Today we’d like to introduce you to James Robb.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My father was a businessman in the silver industry and as a result, I moved around a lot when I was a kid. A good portion of my childhood was spent in Mexico (shoutout to Taxco, Guerrero) and all over the US. My mom is an immigrant from Mexico herself, so I was able to grow up fluent in both languages and with an understanding of the cultures that came with them. This was an incredible gift. However, even though I grew up with access to a wide array of cultures and fun memories, the constant change also carried with it an element of isolation since I wasn’t in any one place for too long. This led me to immerse myself in my interests. Interests like history, science fiction, horror, and drawing filled my days. I’ve always liked artistic pursuits but I never really thought of them as a way to make a living. At some point, I realized that someone had to create the art in the games, comics, and animated shows that I had enjoyed my entire life. I then decided to give art a shot professionally. After many years of self-study, endless self-doubt, and many cheap instant ramen meals, I managed to land my first gig in the animation industry. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working with and learning from many talented peers on some exciting projects. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all the help I’ve had along the way.
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?
When I was 11 years old, my father tragically passed away. He was a kind and generous man who helped give me a wonderful childhood and foundation for life. It happened very suddenly and with little to no warning. My life and everything I had known up to this point changed completely overnight. I remember the days and weeks following his passing not even feeling truly real. On top of the deep emotional toll it took on us, my family became very financially troubled as well. We had many troubled nights where we didn’t know if we would make rent money or even be able to afford gas for our beat up old minivan. I remember being embarrassed about being poor. Having to pay for food using food stamps and not being able to go to outings with friends and making excuses as to why I couldn’t make it that day. Not having enough money slowly but surely drains away your dignity as a human being.
However, now I feel proud that our family stayed united and strong despite everything that we went through. We are still very close to this day. I admire my mother for always making sure we didn’t go hungry and for giving us the best life she possibly could, given the circumstances. These events threw me off the artistic path for a while because my sisters and I had to step up and help our mother in any way we could. Art was the last thing on my mind. The years went by and my family slowly recovered. I re-discovered my love for art during the first year of community college. Ultimately, I decided to not go to art school because it was still too unaffordable for me. Many years of practice, self-study, and struggle followed. I doubted myself constantly but the path I was taking ultimately felt right. Even though I still had challenges, it was nice to tackle them with hope for the future and with a clear vision for myself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a designer who works in the entertainment industry, specifically in animation. I have designed backgrounds, characters, props, and all sorts of other stuff. I am also interested in product design, fashion, and photography so I have been trying to do more work in those fields. I am interested in design challenges in any form and I try my best to have a broad array of interests and influences. I am proud of whenever I can create a piece of art that pushes me to improve my craft, lets me remain true to my original intent and feels engaging to the audience. I am always looking for the best ways to connect with the public and create interesting experiences.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a very loud and curious kid. I loved goofing around. I was always that kid that the teacher knew very well since I loved to stir up chaos. I always asked questions about everything and I wasn’t ever scared to try new things. Among other things, I was interested in video games, anime, drawing, reading, card games, comics, and I even had a skateboarding phase for a while. For a long time, I even thought I wanted to be an archaeologist. I was always nerding out on something or another and I pursued anything that piqued my interest 100%.
Contact Info:
- Website: jamestrobb.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jamestrobb
- Twitter: twitter.com/jamestrobb
Image Credits
James T. Robb
