When it comes to building a creative career, we know visibility matters. So all this AAPI Heritage Month, we’re proud to put AAPI creators at the forefront of all our programming—from the teachers we feature as part of our #CreativelyClasses series to the creative work we spotlight on our social accounts, including the amazing R. Kikuo Johnson. 

R. Kikuo Johnson is a cartoonist, graphic novelist and educator based in Brooklyn. His award-winning drawings and stories have appeared on book jackets and skateboard decks, in an array of editorial publications, and on the cover of The New Yorker. 

Johnson grew up in rural Maui, Hawaii, where he spent a lot of time exploring the woods, climbing trees, devouring comic books, and creating his own. He’s since traded ink for pixels’ his signature palette often bearing graphic pops of inky blacks and all shades of blue. Johnson’s birthplace has often played a muse to his professional work—his forthcoming graphic novella, “No One Else,” is a family drama set on the island of Maui. 

His first big breaks took a little bit of luck and a lot of hustle. Johnson cold-called a legendary comics publisher and pitched what became his first graphic novel. He spent weeks sending a spec comic strip to every magazine art director he could find an email address for, and landed a gig for The New Yorker. His contributions to The New Yorker have ranged from full-page artwork of notables like pop princess Lorde, to a fitness-themed comic strip series, to the ultimate crown jewel: cover illustrations.

The prolific illustrator also teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design. His portfolio of projects range from designing wrapping paper to labels of local coffee roasters. Clients include Airbnb, Apple, The Atlantic, ESPN, The Guggenheim Foundation, GQ, The New York Times, Nickelodeon, and Nike among others. 

You can check out their latest projects on Creatively here. And tap on the “AAPI Creator Spotlight” at the top of your Discover feed to see all the incredible AAPI creators we’re showcasing this month!

Meet illustrator and cartoonist, R. Kikuo Johnson.

What is the first creative project you remember?

I wrote and drew 25 issues of a superhero comic book unironically titled, “Windman,” when I was eight years old. I’m 40 now, and I still wish I could just draw comics all day. My newest graphic novel, No One Else, is due out in November.  

Describe your aesthetic in three words.

Narrative, naturalistic, cartoony.

Johnson’s debut graphic novel, “Night Fisher,” is a coming of age drama set in Hawaii. The award-winning book will be rereleased in hardcover with retouched drawings in honor of its 15th anniversary this October. 

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

Drawing covers for The New Yorker is the most fulfilling. Most jobs in the field of illustration involve articulating someone else’s ideas, but The New Yorker cover offers a very rare opportunity for illustrators to express their own ideas on a highly visible platform. The magazine’s Art Editor, Françoise Mouly, is a brilliant teacher and collaborator. Somehow, she manages to make the illustrations better and helps me sharpen my own voice at the same time.

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

My last cover for The New Yorker changed me in ways I did not expect. I used to think my ultimate career goal was to tell the stories that I want to tell. When I was tasked with drawing a response to the wave of Anti-Asian violence in America, I felt immense pressure to try to give voice to others. I’m embarrassed to admit that it was the first time I felt that impulse at my drawing table.

Johnson’s striking cover illustration for “The New Yorker” was his creative response to the wave of Anti-Asian violence in America.

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

I think I was probably born with an attraction to drawings and the patience to sit and draw for hours. That combination of attraction and patience seems like it’s the recipe for “creativity.”  

What’s the last dream you had?

I’m always dreaming of Maui, the place where I grew up, and my friends and family there.

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

“It’s so hard to relate to this 21st century drivel now that we live in a sustainable global utopia.”

Follow @RKikuoJohnson on Creatively

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