#studio spaces

Can you describe to folks a little about your studio or creative art space? My space is so cramped right now! I’m currently living and working out of a tiny little space in Long Beach while I’m wrapping up my degree at Cal State Long Beach. It’s constantly fluxing in between surgically placed painting/drawing supplies and a hurricane of paper and canvas flying all over the place. I screwed sheets of plywood to the walls so I can get creative with my setup and still hope to retain my deposit when I leave. I’ve been working at the same foldout table for as long as I can remember. It used to be sticker bombed with stickers I would pick up from the Warped Tour and local skate shops (RIP Utility!). Over the years paint has slowly covered the entire surface. It’s honestly the nicest neighborhood I’ve ever lived in and I’m super grateful for the great deal I was offered. It’s so awesome being able to walk at night!

What’s a typical day in the studio like for you? My studio practice changes depending on where I am. My favorite situation was when I could wake up, get to work on whatever crazy project I had going on, take a skate break around 4 till sundown,  then keep working till bedtime.         

Since I started knocking out school full time I’m usually up by 8am and roll out the door by 8:30. I’m gone at school from 9am-11pm roughly four days a week right now. When I finally get home I keep working until about 2 then crash and repeat.  I graduate in roughly two months, so the grind is almost over. Having an overhead desk lamp with a legit bulb in it has been a game changer for the late night paint jams. 

I guess one weird working quirk is last July right after my birthday I hurt my neck and have been slowly learning to work in a way where I’m not in constant pain. I’ve been scaling up and drawing with stuff taped to a drawing board mounted on an easel. I started yoga in January, and after three months I’ve noticed a significant amount of improvement, so maybe I can scale back down and get gnar with the details again soon.

On the weekends. I’ll wake up and try and chill out so I don’t get burned out more than I already am. I live 5 blocks from Cherry skatepark, so I’ll try and take a break to roll over there or even cruise over to local homies houses and play board games or get a family style meal going. 

What type of things do you keep around the studio to inspire you or motivate you? Whats the most significant piece of wall art or inspiration you have in the space? Art, artbooks, zines, stickers, spray-paint, 25 cent toys, random quotes written on scrap paper, little sculptures my friends have made, goofy pictures I’ve taken or found, lots of music! I try to keep the tone optimistic and playful. If I’m ever really stuck I’ll pull out this art book about stickers and just get lost going through the pages. It was the first artbook I ever acquired and is loaded with work from my heroes and contemporaries. It’s a great little piece that reminds me of that magic feeling that got me going in the first place when I start to feel a little lost.

What are you currently working on that you can share? I’m working on a body of work right now exploring social systems. It’ll most likely be part of my graduation show at CSULB in May. Otherwise I’ve kind of been laying low just, so I can recoup and focus on all the health drama I’ve been dealing with. Just taking it one day at a time, if there’s anything I’ve learned in school so far, it is to be patient and just keep going.