Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio R. Lyons.
Hi Antonio, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey started out like any artist’s, An idea was developed and brought to life. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, I began my art journey at an early age. Creating my own original characters and homemade comic books. At the age of 18, shortly after graduating from Henry Ford High School, I desperately had the urge to master my craft and chase after my dreams of becoming a Professional Artist. I took a risk and moved to California where I majored in Animation & Game Art for the Art Institute of CA-LA. Due to financial difficulties, I was unable to complete my college education. I stayed in class and hung around the college trying to learn as much as I could before being forced to end my journey at the Art Institute. That may have been the end of my tenure in college but it wasn’t the end of my Art Journey. I continued my education from home, expanding my knowledge with store-bought books, online tutorials, and many countless hours of practice. I used whatever I could get my hands on to further my education.
Back in 2013, I was introduced to a film director seeking a VFX artist. At the time, my skill set was limited to just art which resulted in losing the opportunity to work in film. I told myself that I would never allow myself to be put in that position again and thus began to self-teach myself Visual Effects. This opened many doors and was the beginning of launching my own business and the start of Afterrealm Creations. I was offered my first VFX gig by an old College friend named Polaris Castillo who needed a VFX Artist for a music video he was directing at the time. This was just the beginning! This project led to multiple short films which led me to being hired for my first short cartoon for “Pure Silk Durags” and the first Feature film “Granite Rapids Moon”. I have been fortunate to have met and worked with Michael Angelo Saulsberry, member of the 1990s RnB group Portrait.
Michael taught me to keep things simple. You don’t always have to display that you’re this phenomenal detailed Artist in every project. The Client usually already knows you’re good which is why they hired you. Sometimes just getting the project to look good and out the door is best. The harsh reality is most individuals have a deadline and don’t have time to wait on a perfectionist. Another individual who contributed to my business start is my business collaborator Shaun Bolden of Zenobia Records. Her faith in my abilities and abundant knowledge has been very valuable in the growth of Afterrealm Creations business ventures. I have been fortunate to cross paths with many directors, producers, artists, and celebrities that have helped and mentored me into becoming the artist I am today. One notable mentor is Comic Book Artist Dominic Glover. With his help, Dominic showed me how to better turn my talents into a business and opened my eyes to selling at comic book conventions. Being surrounded by like-minded individuals and the desire to acquire something more from life than working and paying bills was all the motivation needed to start Afterrealm Creations. This has led Afterrealm Creations and my work to be featured at various expos, College seminars, local businesses, newspapers, and film.
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?
Just like most individuals, I’ve experienced many challenges and false starts over the years. I’ve encountered poorly chosen business partners who didn’t share the same vision or passion as mine. I’ve even encountered many financial hardships that caused my business to suffer. You can blame this and that for your failures but at the end of the day It is you who holds the key to your success! You’re going to fail, you’re going to fall, you’re going to make bad business decisions. It’s up to you to learn from it all and capitalize on it. The biggest struggle I’ve encountered is the struggle within myself. Self-doubt, procrastination, not believing in myself like I should. Any other “struggle” outside of that was needed and granted me knowledge and strength.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I collaborate with multiple companies and individuals for various projects. Recently I have been hard at work developing an animated cartoon series for a trusted client as well as a Comic Book Colorist for a special project I cannot speak on yet. Afterrealm Creations is also hard at work developing its own original story Nevarik Chronicles which hasn’t been given a set release date. Nevarik Chronicles is set within a period of war among alien gangs, radicals, and government organizations each vying for their respective power, control and freedom. It highlights the life of a male vagabond warrior and an indigenous free-spirited female who both respectively have a rare bloodline which allows them to wield powerful relics embedded with the powers of fictional gods created just for the story. I have also been a participating vendor at various Comic Book conventions located within California.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Some of the work that I would call my favorite or my most proud of is probably the first film I got hired for “The Man in the Shadows” directed by Polaris Castillo. It’s a Batman universe fan film about a homeless man trying to hang onto sanity in a crime-ridden city about to erupt into madness. It was a film created purely for the love of Cinema and Batman. This film helped pave the way for me to network and work with many talented individuals.
Something special that I’d like to share with the readers and my supporters is that every single second is an opportunity to change your life. You must decide if you wanna spend 20 more minutes on games and watching movies or do you want to spend that time growing your business. It’s your life, your legacy! You have to do the work in order to reach where you wanna be. You must decide how bad you want it and what you’re willing to sacrifice to get it.
Surround yourself with individuals that are going to elevate you and not drag you down. Reach out to individuals in your industry, learn from them, pick their brain. Find a mentor! Find individuals more successful than you and ask them the steps they took to achieving their goals! Invest in yourself! Invest in online classes and hands-on Education. Never stop learning, it always pays off in the end! Don’t have money for education? That’s okay, the library is free and full of knowledge, so is Youtube! Over the years, I’ve encountered tons of technical issues and equipment failures. Some of it was because it was cheap. Spend the money! It’s an investment into yourself and your career. You are just going to spend more money down the line being cheap. Find a way to fund your business even if you gotta work 16-hour shifts and pick up a side hustle for a while.
Your business is your everything and your ticket to freedom. You will only benefit from the sacrifices. Starting a business may sound like a lot of work to an individual but nothing is easy and nothing is impossible. Never guarantee failure by quitting, you gotta be able to adapt and motivate yourself. Motivation is like nutrition, it must be taken daily. Don’t wait to feel inspired or motivated, you must learn how to do that yourself at will. Find balance in your life as well. Allow yourself time for family, fitness and simply just time to enjoy life. Know your worth and the worth of the product you’re selling whether it’s a physical product or service. You want to charge enough to cover the cost of the product, the price of buying more of the product, and profit from the product because you deserve to make something off it as well. I mean, a successful business makes you money right? Show your customers why they are paying the price you are charging and why you deserve it! Build an emergency fund and plan for the unexpected difficulties you may experience with your business. Many individuals were left lost and unemployed when the pandemic hit. I prefer to build multiple sources of income and never rely on just one.
I look at my business like it was a table. Each table leg represents a source of income. Some tables have two legs, others have four or even six! The more legs your table has the more likely you will stay standing if it loses a leg. For example when the pandemic had begun, I had lost a lot of VFX work for film because many companies were shut down. I was still making money in the other areas of my business like graphic design and selling art. It can even be money generated from stocks and other investments like real estate for example. Develop backup plans on top of backup plans. Always be prepared and stay ready! You never know when an opportunity will come knocking or come crashing down! Always be kind, stay humble, and learn from those that paved the way.
For anyone interested in my art, you can shop and purchased from my website, I offer a variety of sizes and offer services for personalized art, tailor-made based on your visions. Whether it’s a character from your favorite movie or show original character designed for your own story, I have your back! My Giclee Art Prints are printed on 350# UV Gloss paper hand signed at request by me. I ship internationally and offer Canvas, Metal, and Glass prints by request. Art and character design is just a small scope of what I withat Afterrealm Creations. I provide graphic design as well as photo restoration services in addition to providing visual effects for cartoons, film and music videos. I provide my services to anyone local or internationally, and will work within your budget!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ArtbyARL.com
- Instagram: @ARL_Afterrealm
