Some artists choose to use their talent and creativity to contribute to larger causes, focusing their work on common social issues. There's nothing wrong with dedicating their crafts to something as light-hearted as humor, as everyone needs it from time to time! Then there's a third group of creative minds, attempting to combine both approaches to create something light in form yet with deeper meaning, discussing important matters in a lighthearted way to make them more approachable to a wider audience.
Today, we're excited to introduce you to the work of Henry James Garrett, a writer, illustrator, and the creator of the wildly popular Instagram account formerly known as Drawings of Dogs, now simply named after him. Through his heartwarming drawings featuring animals and everyday objects, the artist focuses on expressing thoughtful ideas about wellness, social justice, equality, LGBT identity, and more.
More info: Instagram | henryjgarrett.com | twitter.com
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Bored Panda reached out to Henry to find out more about his work. We were wondering what inspired the artist to start creating his heartwarming cartoons. The illustrator shared with us: “I began creating comics in earnest when I dropped out of academic philosophy due to anxiety. I wanted a way to talk about morality - what doing the right thing consists of, and why we don't always do it - that was more accessible, had a wider reach, and was more likely to connect with people emotionally; in my drawings, I've found just that.”
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Henry continued and told us more about his first creations: “The initial inspiration for drawing animals and objects was my dog, Billie, who was always with me and had such personality and warmth. Ideas delivered by animals act a bit like a Trojan Horse, people let their guard down due to cuteness, and then wham! I confront them with their complicity in violent forms of structural oppression.”
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Asked about recurring themes and motifs in his cartoon series, the artist answered: “It's nearly all politics. But so is life. Dogs feature most regularly in terms of who the actual characters are. But thematically, I touch on gender, race, colonialism, capitalism, queerness, disability, fatness, and the Israeli genocidal campaign.”
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Lastly, we wanted to know how Garrett comes up with ideas for his new illustrations, and we found out: “I ask myself what I'm angry about today. I try to contend with what tragically mistaken habit of thought has allowed a group of humans, all of whom I believe to be capable of courageous kindness and atrocious cruelty under the right circumstances, to head down that latter path. My comics are of course sardonic (and some might even say, glib) but I do hope to take seriously the harms I'm commenting on, and the material factors that motivate the ruling class, and those fighting for liberation.”
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The artist mentioned he hopes that in some way, his work is inspiring and plays a role in pointing the way to greater solidarity: “The drawings can be this kind of motivational, reassuring, connection-building, and argumentative-strategy-providing resources at their best and that function makes me ecstatic to be doing this work.”
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