Meet John Carvajal | Cartoonist & Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Carvajal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what role has risk played in your life or career?
As with any business venture, there is always a risk that things might not work out. Of course, once you get past this mental hurdle that the simple task of starting a business, or following a creative path, in itself is one of the biggest risks you’ll take everything else will be weighed on this thought. When I started as a cartoonist I was unaware of all the things that came with starting out, the supplies, the marketing, the networking, the boredom. But never the less I took the risk and pushed through, with each project there was always a lingering thought of what if this was a mistake.

Risk taking becomes a mental game with yourself, how strong willed are you to continue down the path you decided to take, how much effort and time are you willing to dedicate to this business. Sometimes the risk of distancing friends and family members is a big part of your journey, and you need to be ok with that.

For many years I always thought that I needed to work all the time every minute of the day, I thought that maybe I wasn’t risking enough to pursue what I wanted, but as I’ve gotten older I realized that just the simple act of continuing with what I started was a risk in itself. Maybe I missed out on another opportunity to make big money, or maybe I missed out on starting a family at a younger age, but all those things I was willing to let pass me by for the opportunity to see if my initial gamble was worth it or not.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being a cartoonist is not an easy career path. We see so many successful cartoonists getting their stories turned into movies or TV shows, but what we don’t see are all the smaller creatives who are trying to get by for the love of storytelling. I definitely had grandiose thoughts about my cartooning career, but I realized that those thoughts were what were keeping me tied down, it was not an easy mountain to climb. I’ve learned that the best thing I could do was just tell my own stories and stop trying to appease the masses, not every story will be accepted with open arms, most aren’t. The majority of my work is a blend of slice of life with fantastical realism. I pulled a lot from my experiences as a child of immigrants and what it was like growing up in the United States, the early 00’s hardcore subculture, and living in Florida. It wasn’t easy finding my own voice, I tried to mimic what others were doing, but it was all forced and stiff, when I finally found a style I enjoyed it was like everything just clicked.
Although, I am currently taking a hiatus from cartooning, I am proud that I completed my longest story Sunshine State, it is a fictionalized retelling of my life in Florida before I move away from where I grew up. As you’d expect there is drugs, family, music, and of course beaches.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Welcome to Vermont, where we have more cows than people, or at least that’s what the locals say. A week long trip is a relaxing getaway, once you arrive (if coming in by plane), always check out the “big city”, Burlington, because once we leave that area there is not much else to see besides trees. Once we arrive to Montpelier the “smallest state capital in the U.S.”, you have to stop and take a picture in front of the capital building, hopefully you’re here in the fall and get some nice golden foliage to go along with it. Behind the capital building is my favorite spot to walk around, Hubbard Park, it has a great trail network, and at the top there is an old watch tower that over looks the valley, one of the best scenic views around.

Now let’s get to the good stuff, food. Vermont being a small state the variety of foods is limited, and even more so in the middle of the state. But, we do have some gems, Pho Capital, a go to favorite Vietnamese place, Mad Taco, because what capital doesn’t have tacos, Rabble Rouser, the chocolate and crafts place if you’re looking to get a chocolate fix, and Bohemian Bakery, some of the best pastries in town. Of course you can’t talk about food without mentioning a true blue diner, and that’s The Wayside Diner, it has been around since 1918 and it’s always packed on the weekends.

There’s always fun pop up events to check out around town, every other first Friday there’s an art walk. You can check out the poster window at Rabble Rouser and see what local event might be happening the week you’re here. Or head over to Chalie-O’s, and grab a drink, there’s always some music happening, and there’s pool tables to enjoy. If Cannabis is more your liking check out Capital Cannabis Co right in the hear of downtown.

Once you’ve seen all these in the first two days, it’s time to take a deep breath and relax. The hustle and bustle of the bigger cities is gone in this Small Capital, you can wake up take a walk down to Bohemian Bakery, or Rabble Rouser get a coffee and pastry and sit by the Winooski river or enjoy the bike trail that goes along it. If you follow the trail you’ll end up at the Hunger Mountain Co-Op, a local favorite for bulk and local groceries.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife, Brittney, put up with a lot while I was working as a cartoonist. She pushed me to keep drawing and writing, and was always there with me when I got even the slightest recognition for my work. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have done, or traveled as much as I did.

Website: jacarvajal.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacarvajal

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_jacarvajal

Other: https://gumroad.com/jacarvajal