How do
you get inspiration and ideas that start your creations?
It used to be mostly through books and
magazines — my library is my most coveted collection. But these days, I get better ideas when I have less external
influence. Taking super long drives is my favorite ideation practice. My car is
my think tank. I drove across America twice in the last year, alone, and both
trips yielded a massive notes app dump with so many new thoughts and ideas. I
used to never try and force ideas but lately I’ve been into the idea of making
yourself come up with something. Often times it takes a bunch of purposely bad
attempts just to use process of elimination to find what’s working. But once
that momentum is going you find that ideas come pretty quickly from there.
When
you start creating, do you have a certain image of the finished in mind? Or do
you see it gradually as you create?
Yes and no. My old process used to be
very experimentation based, but as I’ve progressed in my practice, I have a
much clearer vision of the finish line than I used to, and like to explore
different ways of bringing it to life. In my practice, experimentation and
exploration are two different concepts. Experimentation is more like when I
don’t have a specific idea or even project, and start playing around with
totally new tools or thoughts. More of a free jazz energy. Whereas exploration
is when I’m using familiar tools and methods to navigate new landscapes.
How do
you embody an idea as an artwork to make sure it doesn’t lose its purity?
The more I grow into my practice, the
less concerned I am with being a purist. I think Virgil Abloh touches on this
in his “Tourist vs. Purist” concept. “A tourist is someone who’s eager to
learn, who wants to see the Eiffel Tower when they come to Paris. The purist is
the person who knows everything about everything.” Early on in most people’s
creative careers, you’re focused on finding your place in the world—which by
circumstance means emulating your surroundings to some extent. Channeling the
purity of the work you aspire to make. But as I continue to solidify my vernacular,
I find more excitement in being the tourist. Exploration.
When I
look through your many works on Tumblr and other sites, I feel a consistent and
unique atmosphere and style. What do you consider to be your personality that
is unconsciously reflected throughout your work?
I prefer not to define it myself; I think the audience does a much better job at that.
My main goal is authorship over style. That “you know it when you see it”
feeling is what I’m always shooting for.