to see the cover
its in my recent deviations

yatoy speaks

HARAYA: Do you call yourself an artist, why?

YATOY: I don’t call myself anything…or claim something of a title…im still a nobody .
I even call myself as not myself or not yet myself…  .. people calls me an artist.  Because it is the people who decides what to call us… and because people calls me an artist it is just an acceptance of who I am.. if I will call myself as an artist. But its safe to call myself an artist if I will call myself that way… because I make artworks… and I was born to make art.
Hahaha but I call myself an art teacher and an illustrator and a painter.
If someone asked me if im an artist.. I do say I am. If someone asked what is my profession I say im a freelancer or an illustrator or a painter.

HARAYA: What is your medium of expression?
YATOY: Art is not an expression for me.. it’s the reason for living… it is why I live.. it is the purpose of life… it is my existence.. it is Gods mission for me.

HARAYA: Who are your major and minor influences in your work?
YATOY:  An influence is an influence major or minor or somewhere in between.. a general or a lieutenant. We can’t really differentiate. Just about anything we see or hear or touch or smell or taste or feel or dream … is an influence. Sometimes not just visual art influences visual art… it could be music that influences visual arts or poetry… or philosophy etc….
In drawing… I don’t know what really influenced me… because my mom said that I learned to draw at age 1 or 2. and I cant even remember  it. My earliest memory was during my 3rd birthday… I remember I already had many sketches during that time… and It wasn’t stick figures. but more understandable figures.
When I was in pre school and grade school… I watched cartoons… the eighties cartoons you know..(hahahaha they will know my age) transformers, GIjoe, he-man, thundercats, robotech, voltron, etc….. many more.. sometimes I draw them… by memory and with reference. And then joining poster making contests in grade school using crayons and coloring pen. And in high school it was the first time I discover the existence of oil pastel and tube watercolor.. I combined them in poster making contest and slogan-making contest. in my later years in high school also I fell in love with comicbooks marvel and dc superheroes. When I entered college… it was just my first time to paint using oil and acrylic. I also knew the great artists of the past.. the ninja turtles(renaissance artists).
Oh wait I wasn’t answering it correctly?
Salvador dali, m.c. Escher, ninja turtles, Norman Rockwell, Picasso, van gogh, vasarely, juan luna, felix resurrection hidalgo, Vicente manansala, cesar legazpi, carlos botong Francisco, paeng Pacheco, etc…
In comics: joe,andy & adam kubert, jim lee, whilce portacio, marc silvestri, art adams, mike mignola, brian stelfreeze, travis charest, Bernie wrightson, alfredo alcala, lurie, etc…many more



HARAYA: What is beauty?
YATOY: Beauty is not necessarily perfection.  It is harmony and acceptance. It is balance and imbalance too. And art is not necessarily beauty. Beauty is not necessarily pleasant. Pleasant is not necessarily beauty. Beauty is the fruit of hardwork. Beauty is the accomplishment of a better cause. Beauty is a purpose, beauty is passion. Beauty is an advocacy; a beautiful person is a person responsible enough to do the right thing.

HARAYA: What kind of artist are you?

YATOY: A messenger artist, an alarm clock to awaken the asleep, a reading glass to help people see things clearly. A binocular to make people see much farther and further. A magnifying glass or a microscope to allow us to see small things that might be more important than big things.

HARAYA:  What is your goal as an artist?
YATOY:  To let it out everything inside my imprisoned mind. 300+++ poems, 500+++ characters, 50+++songs, 40graphic novels, 100 unique concepts for a one man show. Etc…. still imprisoned.

HARAYA:  How do you find Bicol’s art scene? How about Legazpi?
YATOY:  There are a lot of talented bicolano artists but when they get tired of earning almost nothing they usually go to manila and abroad. And they usually get recognized somewhere else but not here in bicol. But we can change that I think …though it wouldn’t be easy.

HARAYA: What do you do in life besides Art?
YATOY:  Eat, drink, sleep, watch tv, surf internet, read books, studying right now m.a. literature.
Giving art lessons to kids.

HARAYA:  Any advice to our young creative individuals?

YATOY:  Do not be imprisoned like me. If you are an artist be an artist against all odds…even if everyone is against you. There is a reason why you are given a talent. And the reason is to use it. Before …. I almost tried to forget that I am (a maker of art) and started obeying the higher authorities. All they think is for me to be employed and have money no matter what job with high salary. And so I have been employed like 15 times and resigned like 15 times also. Insurance agent, call center agent, sales & marketing, networker, advertising, tourism, pre-need etc…. etc… and I almost lost myself.. and now I am trying to recover… and want to be myself…it will be a long process though. Considering I still don’t have the freedom.
Our freedom in arts is the same as our freedom in life… do your freedom as long as it doesn’t destroy others freedom.

HARAYA: Who is Troy "Yatoy" Carretas to you?

Oh well im not even myself yet just 3% of it. yatoy is the shortcut for kuya troy I can also call myself toycar or yatoycar. I don’t know how to get rid of my dandruff, most of my problems or almost all of my problems are inherent and I didn’t create it, I was born having it. My tooth jacket wasn’t my fault. Obedience is my mistake it always causes me trouble but still I am obedient. Because I respect the elders and I also respect the children and of any age and of any status. I can copy the voice of some cartoon characters.
I can crack my bones like a hundred times (I can’t translate in English”paragtok”). I can’t swim properly. I don’t know how to drive a car without crashing it. I only know how to play basketball when nobody is around to laugh at me. if I play billiard it would take 2 hours for me to shoot all the nine balls. I usually suck at sports but I like sports.
Just recently I discovered a new kind of talent in me, it’s to interpret a song with actions but I can only do it with a little influence of alcohol hehehe. Oh I hate telling something about myself.. It makes me feel not humble. Unless a specific question regarding self and not a general one. I would answer that I have 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 mouth and one nose im just a person like anyone. And if you know the johari window there are things unknown to me and known to others and unknown to me and unknown to anyone etc….

I am a very organized person who doesn't have the chance to organize things.
A workaholic who doesn't have the chance to work things out.