Zahid aka Mr. Ives is an international talent based out of Mumbai. He likes to dance, make his own songs and loves creating Noir illustrations. His latest single ‘Retro Lifestyle’ was featured on Rolling Stone India and Rock Street Journal. His first-ever graphic novel also shares the same title as his single ‘Retro Lifestyle’ as it serves as an extension to his latest single.
Amazon link: https://amzn.eu/d/5HxUm23
If that isn’t intriguing, then what is? More details unfolding below.
Q. What was your objective behind writing this book?
Ans:- My sole objective was to be the first one to form a bridge between music and illustrations. No matter what capacity I operate in, I know that if not on an immediate basis, but a few years down the line when people start recognising me, they will have nothing but respect for the efforts that I’ve put in. In a way, my audience will not only be limited to the avid music listeners and dance lovers but also the ones who appreciate art and illustrations or the ones who themselves illustrate.
Q. What is the best part about this strategy?
Ans:- Normally when one listens to a certain song or watches a music video, you know that it’s not going to be any longer than 3 minutes on an average, post which you turn to the next one in the list, and you are already 3 minutes old as far as the listener’s playlist is concerned. Now, what if you wish to grab their attention beyond those 3 minutes, what is it that you can do besides creating unique melodies that will force them to check out other songs on your channel. That’s when I came up with the idea of giving them a further sneak peek into the world of Retro Lifestyle, a world where Noir filters take the front seat. The best part about this strategy is that It wasn’t meant to be a strategic move, it was more like an amalgamation of all my creative avenues put together.
Q. What is your inspiration behind this?
Ans: I have been deeply influenced by the works of Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Akira Toriyama, Hirohiko Araki, Kim Jung Gi (RIP), Will Eisner, etc. the ones who have paved their way into the world of storytelling through their illustrative works, the ones that have stood the test of time. It is their creative vision that kept me pushing and wanting to do more. I mean, every time when I would pick up a manga from my collection to read or an art book to look for inspiration like the one by my favourite Kim Jung Gi, I would ask myself, what is it that I can put together that leaves a mark? Something that would make them proud. The only answer that came to my mind time and again was that I should create a graphic novel myself. It is the only way that I would be able to learn about the efforts that one has to put in, the kind of hard work that goes into creating a manga or a comic book.
Q. What is your perception about a creative work?
Ans:- My perception about any creative work is such that I have to go through all the minute details myself to understand the logic behind it. This will help in strengthening the foundation so that next time when I outsource a part of my work, I would know exactly about the time and efforts that would go into getting that work done. Having said that, in order for me to master the skills necessary to take complete control over the process of creating a graphic novel, I decided to illustrate the book myself along with writing the story, just like most of the manga creators. Here, I would like to add that, one’s vision has to be strong to the point that, everything else takes a backseat and your determination makes every task look minuscule.
Q. What advice do you want to give your readers?
Ans: The only advice that I would like to give is that, if you believe in something, you will have to yourself take charge of bringing it to life. You will have to lead, you will have to execute and do everything that is necessary to ensure that it takes form the way you envisioned it.