Iziah's journey as a comic artist didn't start before he graduated from college. He took a diploma course to work in the disability support sector. Even though he enjoyed what he studied, the artist revealed that paying attention in class was never his best quality. "On my laptop, I would tend to try to figure out this animation software called Anime Studio. I wanted to tell jokes that I wrote down by the hour but needed the medium to present them. I decided to buy a tiny USB drawing tablet after graduation and posted comics I would draw on Instagram; learning from other artists with each post."
A lot of Zayatoon's comics feature characters from pop culture and this is not a coincidence! For the artist, it's not only a means to tell a joke but also a way to attract people's attention. "I give this advice out all of the time to beginning artists on social media. Draw Mario. It's simple, but it's great advice. When you scroll through social media, there are endless posts that will get your attention. A constant I found is that the user (myself included) most likely will only interact with art if you recognize the content, or recognize the style of the creator. You meet the viewer halfway when you include a pop culture character like Mario, Sonic or Harry Potter in your work because they know what to expect. If they go 'ha-ha' at your joke and come to recognize what makes the art style unique; the next time they see your work (even if there is no pop culture character) they will remember you made them laugh once and know what to expect when interacting with your post. That, and I think of my jokes a lot while playing games and watching movies. That's another reason!"
Zayatoon doesn't take the audience for fools when making comics or animations. In his works, he doesn't try to "shove a political statement down their throats" or betray their expectation of his content in any such way. "I try very hard to tell a joke that you don't have to be aware of several trivial facts to understand. All I want is to tell a silly joke that will hopefully make you laugh. People seek out humor to get away from the ugly reality. No one likes the king's jester whose day job is also the royal advisor. I hope that makes sense!"
For Iziah, his dad is a huge source of inspiration. "My dad is my most quick-witted person I know. I've always tried as much as possible to live up to his sense of humor. I believe that if he grew up in the age of the internet, he would have twice the popularity that my posts have. Whenever he makes me laugh, which is daily, I like to write down his joke in my endless document of punchlines for the world to one day share the humor with. If I can live up to even a single domain of what makes him a good man, I will be grateful. He is an important inspiration, and has always encouraged me to pursue what I find meaningful. I find meaning in creative pursuits. Animation and comics provide a perfect outlet."
