Johnny’s origin story and creative philosophy in his own words
🚨 Three Highlights
Creative Identity Shift: Johnny started off dreaming of becoming a comic book artist—but a tearful poetry professor changed everything.
The True Payoff: Johnny’s favorite part of the creative process? Emotional connection. Moving others with vulnerable truth.
Why He Writes: “I’m trying to make my poetry teacher cry again.” That’s the north star.
From Big-Butt Cheetahs to Drawing Duels
Johnny’s creative journey began with sketching animals for his mom and drawing sick robots at recess. A showdown with a fellow elementary school artist (shoutout Dion’s ED-209!) lit a fire—but eventually, drawing gave way to writing when Johnny realized he connected more easily through words.
“I could see mine compared to his and I was like, am I ever gonna get there? Writing came more naturally.”
The Poem That Changed Everything
It was college. CSU. A Cholo-style poetry professor named Antonio Vigil asked Johnny to write something real. Johnny dug deep and wrote “Mama’s Cross.” He read it aloud—and saw tears in his teacher’s eyes. That was the moment.
“Lightning struck my heart. I didn’t know words could do this.”
Since then, poetry has been his medium. And now, Solomen—a gritty narrative fantasy written as an epic poem—is the culmination of both his early dreams and adult revelations.
Johnny’s Creative Process: From Inner Truth to Outer Impact
With Isaiah guiding the conversation, Johnny unpacked his creative process into four distinct stages:
Harness the Truth – Start with something emotionally real and vulnerable.
Build the Machine – Shape that truth into a poem, story, or piece of art.
Test the Reaction – See if it stirs something in you.
Release the Impact – Share it and watch it move others.
“I’m a Connector before I’m a Creator… this is all a mechanism for engagement and movement in others.”
At one point, Johnny even went into the vault for a full year—writing without sharing a single word—to silence the noise of audience approval and rediscover honest creation.
Creative Heroes & Tears in the Car
Johnny draws inspiration from Lewis’ Perelandra, the Red Rising series, and the beauty of a chillstep beat against a Colorado sunrise.
“I started crying for no other reason than that the world is beautiful.”
His dream world? Middle-earth, as an elf poet.
The Mission of Creatives With Bills
This is what Creatives With Bills is all about: surfacing deep truths, laughing at childhood cheetahs, wrestling with approval, and walking the tightrope between excellence and vulnerability.
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