Daily Inspiration: Meet Caleb Fietsam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb Fietsam.

Hi Caleb, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up north of Chicago, in a small town right on Lake Michigan. I was always very into animated shows and movies, but my obsession started when my dad took me to a comic book store in a neighboring town. I still remember finding their back room and finding some relatively obscure manga (Sgt. Frog and Yotsuba&). Once I was able to overcome reading in the opposite direction my love for the art style and writing only grew.

However, I was bit by the acting bug at a young age and while I still eagerly consumed copious amounts of comics/manga/animated films in my free time, I found myself pursuing performance over my first love: drawing.

It wasn’t until college that I was surrounded by extremely talented young animators that I was able to get back in touch with that side of myself. I eased in by voice acting for student films and spent the past several years fine tuning my own style and finding my voice. It wasn’t until last year I finally felt like my comics were something I could share. My younger self has never felt happier.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There’s been plenty of creative detours. I am lucky enough to come from a creative family where music, writing, acting, and artistry of all kinds were very encouraged. Acting became a main focus, with music and art falling to the side. Of course, anyone who acts professionally knows that gigs can be few and far between and while I enjoy writing my own scripts they never felt like they were accurately capturing my ideas.

So I started drawing out my ideas in a loose storyboard format. Focusing on the visual, utilizing panels to translate the pace that existed in my head. The more I did it, the better my drawings got and the more I enjoyed translating my ideas into this format.

Being a jack of all trades is only hard when faced with truly dedicating yourself to one thing, which is something I’ve always struggled with.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I draw comics! Long form and short. I go by the title SISYPHUS IS HAPPY, because I feel that whatever emotion is inspired by that title is accurate to the work I create. No matter the length of the comics I draw, my common themes usually circle around comedy, existential dread, and subtle absurdity. I find that what comes out of my comics are emotions I feel that I have a harder time directly addressing.

I think having a background in acting informs how I portray emotions – When I draw characters I don’t always feel like just an artist but a director, a DP, a sound designer, etc. I think having not focused on a traditional artistic training means that I bring in experiences from a lot of different places, resulting in a distinct voice.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think not being afraid to participate in opportunities and jobs that might not have anything to do with your chosen art form can be very informational. The more life I live and experiences I have the more I feel that my art comes from a well rounded place. Don’t be afraid to get to know someone just for the sake of getting to know them. If you only look for mentors who you think you can gain something specific from, you could be missing out on someone who’s life experience, when shared, can be so inspirational. There are so many fascinating people out there, and I’ve been lucky enough to meet really amazing people who, while not actively pursuing the arts, have left impressions on me that do inform the way I make art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Calebfietsam.com
• Instagram: @artcleb