NEWSLETTER 15 – TRUTH, ART, AND THE NEED TO DRAW LOUDER
Dispatches from the Studio: Drawing Truth in a World of Noise
(YOU can go to my Patreon to read and see the sketchbook for free, join the list!)
Getting comfortable with the unknown—that’s where the work starts. The mystery. The question hanging in the air. That place where nothing is certain, but everything is possible. That’s the moment I open the sketchbook.
Every month, I put one out. A raw, unfiltered collection of drawings, ideas, comics, rants, failures, and sparks of something real. Not a polished product. Not a “best of.” Just honest work. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: the best art doesn’t come from perfection—it comes from truth.
I heard once that playwright Mark Ravenhill told a room full of young artists at the Edinburgh Fringe: to be a good artist, you have to be the most truthful person in the room. That’s always stuck with me. That’s what gives you the right to get up on a stage, behind a mic, or drop ink on a page. Not being louder. Not being smarter. Just being willing to say what no one else will. Being brave enough to tell the truth, even if your voice shakes.
That’s the spirit I try to bring into every sketchbook I release.
So here’s the thing:
Now, this isn’t just about some scribbles in a book. It’s part of a larger project I’ve been grinding away at: FWACATA. It’s comics, zines, podcast rants, art drops, character design sheets, limited sketch cards, and whatever else I can slap ink on. Every bit of it is hand-made, self-published, indie-to-the-bone work from a Latino artist trying to make noise in a world that wants to scroll past.
FWACATA is built on that same principle: truth in the work. Even if it’s weird. Even if it’s ugly. Even if it’s not trendy.
Because, let’s be honest, we’re drowning in BS. You ever watch that scene in Luke Cage where something real hits? Yeah, nobody talks about that show anymore, but damn, there were moments that cut through. That rawness, that cultural grit—those moments are gold. But they get buried under the noise.
FORWARD ALWAYS. ALWAYS FORWARD.
Kind of like what happened to Marcus Aurelius.
Yeah, I’m going there. The Stoic philosopher-emperor. Everyone quotes him like he’s the Yoda of ancient Rome, but here’s the thing: Meditations wasn’t written to be quoted. It wasn’t for publication. It was his personal journal. His mental training ground. Because Marcus knew—just like artists know—that the higher you rise, the harder it is to hear the truth.
Imagine being surrounded by people who only ever agree with you. Who smile and nod at everything you say. That’s the famous Hamlet scene with Polonius:
Hamlet: Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel?
Polonius: By the mass, and ’tis like a camel, indeed.
Hamlet: Methinks it is like a weasel.
Polonius: It is backed like a weasel.
Hamlet: Or like a whale?
Polonius: Very like a whale.
That’s what Marcus was pushing back against—being imperialized, as he put it. He didn’t want to be dyed purple by the robes of power. He wanted truth. Accountability. And he found it in the blank page.
That’s why I make these sketchbooks. Not because I’m trying to impress anyone—but because I need a place to get real. To call myself out. To experiment. To be honest.
And I think more artists need to do the same.
Now let’s zoom out. Beyond art. Beyond paper and pens.
Look at what’s happening in the world. We’re not ruled by emperors, but we’re definitely ruled by something—Toligarchs. A new breed of ultra-rich, global elites who live above the fray. No tiaras. No thrones. Just stock portfolios, offshore accounts, and PR teams tweeting about “equity” from their Swiss chalets.
They don’t care if the system collapses. They’ve already got Plan B, C, and D. Private jets. Private schools. Private fire departments, probably. And meanwhile, the rest of us are left trying to crowdsource healthcare and hustle side gigs just to stay afloat.
This is why honest art matters. Because truth has no investors. No shareholders. No algorithmic advantage.
That’s why we need class traitors. The kind FDR was. People who say, “I have all this—but I won’t let it blind me.” People who take the pen, the mic, the brush, the comic page and use it to punch up, not down.
And for those of us without yachts? We’ve still got our tools. Our voices. Our hands. And we’ve got each other.
So this is me, on the mic, saying: Don’t stop. Don’t let them make you quiet. Don’t let the billionaire class gaslight you into believing your art doesn’t matter. It does. Every honest comic. Every weird zine. Every sketchbook you fill. It’s resistance. It’s connection. It’s how we see clearly in a world that wants us numb.
So what’s next?
More sketchbooks. More FWACATA. More prints, more experiments, more messy truths. I’ll be at shows. I’ll be dropping digital issues. I’ve got exclusive stuff coming to the Patreon. And if you're subscribed to this newsletter, you're already part of it.
If you haven’t yet, grab a sketchbook. Flip through. Draw in it. Tear it apart. Or just let it sit on your desk like a weird little lighthouse blinking out “keep going” in Morse code.
Because that’s all I’m trying to do: keep going.
Keep drawing. Keep showing up. Keep telling the truth—loudly, messily, beautifully.
Thanks for being here.
Stay weird. Stay honest.
BE GOOD.
—Juan
FWACATA.com
#truthinart #indiecomics #latinxartist #sketchbookdrop #drawlouder #classtraitorart
FWACATA #2 KICKSTARTER is still going! If you dig this and want to get a copy and more, check out the KS page here 👉 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ThisisJuan/fwacata-2-making-dem-comics-son/rewards#reward-UmV3YXJkLVVtVjNZWEprTFRFd05URXlOREUz
