It’s common to say it’s how I express myself. It is true but it is also deeper than that. It’s how I find peace in this messed up world.
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I am drawn to painting the most. Being able to make something recognizable out of color mush. Being able to capture the nuances especially of people. I like art that invokes thought and makes people slow down. I like art that has deep meaning and yet still can be interpreted in many ways. It’s like putting a piece of me into something knowing I won’t be around forever too. I like tattooing too because it’s helping people fulfill their visions of themselves in little and big ways.
Where do you find inspiration?I find inspiration from my environment mostly and the people I encounter. I follow my heart a lot of the time since there is always so many places and directions to look. In general I find myself artistically drawn to the things that I spend the most time thinking about. Maybe things that are underrepresented, maybe things that are confusing, maybe things I am learning about, maybe what feels important to me. Maybe I don’t know. I try to trust my intuition and just follow what feels right.
What would you do with $25,000?It’s hard to think about. I think I would save half of it for my future self for when I need help and want to start a family, and then I think I would use the other half just for cost of living and to help fuel my ability to make meaningful art that hopefully can make some difference or start some necessary conversations in this world. I know maybe it doesn’t sound like a lot but that’s what I know for sure. Maybe if it makes sense I can open up my own tattoo studio for future success/income.
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