31 Where do you find your inspiration?
collaging and painting over them to push the images a little further. Those experiences and visuals are so personal to me, as they evoke such emotion; so by taking that extra step to manipulate the images, I work myself into them.
Can you pinpoint a significant experience that influenced you as an artist?
Do you think you have found your identity?
It has always been color, shock value, and oddities. Like the ‘wow’ moment. I have always been attracted to that.
My best friend told me three years ago, ‘listen if I ever do one thing for you, I have to take you to Burning Man.’ I spent the whole year knowing I was going, but not asking one question. Honestly I didn’t even look it up and had no idea what I was in for. It completely freed me and changed the concept of art for me. It took art off the white walls of the galleries, which for me is the most intimidating and unattractive part of the art world. It brought art to the people, by the people, for the people and added a real purity to the way I try to create my art. Overall, it’s made me stronger in every sense of radical self-expression.
How has your creative process changed over the years?
I think I have changed more. In terms of my art, I think about a completion of images that I see in the world and stick together random scenarios of people, places or things that I’ve seen and meet. I think that surrealist sort of Burning Man visual will make its way into my canvasses in more of a fine art way then a photographic sense. I plan on turning a lot my photographs into paintings one day and freezing the moment that way. I am more interested in
Austyn: Figuring out the art world is very much like figuring out anything else in life. Like figuring out where you fit in, what type of people you want to exhibit with and what you want to make. So I am just figuring it all out. I have the tendency to want most of the questions answered before I create my work, but I am really starting to believe that the work leads you in the right direction.
You just have to be honest about what you’re expressing and what you want to make. Then, you’ll attract the people, places, and things that are right for you.