“I like that viewers remain as dynamic as my art.”
As a multifaceted creative, how do you navigate such a saturated and high-content art industry?
I think coming up with your own unique style or point of view is important. But I try not to worry about “standing out” too much; as long as what I’m making is genuine and it means something to me, it will mean something to others and people will find me. I think I also have worked hard to carve out my own space in terms of my aesthetic sensibilities, though it will always continue to change and grow. I expect my audience to shift in the same ways. There are people who’ve stayed with me since the very beginning of my journey, and some that may not resonate with the evolution of my art and that’s okay. I like that viewers remain as dynamic as my art.
I used to also worry a lot about making, making, making content, literally anything to post on Instagram. These days since the algorithm has gotten pretty nasty I have completely given up on relying on that. I just make something when I feel like it / when I feel a spark, post it, close the app. I think people will remember one great thing I posted in 6 months that really spoke to them, not so much 6 average drawings I created for the sake of posting that didn’t mean much to me. One day I just had the thought that I started my IG account to share my art, and it had become twisted and backwards to make my art in order to further likes/comments/views. I wanted to go back to my roots.
What are your own personal solutions when it comes to getting out of a creative block?
Most people won’t have noticed (or maybe they will) but I went through a year-long (maybe longer) artist block from the end of 2021 through 2022. I can confidently say that I feel I’m out of it right now, feeling renewed and having more ideas these days.
Artist block, I’ve learned, can appear in different forms (long/short/creative/technical). You would think “artist block” lasts what, a few hours, a week? I had a year-long creative and technical burn-out and felt a lot of shame about it. I couldn’t think of good ideas that I enjoyed and I felt like my execution was stalling. I look back at 2022 and realized how much I had overworked myself and put pressure on myself to continue making. What helped me the most was taking a long break from tattooing in the winter, which freed up a ton of time. I also had my first solo show at the end of 2022 (Gestures, in collaboration with Artbean Coffee Roasters in Chinatown Manhattan) which helped me work towards a creative goal. I also realized I had lost some of the joy in my making through all that pressure; I had opened a new tattoo studio with friends, was running a business full-time through that, continuing to tattoo, work a full-time job from 9-5, and somehow expected myself to come up with new artwork on top of all that. It was very unsustainable but sometimes it takes breaking to know what needs fixing. Taking some long, serious time for yourself to rest is so important.
Over the winter of 2022 (and now) I have set stronger boundaries for my work, and rediscovered what makes me happy just to draw and be comfortable doing it “just for fun” again. And if I draw something just for fun that happens to look great enough to post, then I will post it.
