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When did you first become interested in art? I’ve been interested in art from a young age. It’s always been a large part of who I am and how I express myself. How did you get to where you are today in your practice? My schooling, both undergraduate and graduate, has certainly helped me refine my interests in art, both in terms of technique and content, but I think my persistence in the studio is how I’ve gotten where I am today. I process desires and research through my work and seek an understanding of the world I encounter. My content could be perceived as academic and analytical at times, but it is entirely autobiographical in its nature, as it documents my attempts to fully understand what interests me, at the intersection of what confuses me.
BRIAN SMITH
What has been the most challenging aspect of your art career? Financial accessibility. Whether it’s schooling, having a studio space, applying to shows/grants/ fellowships/etc. it's an expensive career that is oftentimes thankless financially. It’s frustrating, really—a career that is supposed to be such a pure form of expression is oftentimes represented by only the folks who can afford the eyes of the masses. The ones who can afford extensive studio time are oftentimes the ones who don’t have to work a second job to afford their passions, and they get rewarded for their extensive bodies of work. It’s fortunate for them, and this comment is not to tear down those who can afford those luxuries, but what I’m saying is that there needs to be some type of reform in how the art world revolves.
