Sleepy Ghost Logo (Photo – Christian Brewster)
It is a reward for an artist’s work to reach the hands of millions of people across the world–a reward that many strive to achieve. For Alhambra resident and pixel artist, Sleepy Ghost, that reward is something that came to him unexpectedly.
By Christian Brewster
“It’s crazy that it has any reach at all,” he said, leaning back in his chair outside his favorite local café. “It’s not something I anticipated, especially in the millions. Millions is absurd.”
Although interested in animation as a kid, it wasn’t until 2020 that he started taking the steps to pursue it on the side. Perhaps it was the uncertainty of the pandemic, or the extra time most found themselves having as they were cooped up at home during lockdown, but Sleepy Ghost started exploring the world of animation.
“During the pandemic I just started messing around with some free pixel app on a web browser,” he said. “I kind of just went from there.”
Ghost added that there were two main accounts that he found inspirational during the infancy of his animation journey: Nam Mac and WorthiKids. “… both of those guys were really big inspirations when I was starting.”
During the day, he goes to his 9-5 job, where he works in software web development. It is a hybrid working environment, so he spends his time either at home or at the office. He attempts to get his work done as efficiently as possible so he can move on to his animations, something he sees as a “mental reward.”
Ghost, originally from a small farm town in the Central Valley area, moved to Los Angeles seven years ago, where he lived on the West Side. About a year ago, he moved to Alhambra with an old college roommate. “I just really like it here,” he said excitedly. “I kind of want to stay here forever.”
His commitment to animation truly started in the LA area and, although his work had garnered attention before, it was a specific video that really bolstered his viewership.
“The Kendrick/Knuckles video, that one is super crazy,” he stated. “That one kind of blew up across [every platform]. It’s my biggest animation by far.”
With 20.9 million views on TikTok alone, Ghost saw an opportunity when rapper Kendrick Lamar and pop star Drake got into a very public dispute. They “settled” the dispute through a series of songs both artists released, and Lamar was widely crowned as the victor.
After the massive success of that video, Ghost’s work started to reach other artists, like rapper Denzel Curry, who followed Ghost’s Instagram page, and popular online music critic Anthony Fantano, who has been very vocal about his support for Kendrick Lamar and his music. Sleepy Ghost quickly become more than just a passion project. Grammy nominated artists and pillars of Internet culture have become aware of his work, something that he never thought would happen.
“It’s definitely intimidating and kind of crazy because it’s people that I’ve seen, or I’ve listened to their work, or followed them on the Internet before,” he said when talking about certain celebrities following his account. “And now they’re aware of what I’m doing. It’s kind of weird.”
His work, however, is more than just a place of entertainment for some people. When scrolling through the comment section of his videos, it doesn’t take long to find those who talk about what’s going on in their personal lives, and how Ghost’s animations affect them.
“Hey so this is what my breakup feels like right now, and I appreciate that this little homie’s groovy moves are making me feel even a little bit better,” one user commented under a YouTube video of an animated character dancing to “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye. “Keep it up, Sleepy Ghost.”
Ghost reflected on the impact his videos have left on some viewers, adding that he “somehow accidentally created a space for people to be open and vulnerable…”
From the very beginning, Ghost has tried to maintain a level of “introspective goofiness” in which he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Humility is the defining trait he continues to try to uphold. Regardless of the millions of views, likes, and follows from influential people, he reconciles the growing audience and attention the same way he creates a new animation.
“I start with really basic shapes, then I try to get the movement down.” he said, explaining what his typical animation process looks like. “I’ll slowly start filling in bits and pieces of character here and there.”
It’s a process that starts and ends the same way, but once his art is released, it impacts his viewers in ways he can’t quite predict. The creative process is something he finds comfort in. It’s his recompense at the end of every day, and a passion that extends far beyond what he does in a café or at home; it extends to the phones and laptops of millions of viewers.
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