YOUNG CREATOR PROFILE:
TYLER
BENNINGTON
Writing, Storytelling, Art, Graphic Novel Art
TYLER IN THIS MOMENT
How would you describe this moment in your life right now?
Taking the leap into my passions and trying to make a name for myself
What phase of life are you in, & how do you think your age affects your thoughts, your feelings, your decisions?
I have just graduated high school and decided to forego higher education for the time being. I want to start my career as soon as I can. I’m young. I have plenty of time ahead of me, and I don’t plan on wasting a minute of it.
The first thing you thought of upon waking this morning?
I woke up with a migraine, so my first thought was, “Ouch, my head.” But my second thought was which commission I planned on working on today.
What’s the last thing you thought of before you went to bed last night?
What the next 10 panels in my storyboard are going to look like. Mainly the composition of the panel and the readability of the images
What have you been working on / playing with / scheming this last week?
I have mainly been storyboarding for my own passion project, “Verdant.” But my writing focus is currently on my first official comic book “Exodus.”
If you were to use only three words to describe your current creations, what would they be?
Experimental, Fun, Passionate
What early experience or influence on you is still very much alive for you today in your way of living or in your work?
I could say it were the artist in my family, and yes they inspired me to improve me technique. What really inspired though was the burning urge that filled me as a child, to build fantastic worlds and for other people to explore them. My biggest joy in creating a story is building its setting. Creating fantastic circumstances that are rationalized through a history of the world. I view each of my stories as a documentation of a person or groups impact of the world. In my mind their stories have been written and recited hundreds of times. It’s my job to act as the historian of the world I’ve built.
What is something you’re trying to let go of right now, & how is that going?
I’m trying to let go of the stigma around not attending university. I often fear that people are going to try to convince me to go to college because it’s a more surefire way of making a living. I don’t want surefire; I want to succeed and look back at my journey, and be proud that it was all me. All my hard work got me where I am.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
I think people would find it surprising how much I study academics. Specifically theoretical physics and quantum mechanics. I’m not an expert, but I usually spend my time drawing, listening to lectures by college professors on topics like these.
Who in your life has been a great support to you in championing your creative work, wellbeing, or growth?
There have been many people who have set me on the path I’m on. First it was my two close friends Jeevan Matharu, and Zoë Shippee, when they came to me to help write a story for a short film they were creating. That really reminded me how much I love writing. Then I was my girlfriend Andelyn. She was the first person to see every piece I made, every sentence I wrote, and she never lied to me. If she liked it I knew, and if she didn’t, she knew what needed changing. To me that is the definition of unconditional support. I also have to thank my mom. She’s been there constantly advocating for me, pushing me to take the risks and to be confident in my own abilities.
What kind of mentor would you most like to have? What new skill or knowledge are you most wanting to learn & practice right now? What kind of hands-on experience are you hungry for? What have you not learned in school that you think you really need right now to help make you successful & fulfilled?
I definitely need a marketing lesson or two. Currently my renown is built of my father. That irritates me to no end. It’s majorly discouraging to put hours and hours into building a brand for yourself and creating something, and for that to be the afterthought when people think about you. I want to learn how to overshadow my image as “Chester Bennington’s son.” I want it to be “Tyler Bennington’s Dad.” I want people to hear the name Bennington and think of two successful people who used hard work to rise in their industry.
BIO
I am a writer and artist, working on building an immersive story, and bringing it to as many people as I can.
I want my writings and art to be seen as a reflection of the fantastical ideas, characters, and settings of childlike wonder, and a grounded compelling and engaging story of a storyteller.
FAST FAVES RIGHT NOW:
City: Palos Verdes, there’s no better place to write and create.
Smell: Fresh rain on the sidewalk. Or when you turn the shower on and that first chilled mist hits you.
Music: The Smiths have been taking over my playlists recently.
Dessert: I’ve recently discovered the pure bliss that is the Affogato.
Podcast: Rotten Mango. It’s a true crime podcast with some of the best storytelling I’ve heard in true crime.
Weather: 79 degrees with a 3 mph breeze. That specifically.
Souvenir: Any art supplies from a new place.
Item of clothing: My Lone Wolf and Cub shirt. I bought it for $30, found out it’s worth $500