I think there was a point in the past when I felt that my options as an artist were either to make race a nonissue and deny its impact on life and just say, "Don't think of me as an Asian cartoonist. Just think of me as a cartoonist."
Adrian TomineI'm getting to a point in my life where my whole attitude about the relationship between myself and the audience is totally different.
Adrian TomineOne of the by-products of being allowed to start my professional career prematurely is that the evolution of my work is really evident.
Adrian TomineAnd with this sort of increased visibility, there's more money going around in the industry, and it changes a lot, in terms of who gets into the business as a creator, who sticks with it, and who gets pushed out. And I do think it's sort of too bad that what once was a safe haven for truly eccentric, outsider artists is no longer that thing. But there are definitely pros and cons. You could also look at it as bringing in a more diverse crowd.
Adrian Tomine