John Bustillos is a talented artist from the Philippines that is currently living in Dallas, Texas. In 2020, he began his slice-of-life comic project called “I Need Floofy Hugs” that, as the artist puts it himself, is partly an “overly dramatic” recounting of his life, a journal of the things that he’s been through.
John’s illustrations depict life struggles in a humorous way and a lot of people tend to find them very relatable. The artist revealed that he’s a big proponent of mental health, and while he writes about anxiety and depression a lot, he does so to expose those tendencies and thinking patterns within himself so he can begin to grow from his struggles. “‘I Need Floofy Hugs’ is not about the celebration of struggle, but the admission of our need for love, community, and at the end of the day, a nice, big, warm, floofy hug.”
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More info: Instagram | Facebook | twitter.com | patreon.com
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Image credits: ineedfloofyhugs
John has been making comics ever since he was a kid, but, like a lot of other artists, covid-19 was the last straw that “pushed” him to start his first real project, so that John could feel like he was “being productive while being stuck at home”. Luckily, he received some pretty good feedback and support from friends and family early on, so he just kept going!
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Image credits: ineedfloofyhugs
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According to the artist, art has always been part of his life, but he’s always treated it as a side hobby kind of thing. “I think the comic was my way of fully delving into my identity as an artist. I never thought it would be possible for me to be a full-time artist, but every day I feel more and more like that’s not such a far-fetched idea. After all, you won’t know what’s actually possible if you don’t try your best.”
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John shared that he treats his comics like a personal journal. “I’m a bit of an introspective type, so a lot of the content I write about is inspired by stuff that I’ve lived through, thought, or struggled with, along with a bunch of random stuff mixed in between. Craft and writing-wise, I’d say my work has been greatly inspired by amazing artists such as Sarah Andersen, Shen Comix, Mr. Lovenstein, Little Things PH, and many more for sure. Knowing I have such encouraging supporters also helps drive me to make better content every day!”
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Listen beautiful relax classics on our Youtube channel.
We noticed that a lot of John’s Instagram followers find the comics very entertaining and relatable. We asked the artist how he feels about it. He replied that since he writes a lot about anxiety, depression, and cynicism, he’s a bit worried that so many people relate to his comics! “But in all honesty, it makes me so happy that so many people enjoy my work. It feels good to be able to connect people’s experiences and to remind us that we’re never truly alone.”
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Source: boredpanda.com