Meet George Hobbs

Today we’d like to introduce you to George Hobbs.

George, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I was passionate about art, photography, film, and television. I went to the University of Florida to study Photo Journalism, switched to Advertising, and, after graduation, moved to Los Angeles to try to get into the film business. For years I wrote screenplays, waited on tables and tended bar. At the age of forty-one I learned the truth of the old proverb, “A monkey shouldn’t sell bananas,” and I gave up bartending and drinking. That’s when I finally went to work on set.

At first I was just helping build the sets, or specifically sweeping up and unloading the lumber. A prop master asked me to assist her, and from then on I’ve been one of the lucky people who is doing what they love for a living. One day I had something I wanted to express, but no time. So I did it with stick figures. I put it on a tee shirt and wore it into work the next day, and the response I got from the cast and crew was surprising. People really seemed to like it. And they encouraged me to draw more.

Since then I have over a hundred of these drawings that I call Stick Figure Wisdom, where I use simple symbols to express complex ideas. Then I started turning the drawings into paintings, creating my Mother Earth series of black and white photographs, painting clothes, writing songs, making short films and music videos. My work has shown in galleries from Los Angeles to Miami, my song Jesus Was a Liberal won a bronze medal from the Global Music Awards, and I was named a Rising Star of LA by The Hive Gallery. Now I find myself talking with you, and I honestly can’t believe how I got here.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When it was easy it wasn’t as inspiring. Looking back, I can see that the obstacles and wrong turns and ditches often led me to places I never thought I’d go. In 2015, the division in our country was so bad that we couldn’t seem to talk about anything without arguing. So I started drawing simple cartoons. Soon after that, a photo shoot that wasn’t working out led me to discover a new way to share my love of the environment and our connection to it. When I couldn’t find a suit to wear to an art opening, I bought a white one, painted it, and now I work in fashion. I haven’t achieved financial success in any medium, but that has given me the freedom to express myself in all of them.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I have several projects in the works: a book with my 100 favorite stick figure pieces, paintings, sculptures, clothing, and a few short films. I’m currently looking for a band to cover my song, Jesus Was a Liberal. We’ll film the process as they adapt it, and intercut that footage with interviews where we show how our country became so divided. And look for a Stick Figure Wisdom documentary coming out in 2020.

What were you like growing up?
In kindergarten, we had a teacher who would threaten to make bad boys wear dresses. We never thought she would do it, but one day a classmate and I must have pushed her too far. She took us into a back room and had us change into two dresses. He went out first, wearing pink gingham, I think, and he couldn’t stop crying. Doing my best impression of a girl, I sashayed into the room and made everyone laugh, except the teacher. I learned an important lesson that day about the power of laughter.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.georgehobbsart.com, www.stickfigurewisdom.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @georgehobbsart, @stickfigurewisdom
• Facebook: George Hobbs Art
• Twitter: @georgehobbs22

Image Credit:
Bob Delgadillo, Jocelyn Binder

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