Even though I obtained my degree in Visual Arts, I’m both a self-taught artist and photographer. I can remember drawing at a very young age and I always had a sketchbook or paper with me. I’ve known from the start art was my calling and I’ve never questioned it. In fact, I don’t think I’d thrive without some type of creative profession. I currently have an exhibit in Los Angeles with my Contamination Series illustrations. I expanded into photography several years ago as well and photograph many great bands out there. I love what I do, and I do what I love.
1. What kind of art weapons do you use to CREATE?
There’s a wide array of weapons I’ve used, but right now I’m focused on illustration for one project, painting for another, and collage for another. For illustration, I use Prismacolor markers, Copic Fine Line Markers, and a Pentel Art Ink Brush. For painting, I focus mainly on using gouache. Collage… well…anything goes. The most bizarre and beautiful scraps of anything combined with the use of feathers.
2. When was the moment you fell in love with ART?
I’ve always been in love with art. It’s something you can truly love for the length of a lifetime. I’ve been creating since I was a young girl, so it’s hard to say a pivotal moment that I’ve fallen in love with art since it’s always been a part of me. I suppose I’ve always been in love with art.
3. What is your purpose to CREATE?
For myself, I createit’s to push myself and see how far I can go – creatively and mechanically. However, there’s a greater purpose than just filling in our own inner needs to create. I personally feel like we as artists should never take our talents for granted. There’s a whole world waiting to see your work, so it’s selfish to sit around and not do what you love with the gifts you’ve been given in life. When you create, you should do it to give back to the world as well as for your own well being.
4. Is there a particular message you want to communicate through your artwork?
There’s a certain level of entertainment you want to provide with your audience. You want to get their attention. However, if you peel back the layers, I’m just showing you a part of myself and what I am passionate about. If you can’t feel the passion by looking at my work, then I haven’t worked hard enough. There’s also some metaphysical or mythological stories behind my work which is more blatant in my gouache paintings of the elements. Sometimes the message isn’t entirely mine; I like to let the art speak for itself sometimes. As artists, we’re just messengers of a greater purpose, essentially.
5. What is your meaning behind the word, “philARThropy?”
A combination of the two best things on earth, with the exception of love: The beauty of the creative process itself and the beauty of being selfless. Mixing those two together is the highest art form you can give to the world. Realizing that this world isn’t just about you, it’s about the lives you touch through your creative abilities and your art.
6. How do you plan on using your creativity and imagination to give back to your community and make a difference?
I really need to sit down with a notebook and brainstorm even more than just beyond this interview. The first thing that came to mind would be to have some sort of involvement with a children’s hospital. I’d love to some time go in and draw portraits of children battling terminal illnesses and maybe do cartoons of them as superheroes. To me, they are the strongest human beings on the planet. Children are far more resilient than we give them credit for and they are natural artists: they draw what they feel and they’re without inhibition.
7. What would be your contribution to the art community?
That’s the six million dollar question, isn’t it? There are endless possibilities. I feel like I’m personally much better with people one on one, so creatively coaching those fellow artists who are looking to find their place and their voice creatively is something I already do. To the community at large, time will tell, but I have a few ideas in my head involving murals and some other things. I don’t want to spill all the beans right now, but I know I’ve got some catching up to do.
8. What message would you give to a young artist who is trying to find their place in the art world?
Don’t take it personally when there are other artists who are truly trying to give you constructive criticism. The key word is constructive. Ultimately, you have to listen to your own soul and create what feels natural to you. Mix that with taking in as much as you can learn about the business of art. I’m still learning, that’s for sure. It’s ok if you don’t know everything about the business side of it; nobody’s perfect. Get your work out there and let it be both fulfilling to you and others. Look for calls for artists in major cities. They’re everywhere online, even on craigslist. Get a website, get some cards, network. Your audience won’t come to you, you go to it. Just finding a way to get your work out there is the biggest first step to everything else.
9. If you had the chance to collaborate with another artist, what would be the #1 thing on your art bucket list of creative projects you’d like to complete?
Hmmm…two things come to mind right off the bat: A comic book and a mural or series of murals. I find a body of work is somehow more effective in the art world these days, so maybe a comic book mini series and a series of murals across several big cities focusing on a particular theme. Maybe they can tie in with one another: maybe the murals are the painted advertisements to promote the comic book. I feel like whatever it is, it should be special and have many dimensions creatively.
10. What kind of art legacy do you want to leave with the world?
Even if I were to leave this world as soon as tomorrow and my “time” was up, I would want those to look at my work and see that it was both brave and multi faceted. Our legacies are a direct reflection of ourselves as both artists and people. Sometimes the challenges we face in our lives are those that bring out our best work and break up the stagnancy. I would want my art or photography or simply my words about the artistic process to have touched the lives of others to still have hope and be bold and brave in the face of adversity.
