Behind the Lines: Conversations About Art, Process, and the Creative Life
There are many different ways to talk about art.
We can talk about the finished work, the technique behind it, the tools we use, or the ideas that inspired it. But sometimes, what interests me most is everything that happens behind the work.
The doubts. The decisions. The unexpected turns. The things we learn along the way.
That is where Behind the Lines began.
Behind the Lines is a long term project I created to have conversations with artists and creatives from different parts of the world about their work, their process, and their experiences building a creative career.
The idea is simple: instead of focusing only on what someone creates, I want to learn more about the person behind it.
More than just the work
As artists and creatives, we spend a lot of time showing the final result.
A finished illustration. A photograph. A poster. A film. A song. A painting.
We rarely get to see everything that happens before that final piece exists.
I have always been interested in that part of the process. What makes someone choose a particular direction? How do they deal with uncertainty? What changes as their career develops? What have they learned that they wish they had known earlier?
These are some of the questions I want to explore through Behind the Lines.
The project is not limited to one particular creative field. It can include illustrators, photographers, designers, art directors, filmmakers, musicians, actors, and other people working in creative fields.
Different disciplines often have more in common than we realize.
The tools may change, but many of the questions remain surprisingly similar.
How do you find your voice?
How do you keep creating when things are not going as planned?
How do you balance creative freedom with making a living?
And how does your relationship with your own work change over time?
A project built slowly
I am approaching Behind the Lines as a long term project.
There is no rush to turn it into something huge overnight. I would rather build it slowly, one conversation at a time, and let the project develop naturally.
That also means being intentional about the people I invite and the conversations I want to have.
I want Behind the Lines to become a growing collection of perspectives from people working in different creative worlds. Over time, I hope that someone discovering the project years from now can explore the episodes and find not only interesting artists, but also different ways of thinking about a creative life.
For me, that is much more interesting than simply creating another series of interviews.
It is a record of creative journeys.
The first two episodes are now available
The first two episodes are already available on my YouTube channel.
The first episode features illustrator Rota Stefania, followed by a conversation with creative John Haney in the second episode.
Each conversation has its own rhythm and personality, because I do not want every episode to feel exactly the same. The people I invite come from different backgrounds, and I want that difference to be part of the project.
You can watch the episodes on my YouTube channel and follow along as the project continues to grow.
Looking beyond illustration
Although I am an illustrator myself, I do not want Behind the Lines to be an illustration only project.
Creativity does not fit neatly into categories, and some of the most interesting conversations can happen when different creative fields meet.
An illustrator might have something fascinating to say to a photographer. A musician might approach creative blocks in a completely different way from a designer. An actor might have an entirely different perspective on developing a personal voice.
That is why I want the project to remain open.
Illustrators, photographers, designers, art directors, filmmakers, musicians, actors, and other creatives are all part of the larger picture.
The common thread is not a particular profession.
It is the desire to create something.
What comes next
I am still at the beginning of this project, and that is part of what makes it exciting.
There are many more conversations ahead, and I want to give each one the time and attention it deserves.
My goal is to keep building Behind the Lines patiently, connecting with creative people from different places and different disciplines, and creating a space where we can talk about the parts of creative work that do not always make it into the portfolio.
The work we create is only part of the story.
There is always something behind the lines.
And I want to find out what that is.
Watch the first two episodes of Behind the Lines on my YouTube channel and follow the project as it continues to grow.
Thiago Gonçalves is an illustrator and artist based in Brazil, creating artwork for editorial, children's publishing, and advertising clients worldwide
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