Communication arts major Geovanny Mejia has been immersing himself in the city's arts scene since high school, when he started participating in programs at the nonprofit youth organization Art 180.
Communication arts major Geovanny Mejia has been immersing himself in the city's arts scene since high school, when he started participating in programs at the nonprofit youth organization Art 180.

March 11, 2022

RVA My Way: Geovanny Mejia

Richmond’s thriving arts scene and its supportive community are helping the Cartoon Network-loving communication arts major become the artist he wants to be.

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By Elinor Frisa

About RVA My Way: This story is part of a series where VCU students share how they’ve made Richmond their own and how it’s helped shape them in return.

About RVA My Way: This story is part of a series where VCU students share how they’ve made Richmond their own and how it’s helped shape them in return.

From an early age, Geovanny “Geo” Mejia has instinctively known that surrounding himself with talented people pushes him to be a better artist. Attending Virginia Commonwealth University in the heart of Richmond’s vibrant arts scene does just that. 

It was a sense of friendly competition back in elementary school that got him started on the path to becoming an artist. When he was in fifth grade, he stayed up all night working on an art assignment to create a personification of Roy G. Biv, the acronym for the hues that make up a rainbow. His drawing earned compliments from his classmates when he turned it in the next morning. 

“[But then] this dude named James came in and he had this beautiful oil pastel drawing … and I was like, wow. That’s incredible,” he said. “And everyone was like, ‘Whoa, James, that’s incredible.’

“And throughout the entirety of fifth grade I had to be better than James.” 

Mejia at a table looking at a notebook with his friend Justin Daniels
Mejia is collaborating with his friend Justin Daniels on a graphic novel that he is illustrating and Daniels is writing. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

Today, Mejia is a sophomore at VCU majoring in communication arts with a goal of working in the cartoon or animation industry. He grew up watching, loving and finding comfort in Cartoon Network shows.

“I really want to make my own cartoon for Adult Swim, Netflix or Cartoon Network or something like that. A showrunner, that’s what I want to be.”

A native Richmonder, Mejia has been taking advantage of the city’s arts scene since right before high school, when he got involved with Art 180. The nonprofit provides arts programming and workshops to youth in the city, and there he met prominent local artists with VCU connections who spoke highly of its School of the Arts. 

When he’s not in class, Mejia explores galleries, museums and events like the First Fridays monthly art walk and the Richmond Folk Festival. He has had part-time jobs at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art and has even had the chance to exhibit his work at a local gallery. Through it all, he continues to be impressed by Richmond’s supportive community of artists and appreciates the chances he’s had to learn from them.

“Everyone I meet here feels very, very nice. … It’s just such a nice place to be, to meet people and further connections but also friendships. … People are always down to help you here, to achieve whatever you want to do.”  

VCU News caught up with Mejia to chat about some of his favorite things to do in the city, and what drives his passion for animation.

Geovanny Mejia a communication arts major who grew up loving the Cartoon Network and wants to one day create his own show. Richmond's thriving arts scene and its supportive community of artists have been helping him develop into the artist he hopes to be, first as a high school student and now as a sophomore at VCUarts, which is located within steps of downtown Richmond's Arts District. Video by Max Schlickenmeyer.

Favorite animated shows: “‘Samurai Jack,’ ‘Dexter’s Laboratory.’ ‘Primal.’ … I grew up with ‘Adventure Time.’ … It grows up with you, the humor grows up with you. It helps me learn a lot of things about life because it starts to get a little bit deeper as time progresses. And it’s like, wow, this is kind of like something that’s happening in my life.”

Art festival to check out: “I really like InLight. It’s a lot of sculptures and different art pieces based around light. They do it at night every year around November. … I really like the ones that you can interact with. … It makes you feel really immersed in the art pieces and whatever the artist was trying to do. A lot of them are very trippy since it’s at night — projections, little light illusions and stuff. It’s very nice to be in the artist’s state of mind.”

Favorite spots to see art: 

“I really like the [Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]. It’s always really fun. I like the new [exhibitions] that come every few months. I also really like the general VCU arts area because VCU kids are always doing crazy stuff. Especially the performance art majors, they always do something crazy in the streets. … I like the ICA a lot. … I really enjoy all the different installations that pass through there every couple months. They’re always so crazy and so out there. It’s always fun to see some new stuff.”

Mejia holding up a notebook with hand sketches
Mejia hopes to one day create his own animated show for Cartoon Network or Netflix. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

What drives his passion for animation: “I [took] a lot of inspiration from animation like ‘Adventure Time,’ Cartoon Network, ‘SpongeBob [SquarePants].’ I really enjoyed how they would tell stories and how they would make me feel nice even after a bad day at school or after a bad day in general. And that’s what I want to do. I want to make people feel better. … These characters that I grew up loving would have the same issues as I would and that would make me feel nice. That’s where I truly derive my passion for it. I want to make other people feel that way, that they’re not alone in the challenges that life holds.”

Non-artsy things to do in Richmond: “I like the mixture of city life and nature that this city has. Especially since I’ve come to VCU, I’ve met a lot people who are into the nature scene — rock climbing, going hiking and camping. All of it is so near Belle Isle, and people love going to Belle Isle. It’s kind of a new thing to me, and that’s really, really fun. … I’ve lived here my entire life, [but] I’m always discovering new things, even now. … That’s what I really enjoy about Richmond.”