Absurd is the Word: How Pop Surrealism Will Save the World

The wild.

The weird.

The wonderful.

Early in my art career, I was introduced to magazines like Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose, where an art movement, appropriately named Pop Surrealism, was taking the world by storm. Led by illustrators, painters refusing to be tamed by traditional painting, and so many others, the art world was suddenly BRIGHT PINK, neon, and full of life. The dark underbelly of lowbrow art had finally come to the surface for me, in a way that felt accessible while still very much contemporary “high” Art.

Don’t get me wrong- I’m too punk rock to fall for the high art shit as a superior way of making. Nah. I love art when it’s accessible, which is probably why I like this style of making in the first place. But to see this art come up through the ranks of Art in the past 15 or so years has been nothing short of incredible.

Now, why do I say it will change the world? Because it already has, and continues to do so.

On a surface level, would-be-artists see an accessibility and potential within these types of works, no matter the skill or mastery involved in the making. They see something they like, something that invites them into the creative space- it’s no longer dark paintings of barns and portraits of grumpy farmers (don’t come for me on that, American Gothic is actually one of my favorite paintings).

I could go into this more, but you’ll just have to listen to the upcoming podcast to REALLY hear my thoughts (the more researched ones).

Make sure to keep your ears on the ground for the podcast, coming in January!

Rebirthing A Movement Through “A Creative Purpose”

Every now and again, someone in the world says something and creates a ripple effect with their words; sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it’s horrific. I’m thinking the ripple I’ve picked up on will lead to something good… Lemme explain. Let’s get deep for a moment.

I’m no stranger to latching onto an idea, especially when it’s inspired by something I’m hyper fixated on in my personal life… many of them sharing the same ideology, oddly enough. Lately, I’ve been hearing from multiple sources about the philosophy of leaving the world better than you’ve found it. The importance of this coming from all directions is not lost on me, so I knew that it was time that I added my own work into the mix. Sharing out our creative purpose with the world is a big part of my calling as a creator, which is where A Creative Purpose comes into play as a podcast and community for making life incrementally better, just by you being in it and sharing your gifts.

Sure, our physical artworks allow us to leave the world more beautiful than when we got here, but what are we saying with that work? How are we using our voices and platforms to create positive impact and change?

This isn’t just for the visual artists to ponder and consider within their practice; the impact brought on the world by musicians, spiritual healers, teachers… All of this creates a ripple; a wave that will make the world a better place. As many of us know, the world is a shit storm right now. If we all work towards making this time just a little bit better than we found it, then I think we’ll be okay.

For those of you looking to follow the podcast, I’d love to have you! On IG, we are @a.creative.purpose. I’m also working on the Facebook page, as well as a subset of the Virgo Sun Studio Patreon! Thank you for being here, y’all. I’m so excited to go on this journey with you.