Navied Mahdavian - The Act Of Creating Art Myself Has Only Deepened My Passion (Cartoonist)

It's hard to look at my first cartoons, but you have to start somewhere. I think that that first step is often the hardest.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

I wish I could say, "It all began when I was a child..." but I'm actually a pretty late-starter. I didn't pick up cartooning until four years ago. My background is in elementary education, where I taught 5th grade. 

When I left teaching, I decided to pursue cartooning. I'm fortunate that I own a small cabin in the mountains where I was able to hole up and practice drawing and develop a style, with minimal expenses. I sold my first cartoon to the New Yorker a year later and have been cartooning since.


2. How and when did you realize your passion for visual arts?

I've always been interested in the arts, visual and otherwise. Up until a few years ago, it was mostly as a consumer though. In college, I took a number of classes on art history and film (which I majored in for a short while) and attended art events in the Miami, FL area, where I grew up. 

It wasn't until I started cartooning that I developed a passion for the creative process--the thrill of seeing something from its inception (in my case, a joke about dog butts) to the final, drawn product (and if I'm lucky its publication). The act of creating art myself has only deepened my passion for the visual arts more broadly.


3. What role does the artist have in society?

I think the worldwide COVID pandemic has only reinforced the important role artists play in society. I can't imagine having quarantined without movies and shows and music. I think it provided not only a diversion but also a sense of connectivity to others and the outside world that so many people were missing. 

In the last year, I sometimes questioned the value and propriety in making cartoons, when the problems of the world felt so big and overwhelming. But I think that's when we need art the most.


4. What do you think is the best method to review visuals for corrections? And What is your favourite software to work with? 

I primarily use Adobe Photoshop for corrections. I haven't made the jump to digital illustration yet, but I do use software to clean up my cartoons. Usually, it's just in order to create true whites and blacks and to erase smudges.


5. What is the one piece of advice that you would give to aspiring visual artists?

Put in the hours. Having no formal training in art myself, I had to make a lot of mistakes to figure out what did and did not work. It's hard to look at my first cartoons, but you have to start somewhere. I think that that first step is often the hardest. I'd also suggest finding a community of artists. 

I'm fortunate that the New Yorker cartoonist community is so supportive and communicative. I don't live in New York like many of my peers, but we have so many outlets to work together and share ideas, like Slack and Instagram, that I never feel too isolated (which can be easy when your job means working alone, hunched over a desk). 

Finally, put your work out there. It's embarrassing to look at the first cartoons I posted to Instagram or submitted to the New Yorker and other publications, but having an audience one, helped me to see what worked (do people like it?) and two, forced me to up my game and professionalism. 

- Navied Mahdavian (Cartoonist)

I’ve been a cartoonist for The New Yorker since February 2018 (a couple samples below). Sometimes, I convince places like Wired, Reader’s Digest, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Narrative, and elsewhere to publish my cartoons, too. 

Before becoming a cartoonist, I taught the 5th grade and received my Masters of Education from Stanford University. I split my time between Salt Lake City, Utah and my cabin in the wilds of Idaho.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naviedm/


Interviewed By Akshaya Rathinavadivel