Conversation

Personal & Artistic Background

What first inspired you to start creating art? Did you grow up surrounded by art or did it find you later in life?

I can't say that anything in particular inspired me to start creating art. It has always just been something that has felt natural, or something that J felt compelled to do. I was never really surrounded by it directly so I didn’t have any direct influence from the people around me growing up. But I always found myself interested in it, and slowly became more passionate about it as I got older. If I could pinpoint anything it would have to be skateboarding. That introduced me to a lot of creative people, and helped me learn how to express myself physically, which eventually manifested into other artistic avenues. 

Process & Medium

Can you describe your creative process—how does an idea evolve into a finished piece? Why did you choose the mediums you work with? Do you have a ritual or routine that helps you get into a creative flow?

My creative process is pretty messy sometimes. It has changed throughout the years. I used to feel that it was very structured and methodical or planned out. When I first started making art I would mostly stick to drawing which has its limitations in terms of creative processes. But I eventually began exploring new mediums and materials and found that I like the freedom of being able to explore different things. So now my choice of medium or material just depends on the work that I am doing, and my creative process tends to flow much like a river I would say. There is some sense of flow and rhythm to it, but at the same time it can be very chaotic and messy, very organic. In my most recent work, and the work that I feel taps the most deeply into my soul, has started off very childlike and expressive. And from that I will start to highlight certain things about it, or pull from certain parts that speak to me and find my way to hone in on that. In that way, it is very hard to know when a piece is "finished", but to me it feels finished when I no longer feel inspired by it or feel bored of it, or like there is nothing else I can add to it. In a way, they feel like memoirs for certain periods of my life. And when that period of my life has transpired then the art must be laid to rest. 

Philosophy & Inspiration

What themes or emotions do you explore most in your work? How do your personal experiences, background, or culture show up in your art? What do you hope people feel or think when they encounter your work?

To be completely honest, I have never really cared about how people interpret my work. That is not to say that I am not interested in how they feel about it or what perspective they might have on it. I always love to hear the feedback that people have and how they feel when they see it. I just say that to mean that I have never made art with the intention that anyone interprets or feels any certain thing. That, I think, is the beauty of art. That there is never a right or wrong way to perceive it. Everyone's interpretation is different and unique, just as every piece of art, and every artist is unique. I have always just made art for myself, as an expression of my own soul, my own grievances and interests, of things I feel drawn to that just can't be expressed any other way. And whatever people think about it is what they think. I don't intend for it to be one thing or another. 

Journey & Growth

What was one turning point or “aha” moment in your artistic journey? How has your art evolved over the years? What’s a challenge you’ve faced as an artist, and how did you overcome it? 

I think I kind of touched on the second question in the previous responses, so I will answer the last one. One challenge I have faced as an artist is "perfection". I am very detail oriented, so I have always battled with getting too hyper focused on certain things. That is probably why my work has evolved over the years from being very realistic and detailed drawings to more free flowing collage/mixed media. I have tried to steer away from that unobtainable notion of perfection and have tried to learn to embrace the messiness and imperfection. I can't ascribe it to one "aha" moment or specific thing, but somewhere along the way I found that sometimes things that were accidents created the most beautiful things as a result. So I have tried to embrace that and let go of perfection, because the soul is not perfect. Noone is perfect... and that is what makes people and art so beautiful. So I have tried to tap into that with my art as well. To be more vulnerable and expressive and not so worried about all the little details and trying to make them perfect. 

Connection to Community

How does living in Boise/Idaho (or your home city) influence your work? Do you collaborate with or draw inspiration from other local artists? What role do you think art plays in bringing a community together?

I think living in Boise has influenced my work in many ways. There hasn't always been a very big outlet for creatives in this city, but there are so many incredible artists and creatives lurking about this town. And that has influenced or inspired me in many ways. I have met so many amazing artists here and that has shaped my own life and creative interests in many ways. I also think that art plays many roles in bringing a community together. In fact, I think it is THE THING that brings a community together. Whether it's music, art, dance, it all taps into that part of us which is felt by everyone. It taps into the soul, the unexplainable, the humanness that we all share. It doesn't matter the race or the age or any of that. It is something that connects with everyone. So I feel that without art there may not be a community at all. Without it, what else is life for?  

Beyond the Studio

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not creating art? Do music, travel, books, or food influence your creativity? If so, how?  Is there a fun or quirky fact about you that people might not expect?

When I'm not creating art I enjoy a variety of things. I love being out in nature, and exploring. I love skateboarding. I love woodworking and anything related to building. I love finding little hidden nooks around the city and building little hangout spots. I once built a massive stick fort by the river with a friend that we almost got to the point of building 2 stories tall, all out of sticks and branches that we found in the area. Unfortunately it got torn down by the city, but it was an amazing experience. I loved building something like that, knowing that other people could come and enjoy it and discover it on their own. And I loved knowing that I built it without anyone ever knowing it was me. Idk what it was about it, but I enjoyed the fact that I was doing something cool that I could witness people enjoying, and having no one know that it was me creating it. Now that I think about it, I once created a piece of art in a similar fashion by taping a large piece of paper down at the skatepark and left it there for 24 hours. My goal was to capture the flow of skateboarding by the wheel marks being transferred to the paper. But the response to it was way beyond what I expected. People loved it, and had no idea who put it there, and I just loved getting to see people experience it firsthand and express themselves by leaving their own unique marks. Anyways, I'm getting off topic I think. 

Looking Forward

What projects or themes are you excited to explore next? Where do you hope to see your art in the next five years? If you could exhibit anywhere in the world, where would it be—and why?

I really just hope to stay creating. I would love to see my art in the MOMA or something of nature, just as any artist would, I'm sure. But really I've never cared about any of that. I don't care about the accolades or the awards. I just love creating art. I love expressing myself in that way. In fact, I just need it. Whether it's received by the world or not, I just have to do it. It spills out of me whether I like it or enjoy it, or not. So as long as I can keep doing that I don't care where it ends up. I just hope that someday it is able to reach people in a meaningful way that speaks to them as well, whether that's just locally or worldwide. And even if it doesn't, I don't think I would care. That is not what drives me. I am not very goal oriented in that way when it comes to making art. So whatever happens happens, and if it reaches people I would love that, but if not, im gonna be here creating either way.