Today we’d like to introduce you to Chaz Kemp.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Chaz. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’d had enough of working hard to make someone else’s dreams come true, so about ten years ago, I decided to leave the corporate world and become a freelance illustrator. It was a serious struggle to be sure and every day was a challenge but about five years ago, I met my soon-to-be wife Carolyn and we decided to create our publishing company. We have a shared steampunk/fantasy world called Ashelon in which she writes the stories and I do the art and we’ve been quite happy. Together, we have several projects including a 52-card oracle deck which we will expand upon each year.
My story is pretty simple: Believe in yourself and pursue your dreams with every ounce of passion you can. There is simply nothing more important in life than that.
Has it been a smooth road?
Early on I had a hard time finding clients who wanted to take a chance on me and so money was very very tight. There were days where I struggled to pay bills and make ends meet. There was also the complete lack of support from some of my supposed “friends” who thought the pursuit of one’s dreams was silly. Luckily, my family stood by me the whole time and they believed in me and my dream. Then, when I met Carolyn I found a partner who not only supported me but loved me even though I was struggling. My wife and my family had my back and that’s what got me through.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Ashelon Publishing story. Tell us more about it.
Ashelon Publishing strives to introduce positive cultural diversity to the Steampunk genre. We want to do that in our art and in the stories we write because the 1800s’ happened everywhere. In that pursuit, I create Art Nouveau-styled illustrations that show fans the beauty inherent in our world.
I love SteamPunk. SteamPunk is all about creatively defying authority and forging your own path. It is resistance as art. That’s why I draw culturally diverse characters in the SteamPunk/Art Nouveau style. Publishers and corporations say that diverse characters don’t sell. I love proving them wrong. SteamPunk defines me, and forging my own path is what drives me. Art is Rebellion.
We don’t really have direct competition because no one is actually combining steampunk writing with art in a shared universe. Also, while there are many authors who are pushing to have more diversity in the genre (Which is awesome), they are solely writers or they are focusing on a single race. We are writing, doing original art and we have an oracle deck that includes many different cultures and characters.
I’m very proud of the oracle deck and I’m very happy that we’ve grown more and more of a fan base because of our brand. People are hungry for diversity. They want to see multi-cultural art and they want to read stories that focus on the “other.” Our fans embrace the whole world of possibilities that we bring to the genre. I am also very proud to be a part of a local organization called, “The Convention Artists Guild.” Our main goal includes teaching younger artists ways in which they can learn to establish a career in the creative arts.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I can see more artists going freelance as opposed to just using their talents to work for someone else. Big corporations don’t really care about art or artists, they just care about making money. When we take power away from the gate-keepers, we can remake the business world into something that works for all of us – not just the wealthy. I can see the trend of artists standing up and taking control of their own careers.
Pricing:
- The Ashelon Oracle Deck: $25
- The Ashelon Oracle Guide Book: $10
- “Dien Vek” – The first Ashelon novel: $10
Contact Info:
- Website: ChazKemp.com, WorldofAshelon.com
- Email: chazkemp@comcast.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/chazkempillustration
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChazKempIllustration
- Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/635841721/ashelon-oracle-deck
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