Grant Morrison

What is an artist? How can one be defined as an 'artist'? Everyone has a different perception of what an artist should be. A painter; a sculptor; a musician. I believe an artist is someone who creates. Someone who can create something out of nothing, whether it's a blank canvas, a block of marble, or a pair of shoes.

Grant Morrison has been doing just that since he was a teenager. He's a writer, an author, and a storyteller. And yet, he has not pidgin-holed himself into that single area of art. He has also had a hand in music, video game concepts, and even album artwork. I figured that because of my area of study, graphic design, has a broad range of professions, Grant Morrison would be the ideal man to study.

Early life for Morrison was not easy. He grew up during the cold war; his father being a World War Two veteran. He lived in Glasgow, Scotland and at the age of twelve, attended an all boys’ school. A lot of his comics are based off the truth of his life and actual events that happened to him. He models some of his characters after real people in his life. He does this to keep a sense or realism in the fantasy world; something most artists find difficult to accomplish, but he does it, and does it well.

While in an all boys’ school he didn't have any interaction with girls and he was what he calls a "super nerd" (Talking). He turned to comics during this time and started reading comics and even writing and illustrating his own ideas for comics. By the age of seventeen he was illustrating his own original characters and coming up with his own plot lines. When interviewed by a local newspaper at 16 years old he stated, "I'm hoping to take up art as a career, if that doesn't come off, I have nothing else in mind" (Talking). His passion for art was obviously evident at a young age. And this passion did eventually blossom into an art career that has made his name famous.

He applied to art school, and was rejected. This was one of the biggest disappointments in his life. So, he went back to comics. He claims "comics saved my life,” which is why I

love them so much and I keep going back to them"(Talking).