Fatherhood, Fails, and Firsts

JP de la Rama
Jun 16
3 min read

How Family Time Refuels the Artist’s Fire

It sounds weird but it's the thought that counts!

"Your best work won’t come from grinding—it’ll come from living. Let your art breathe through the life you actually live.”

Setting the Stage

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there—past, present, and soon-to-be.

It’s a big day for us, and this year, I got to celebrate it in the best way possible: creating memories with my daughter.

No client meetings. No deadlines. Just laughter, paint, and the occasional Mario Kart crash.

We packed the day with dad-and-daughter activities—from racing virtual tracks to painting canvases with blobs of love (and a lot of acrylics). My daughter even drew herself playing in a field and later won a toy at the amusement rides. It was pure, unfiltered joy.

And somewhere in between all the chaos and color, I was reminded of something deeper—something I’d like to share with my fellow artists and creatives.

A Deeper Lesson From a Simple Day

As artists, our lives can become consumed by deadlines, chasing payments, revisions, and uncertainty—especially in a volatile creative economy.

In fact, many of us start believing that productivity means always working, always grinding, and rarely resting.

But here’s the truth: you’re not just creating art—you’re living life so you can create art.

That Father’s Day wasn’t just a break—it was a powerful reset.

When my daughter painted her version of Father’s Day, it wasn’t about skill—it was about joy.

When we lost the Mario Kart tournament, it wasn’t a failure—it was fun. And when we high-fived each other afterward, it wasn’t about results—it was about love.

It reminded me why I started this creative journey in the first place.

Not just to draw. Not just to animate. But to tell stories that matter.

And stories start with experiences—with family, with time well spent, and with the kind of moments that no algorithm or AI can replicate.

The Creative Reset You Didn’t Know You Needed

If you’re feeling stuck, burnt out, or uninspired, maybe you don’t need another tutorial or productivity hack.

Maybe what you need is a canvas, a child’s laugh, or a Mario Kart defeat.

Here are a few tips I’m bringing into my art practice after Father’s Day:

Tips for Artists (That I Learned From My Kid):

Lose with joy. Every failed pitch or rejected page is a step closer to growth.
Paint with no agenda. Not everything needs to be a portfolio piece. Some things should just be fun.
Celebrate the small wins. A toy from a claw machine can be as rewarding as a new client.
Balance creates better stories. The more you live, the more authentic your art becomes.

So while the world keeps demanding more from us as creatives, let’s not forget:

Your art will only be as alive as the life you allow yourself to live.

Studio Updates

Speaking of staying alive, here’s what’s cooking behind the scenes at the studio:

A new video game animation design project is on the way.
Our first 2D + 3D Blender hybrid animation project is in production.
And yes, Zamora Vol. 1 is dropping this year—watch out for the graphic novel launch!