Q & A with Aden:

Q: What got you into drawing?

A: I started drawing mostly because I thought it was impressive. I loved picture books and animated movies, all I wanted was to be able to make things look cool. When I was around 4 I did the usual crayon scribbles and stick figures but over time I tried to make stories or draw characters. By now most of what I do is fandom based stuff, drawing people from shows or movies, it feels good to make content for something I'm interested in.

Q: Why do you like drawing and art?

A: Art gives me a way to create stuff that's unique. I like being able to look at something I made and know no one else would do it exactly alike. I really enjoy making up narratives for characters or interpreting scenes from other media and twisting them into something new. It's a way for me to do something chill and relatively mindless, allowing me to destress a bit.

Q: Where are you right now in life?

A: I feel like this is the start of having actual responsibilities in life. I've got a job, classes are more intense than before, I'm supposed to think about college soon, it's all really intimidating. It's only the beginning and I'm already having trouble balancing everything without completely shutting down. It's exiting too, though. It means I get more of a say in what I'm doing and where I'm going, the next few years should be interesting. There's a lot of good to come.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: I’ve always thought that my defining trait is probably that I play hockey, but I asked my friends and they all disagreed. Instead of some specific trait they said that i'm 'a very red person, with bits of yellow and blue'. They explained that i'm passionate and somewhat intense, easily excitable often getting loud, but that there are also more relaxed pieces of me. Im social but I don't usually seek out companionship and I swing between being overly analytical and terribly emotional. I thought this was funny because I've always loved primary colors.

Q: What does it mean to be a good buddy?

A: Being a good buddy means supporting people. In my mind it's being a person to talk to or joke with when things get tough. A buddy doesn't necessarily need to be a best friend, they just need to stick with you when things turn sour. Every great friend starts out as a good buddy.

Q: Does this design make you think of a specific friend, or a time a friend helped you out?

A: A lot of people come to mind with 'good buddy', but I think the most significant is my friend Anna. I know I said that a buddy isn't always a best friend, but in this case it 100% is. I've known Anna for nearly four years and she's one of few people I've stayed close with that whole time. I think what makes her a good buddy is how often she thinks of others. I love that out of nowhere she'll send people a song that reminded her of them or a video that made her laugh. It feels good to be cared about.

Q: What is something you learned so far in life that you can pass on to somebuddie?

A: Something I think would be good to pass on to a buddy is that speaking up is worth it, in any context. Compliment someone's shoes, ask someone to hang out, tell someone to be nicer. Whatever happens, you did what you could to help and in the future you won't regret not acting sooner.