Some of the pieces from your last public exhibit had aspects of religion. Is that a big part of your art and identity today?
I grew up in a very religious family. We were in church quite a bit growing up. I’m not a serious person. My art kind of pokes fun at more of the setting of the church and not really the church itself. Having kids in church falling asleep or a lady in a big hat in your visual and you can’t see anything going on. It’s more of an exaggerated joke on the people, not religion. Just feeding off the sketches and feelings, things I might have felt as a kid growing up, like being a sinner is wrong and not giving 10% is wrong.
I wouldn’t say religion is a big part of my identity. It’s just a part of my life and I like to draw little aspects, just kind of flashbacks of my life and putting that out there. Religion was a very large part of my life for a long time, so it’s just going to make its way into my work, whether I’m kind of poking fun at something or trying to say something more serious. It’s more that’s me and that’s been my life.
What does art look like for you now?
These days, I work just pure passion. It takes some of the passion out of it, doing it for work. I really struggled with that when I was younger, trying to find myself, but ultimately for me, just having the freedom to create when I want and make it what I want is more important to me than what I’m necessarily getting out of it. I love sharing work. I love sharing my friends’ work. It’s more like a never-ending learning process and trying to create new things.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.