volunteered for Kalamadoodle. 

Around the time I worked at East Egg, I became known for drawing plus-size characters on Instagram. It started off with me studying various body types for practice but continued because of the feedback and personal stories I received. The majority of my audience are women, and they loved seeing characters that looked like them. So, I continued creating those types of characters and taking commissions. 

As time passed, I began experiencing more anxiety and depression. Focusing on projects became even more of a challenge. I eventually looked into inattentive ADHD, and everything lined up to everything I experienced, but I have not been officially diagnosed. 

In 2019 I got a job working at Amerifirst and moved into the Milwood neighborhood with my girlfriend. Soon after, I found out my brother had stage 4 lung cancer. Months passed, and he eventually needed a place to stay for hospice care. And so, I invited him to my home where he stayed for a month before passing in March of 2020. Days after his funeral, the world went on locked down. My mental health began declining rapidly, and this led me to seeing a therapist for the first time. My mental health was still rocky when me and my partner split, but I was able to work through it with what I learned through therapy. 

I now live alone with my cat Fluffy, and I still work at Amerifirst. I continue to draw and paint, but not nearly as much as I used to. Most of my time is spent on self-care and learning game development. My goal is to explore storytelling through video games and provide fun experiences for people to learn from. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road has had its peaks and valleys. Along the way, I struggled with confidence, focus, and organization. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
My work has been a mix of traditional and digital mediums. I’ve worked on children’s books, book covers, character design, flyers, and various other commissions that have come my way over the years. Currently, I believe I’m known for portraits and plus-size mermaids and fairies. I’m proud of both because they seem to bring people together over a shared interest. What sets me apart with portraits is my loose style and ability to capture a likeness. For the plus-size characters, I believe it’s my semirealistic and colorful style that attracts people. In the past few years, I’ve been looking at game development as an art form. Programming and 3D modeling have sucked me in. I look forward to creating projects where I can apply a variety of art skills. 

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I love exploring resources that help in all areas of life. Notion is an app I discovered in the past few years, and it has helped me stay organized. I also really love Procreate for digital art and Nomad Sculpt for 3D modeling. For eBooks and Audiobooks, I like to use Scribd. I’m currently learning Spanish, and Duolingo is my go-to app for studying. I also cannot forget YouTube; it’s been one of my favorite resources for learning how to do something. 

A few books that I really enjoy are Start With Why, The Alchemist, Show Your Work, Imaginative Realism, and Ready Player One. 

My podcast interest fluctuates, but right now, I listen to Up First, Huberman Lab, Lex Fridman, and Breaking Points. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blakeinobi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Blakeinobi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blakeeasonart
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blakeinobi
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrqi_4QzXjMf2PsQQwkFKqA