Recently Jason Brubaker visited us here at Hillcrest to tell us about his life story. While I found a lot of his story about his art and work with DreamWorks interesting, the largest theme that seemed to resonate throughout his life story was his ability to use fascination to his advantage.
Early in his life Jason loved to draw, he doodled, sketched and covered everything in reach with ink and crayon, never discriminating, whether the surface be paper, a desk, or even a wall. Even though his childhood doodles would reinforce his skill as an artist, at the time he only did it for fun. This was what fascinated him. Eventually his teacher saw his doodles and encouraged him to put them in the local newspaper, and so at a very young age Jason got his little comic strip in the newspaper, something he now describes as a Garfield “ripoff.” Later, in college, Jason began storyboarding. Not only has he worked on live action movies but animated as well. Jason is responsible for much of the intro sequences to the first three “Kung Fu Panda” movies. While all of these achievements have been great for making a name for Jason, he always felt like he wasn’t chasing his true dream. His fascination with art to begin with had always been telling stories, his stories. So he started making his own graphic novel, and years later has a large collection of successful comics.
This is what’s so important about Jason’s story; all the risks that he took, all of the incredible creations, all were driven by his fascination with art. Without it, it’s unlikely that he would’ve pursued his dreams. He even explains that many of his friends who also had a passion for art, dropped it for a more “reliable” job. If we learn from Jason and look to our interests and fascinations, we can improve our happiness and increase our productivity. So don’t forget, the next time you’re told your dreams are unrealistic or that your interests are strange, that someone who is happy with their work doesn’t work a day in their life. Live life like Jason Brubaker and follow your fascinations.
