Illustrator

Brad Montague

Author, Illustrator, Storyteller / By

Brad Montague is an illustrator, speaker, picture book author, video creator, and all-around maker. He’s a self-proclaimed dreamer and doer. Above all, he’s a storyteller, “working to create a better world for kids with kids” through Montague Workshop, the creative studio he runs with his wife Kristi in Henderson, Tennessee. Everything he puts into the world, whether the viral web series Kid President, which featured his then 9-year-old brother-in-law giving soul-buoying pep talks, or books aimed at kids (The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination) and former kids (Becoming Better Grownups), radiates with a sense of poignant wonder. Here he talks with The Great Discontent about the nonlinear path of meaningful work, the power of a parade, and what it means to be a joy rebel.

Illustrator and author Monica Ahanonu by Kort Havens

Monica Ahanonu

Artist, Illustrator, Model / By

Emergence Issue: TGD’s fifth issue features a dynamic group of 15 creators who are deeply committed to addressing systematic challenges in their communities through creativity and emerging ideologies. Buy Now Can you talk a little bit about where you grew up and what it was like, and maybe how it influenced your understanding of self? I grew up …

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Mitzi Akaha

Actor, Illustrator / By

Mitzi Akaha, lead in the forthcoming horror film, Bashira, is an actor based in New York City with roots in gymnastics and art. Originally from Ohio and California, she spent several years in Japan learning the language and modeling before making the move to NYC to pursue acting full-time. We caught up with Mitzi at Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn to discuss her winding path, finding joy while striving for perfection, and how curiosity plays into her legacy.

Always With Honor

Designer, Entrepreneur, Illustrator / By

Portland, Oregon-based designers Elsa and Tyler Lang, AKA Always With Honor, were an ideal match from the start. Though they grew up in seemingly disparate worlds—in Colombia and Florida, and in Vermont—they share a number of similar interests and experiences that continue to inform their lives and creative work today. Here, the duo talks with us about childhood afternoons spent perfecting their favorite sports-team logos, falling in love with the flora and fauna surrounding their homes, meeting in design school and where their path of collaboration has taken them since, and how they manage to remain balanced as a creative couple who lives, works, and enjoys downtime together pretty much 24/7.

Gary Taxali

Artist, Educator, Illustrator, Recommended / By

Gary Taxali’s body of work has influenced many artists and illustrators over the years, and the imprint of his distinctive aesthetic has touched everything from children’s books and toys, to album covers, men’s fashion accessories, and even 25¢ coins for the Royal Canadian Mint. Here, he recalls childhood days spent in Toronto’s Little India, and the impact both Bollywood “bad guys” and Hindustani classical have had on his work; why he’s always felt like he was born in the wrong era; and how he’s channelled his lifelong love of the classics into a successful, decades-long career as an artist, illustrator, and educator.

Dan Christofferson

Artist, Illustrator / By

Brooklyn-based artist/illustrator Dan Christofferson’s personal story is deeply rooted in the fantastic imagery, iconography, and narratives of Utah’s Mormon church & state. Here, he reflects on making the decision to move his family from his hometown, Salt Lake City, in order to carve out a new path in Brooklyn; on the mutually-beneficial nature of his partnership with Dan Cassaro at Young Jerks; and how his ideas around design legacy (and working late) shifted once he became a father.

Leah Goren

Illustrator / By

Illustrator Leah Goren was surrounded by creativity growing up in Southern California where her artist mother encouraged her to explore the arts from a young age. Here, Leah recalls her discovery of illustration in college, how she made the leap from college student to full-time freelancer, the mentors who helped shape her trajectory, and why, at the end of the day, she’s seeking happiness above all else.

Jing Wei

Illustrator / By

Brooklyn-based illustrator, Jing Wei, has been drawing her whole life and found her way into illustration during her college years, after which she moved to New York to forge a career. Here she reflects on her experience of immigrating to the US as a child, how the support of her parents influenced her trajectory, the struggle to find her style—and why she avoided drawing people for so long—and why she’s playing the long game versus seeking out short-term notoriety and fame.

Syd Weiler

Illustrator / By

After her artwork went viral overnight, illustrator and Adobe Creative Resident, Syd Weiler, had to quickly learn how to navigate the positive and challenging aspects of online fame. Here, Syd recounts staying true to her creative identity throughout her college years, the joy of connecting to a global fanbase, and the importance of building a supportive online creative community.

Will Bryant

Artist, Illustrator / By

Austin-based artist and illustrator, Will Bryant, recalls how his sports-centric childhood gave way to a love for drawing during his college years, reflects on how self-initiated work has fueled his creative process, and challenges all of us to “embrace our weird,” no matter what we do or where we are.

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