Stutter: On Mediums, Movement, and What Comes Next…
Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Username(s): @Stutterx
You’ve had an incredible visual journey—starting with paint, moving into digital art, and now stepping into photography. Do you remember when things first started to click for you as an artist?
Thank you. Creating is something that I’ve always naturally gravitated towards; I don’t think there was ever a time in my life when I wasn’t creating something. I vividly remember entertaining myself in kindergarten by illustrating entire stories on sheets of paper and having my imagination breathe life into the drawings. As I grew older I started trusting myself more as an artist and gave myself full freedom to express my emotions in whatever medium felt good at the time. Doing so helped me realize that as a creative you don’t have to be locked down by a single artistic medium, the more you allow yourself to experiment and branch out the better art you’ll create.
Your earlier work often played in this space between physical and digital—hand-painted textures mixed with Photoshop edits. Was that mix intentional from the start, or did it just happen naturally?
A big goal of mine was always finding the perfect mix between all my creative mediums, especially blending physical with digital. There hasn’t really been another period of time where artists have had this many creative mediums at their disposal so why not use everything available to create something completely unique and fresh. Now that artificial intelligence is a thing I believe that artists should try experimenting even more and branching out in order to set their work apart from what is being created by machines. The beautiful thing about work created by humans is that those unplanned imperfections or mistakes add so much more beauty and soul to the work and can never truly be replicated.
Now that photography is in the mix, how are you thinking about your work differently? Do you approach a photo shoot the same way you’d approach a painting?
I picked up photography as a way to distract myself from what I was experiencing at the time. I had a lot of emotions that needed to be let out and I thought photography would be something fun that could distract me while I was processing. I noticed quickly that instead of numbing and distracting from my emotions it was actually allowing me to express them in another medium using everyday life as inspiration. I started viewing photography as painting using moments in time. It allowed me to once again notice the countless amount of beauty in life that surrounds us. I’ve always approached painting with feeling over anything and I feel like my photography follows the same approach.
One thing that stands out in your photos is how painterly they feel. Do you feel like your painting background shows up in the way you frame or light your shots?
Definitely, before I even begin to snap a photo I frame everything in my mind to try and find the best composition that not only looks visually appealing but also tells the best story. The goal has always been to make the viewer feel something.
Was there a specific photo—or even a moment—that made you feel like “yeah, this is part of my work now too”?
I was in Santa Barbara for a few weeks when I first picked up a camera. I was so inspired by life there that everyday I’d go out and shoot all the moments that brought me joy. I captured so many moments that made me fall in love with photography as a whole and I started to think about taking it more seriously while still making sure I had fun in the process. There were definitely some shots I got there that I’d consider some of my “grail” photos.
Are there overlaps between the tools you use for painting, digital, and photography? Or are they separate headspaces for you?
I used to paint on other people’s pictures digitally and I’d eventually like to do that with my own pictures so there's definitely an overlap there, but as of now I’ve been keeping things separate for the most part.
You have a distinct visual voice across everything you touch. How do you keep that consistency, especially now that you’re working across different mediums?
That visual voice is me, it always has been. I use art as a way to express emotions I can’t put into words, no matter what outlet I choose to express that I believe that visual voice will carry over because it's ingrained in my soul.
Let’s talk about influence. Who or what’s been inspiring you lately—visually, emotionally, spiritually?
I’m currently being inspired by how chaotically beautiful life is. Everything is so imperfectly perfect. I’m constantly being surprised by the people I meet or the little joys in life that are there if you’re willing to seek them out. I go through deep depressive periods sometimes that prevent me from seeing life in this way so once I’m out of those ruts life is nothing but inspiring to me.
What kinds of stories or feelings are you trying to get across in your photos right now?
Love. I really believe that the meaning of life is love, however you decide to take that is up to you but love or lack of love moves a lot of the world around us. Whenever I’ve focused on this feeling in my work the end product has always felt genuine and fulfilling.
Your work often has this layered quality—like it’s never just one mood or one technique. Where does that complexity come from?
Life, it’s so complex and layered with emotions constantly shifting. I want to find ways to show that in my work so instead of forcing it I just let whatever is inside out onto the canvas in whatever way it wants to manifest. I’ll work on a piece when I’m sad, put it away for a while and come back to it when I’m happy, or mad, or nervous just to be able to capture my genuine mood or emotions onto the canvas.
With painting or Photoshop, you have full control over every element. With photography, there’s a little more spontaneity. Has that changed the way you think about creating?
I love that about photography, it makes the process more fulfilling when you get an amazing shot and know nothing was staged or planned and you took that photo at the exact right time. There are no do overs when capturing from life. It’s all about trusting yourself enough to find those moments. It’s definitely helped me be less of a perfectionist when I paint because I know no matter what happens on that canvas I can trust myself to make the end piece special.
How has your audience responded to the photography work? Has that changed the way you share or think about it?
The response has been better than I expected. I’d like to think they see it as an extension of my art. Even though I’ve primarily been posting paintings in the past, those who have followed me for a while know I really just post what I’m interested in at the time whether that be painting, sculpting, photography, directing, fashion design, etc. I might eventually want to create a separate account for photography just so I don’t spam on my current account, but I’ll get to that when it happens.
Do you see photography as a temporary phase, or is it something you plan to build into the foundation of your practice?
Photography has become one of my favorite mediums to express myself through so I don’t see it going anywhere to be honest. My camera has become something I carry with me at all times so I definitely can see myself continuing to capture moments for the foreseeable future.
What does your creative process look like right now? Are you planning things out in advance or moving more intuitively?
I’m terrible at planning. I tend to work better by following what feels good at the time which is great but can also be detrimental when I need to get something finished but don’t have the energy or enthusiasm to do so. My creative process is ever evolving but I definitely move off of intuition.