Meet Cameron (Yoyocam) Moore: Character Designer and Mural Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cameron (Yoyocam) Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cameron (Yoyocam), what is the most important factor behind your success?
Embracing the unknown has probably been the biggest factor that has helped me in not only my craft, but in my general life. It’s normal and even encouraged for people to have plans for their life and see them through. But I’ve learned that life is FULL of surprises, and some of the greatest things that have happened to me have come by either complete surprise, or by taking a leap of faith and seeing what happens. The first Mural i had ever done was one that I was requested to do. I personally wasn’t confident that i could do it myself because i had never made artwork at that scale, but I tried it out to “see what would happen”. 15 murals later and It’s become one of my favorite ways of doing art. Even with my Character design, the best character designs usually come from answering hard questions and finding solutions. “How do we make this character stand out from the rest of the cast?” “What clothing items would make this character more lovable, dangerous, strong, etc.?” It’s all about diving into the unknown and learning to adapt and flow, becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel like my art and craft is constantly evolving and changing, like me. As of recently it’s been changing so quickly that it’s hard to put a solid “label” on what it is right now. It’s still exploring mediums and techniques, still learning from research, peers, and idols. It changes direction like the wind. As of the past few years, I’ve gotten heavy into Mural Art, and Character Design. I really love the idea of being able to take something that was nothing more than an idea before, and turning it into something tangible, and loveable to others. It truly reminds me of how I used to draw in the beginning when i was a little kid. In school and at home, all i would do is think about and draw characters for hours on end. Creative work like that requires a creative mind, because you’re essentially problem solving from start to finish. Your mind is able to make a crazy mess of ideas, and then you go behind and pick up the pieces that work for you. I’ve gotten to where i am professionally from my constant hunger and effort to grow better as a creative, and taking chances where i saw that i could. That’s anywhere from sending in that portfolio that “you know is just gonna get swept under all the others’”, or responding to that artist call even though thousands of artists have emailed already. I would rather someone else deny me, than for me to deny myself without a chance. You never know who will like what you have to offer. Some lessons I’ve learned from my recent opportunities are: That success takes work, and tons of it, people who are successful are ALWAYS busy. They’re also always trying to improve, even from the point that they’re at already, that urge to climb never ends. They lastly, know that goals worth reaching usually cant be reached overnight. It’s something that takes the letting go of excuses, and daily, constant, passionate amounts of time and energy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Unfortunately in today’s world, going out is discouraged/risky because of Covid-19, but speaking for Post-Covid times, There are so many places worth seeing in this city, it’s simply impossible to name them all here, I’ll name my very favorites. The touristy spot that i strongly recommend to anyone would be the Georgia Aquarium. That thing is overflowing with different types of aquatic life and is ever expanding. It’s a bit pricy but worth every penny, and you get to say that you’ve been to the biggest aquarium in the world. I like most others prefer to hang out/eat at places that are a bit smaller and out of the way of all the tourists. Feels like they put more love and flavor and atmosphere into their businesses. Being that I’m from Stone Mountain, i have to put Stone Mountain Park on the list of places to go. It’s a natural mountain that people hike up and down each day, and from the top you can see all the major sections of Atlanta. Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Beltline are also really huge places that you can walk through and see nice views of the city from a closer angle. They also have big fields if you’re feeling picnics or if you just wanna lay down in the grass. As far as art is concerned, There are nice local galleries in the city that exhibit quite often like ABV and Notch 8, there’s also the Forward Warrior wall just outside of Krog Street Tunnel, where its a half mile long wall of Murals, made mostly from Artists that live here in the city. It’s definitely a sight to see, and the wall’s murals change each year. When it comes to Eats, my favorite places in the city are Thumbs up Diner and Front Page News for their bomb breakfasts. Carroll Street Cafe and Little’s are two amazing small places to eat, tucked away on carroll street, but they have some of the best lunch foods. And if its a Tuesday, Chef Smokey Atl has the best Birria Tacos that the city has to offer. He shows up at different spots on his food truck so the best way to find where he’ll be at that day would be on his insta. You can find good eats at night at The Highlander in Midtown promenade (Please order the Mother-Clucker), at Hawkers on the Beltline, and at EAV Thai located in East Atlanta Village, they have great Thai dishes and even better sushi. For Sweets, my go to will most times be Sublime Donuts, as they have good donuts and ice cream, along with being open 24 hours a day. A very noteworthy spot in the city i would take a guest out to at night would be the Revery VR Bar tucked away off of Ponce De Leon Ave. They have good drink selection, good music playing, and they let you rent booths where you can play Virtual reality games. I’ve been quite a few times and its always a blast.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely would not be the person/artist that i am today, if it weren’t for my friends. My friends are always there to push me further when I don’t have the nerve to do it myself, there if I feel like venting about something crazy that day, there to send me memes to keep me laughing throughout the day, someone to tag along with if i want to get out the house, and for those that are artists, there to keep me inspired creatively with their amazing work. I’m so blessed and thankful to have friends that I’m also fans of. I feel like we keep each others’ fires burning and that has done a ton of legwork in terms of my growth as an artist. So shoutout to my closest friends! You guys know who you are, I make sure of it.

Website: www.CameronTheArtist.com
Instagram: @yoyocam
Linkedin: Cameron Moore
Twitter: @asxceart

Image Credits
Photographs captured by Nji Tuma and myself