We recently connected with Alec Johnson and have shared our conversation below.
Alec, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I’d say the short answer is that I’ve possessed my purpose since before I was born. I’ve kept it with me every moment of my life, and that purpose has always been my creativity; my artwork and stories and thoughts about everything and anything. Learning to manage this creative force, and beginning to understand its potential for healing, I was driven to explore the meaning of my own existence on a far deeper level. As I started traveling between universes and consulting with extra-dimensional entities, often I would find myself stopping somewhere out there in spacetime to ponder the purpose of being alive and manifesting feelings on a planet called Earth. Upon my return, I became increasingly aware that there were certain instances of experience which could not be simply put into words, but which could, however, be evoked using specific colors and imagery. That is when I started to paint and discovered that I’ve been on this road from the beginning. I am the heir to the Goddess Eris’ lineage, born to be a Discordian- I was born to live this life. All that it took was finding my path and gaining the confidence to follow it.
Admittedly, I was afraid at first. When I started to learn art, my devotion wavered. It didn’t seem like a future that was profitable, it still doesn’t. Now, though, I understand more that we artists have an instinctual drive to create. It is in our DNA, a central part of how and why we exist. I realized that I can call myself an artist, that I have been an artist my whole life. Then the truth set in that this is why I am here. My purpose is to live this life and to tell my story and make my art. I had to learn to understand that my path would come to reflect the lives of so many past artists, riddled with self-doubt, depression, and other mental health struggles. Dread is too common a theme amongst the lives of creatives. But once I figured out that I can aim this energy instead at teaching what I have learned to future generations of artists, it gave me a renewed passion for my life and for my art.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a philosopher, theologian, magician, scientist, artist, and a clown. It is difficult to separate my body of work from my theoretical perspectives on life, the universe, and everything. Exploring the unknown is a big theme within my practice. I try to stay ever connected to the essence of fluidity, an aspect which I value about the Chaoist belief system. My body of work is an expression of my understanding of the cosmos throughout my life; not just this plane that we live on here, but the entirety of existence. Knowing that there are beings which exist in places undiscovered by most, as of now, is truly the main tenet of my esoteric study. I believe that most of what my work is attempting to communicate occurs through subtle hints to the audience that other thought patterns are present, other places and beings and ideas- entire other universes are here hidden beyond the boundaries of the things we know and think about. This thought is so special to me, especially regarding art, which is never required to be what you think it is. I’ve been stretching into this mindset lately as well, that I am not required to be any certain way. AJ is an extension of my creativity, a branch of my own power of visualization manifested through paint and pixels and plenty of effort. Finally, after living and learning to better my craft for the last year in Los Angeles, my confidence as a creative has skyrocketed. This has allowed me to move forward towards pursuing my dreams, continuing my journey around the world as an artist.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One skill that I think is important for an artist who is beginning to show and sell their work is problem solving. Once you can reliably think ahead and anticipate obstacles, quickly come up with solutions, and trust that you will be able to address any problems that may arise, your work and the confidence with which you present it will begin to improve. Say that something unplanned occurs with a painting, a spill or accidental topple. There is something beautiful about the ability to go with the flow and just roll with it, understanding that things like this happen sometimes and the piece is still beautiful, still filled with untapped potential- things are still happening. Creation is still occurring. It’s about being able to reform your perspectives on any situation in order to move forward. The more that you work on these types of skills, the more prepared you will be for life in general.
An artist must have an understanding of their own creative output, their artistic rhythm, as well as how and when to surrender to it. I think that every artist has a different medium where they prefer to operate. Understand your comfort zone and why you make what you make, why you don’t make the things that you don’t, and always work to improve your craft by exploring more and more ways to express your creative voice. It is important to me to always stay in a space of growth, learning, and discovering new things artistically. Early in my journey, I had a lot of exposure to problem solving activities which required me and a team of others to build the tallest structure we could out of random objects like paper clips, a piece of string, five mailing labels, and a sponge. Once an artist can conceptualize that art is anything and everything, and once they understand that anything and everything can be used to make art, then they can literally make whatever they can think of at that point. To me that is so beautiful. Then, it is just about figuring out what you do differently and how you can communicate that to your audience. Think about the ideal representation of yourself and how they would operate, then always strive to be like that. Strive to be growing and getting better at your craft for as long as possible.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
I’ve grown in so many different ways over this past year. It has been difficult at times, stressful and lonely, but my year in Los Angeles has helped me to find a sense of confidence in myself which I have never known before. I am focused on moving forward now with a momentum I’ve never accessed before. I’m pushing myself forward- pushing my brand, Alec Johnson Art, towards untapped levels of success. One of the biggest areas of growth that I’ve encountered over this year has been deepening my connection with my higher self. I’ve established a foundational understanding that I am an artist, I am a Discordian, I am nonbinary, I am called by many names, and I am here. I exist. Every morning, just like everyone else, I awake in my bed. Still, I am different; and that is okay. Being enigmatic is okay. Being a force of nature and a conduit of chaos is okay. There will be some who do not accept my truth as their own, and that is okay as well. Reality is about moving forward with your truth, letting others move forward with their truths as well, and allowing the light of all beings to mix and wash into this beautiful spectrum where we all live and love.
Another area of growth for me has been allowing all things to be true and false and meaningless at once, remembering that in the end, all is simply Tao. Some will love you and some will not, some will support your efforts and some will work against you- and it will be up to you whether to take it personally or not. You have to make your art, you have to live your life everyday and that is all it should ever be about, living life and making art. And sometimes you just have to embrace this growth thing, sometimes you need to look yourself right in the face, let go of your attachments, and shed some skin. Let go. Sometimes you just have to give yourself a hug. It’s about getting to know yourself, really; learning to express yourself and to live your truth. Realize that you are a being made of light reflected and refracted by everything that exists, and that every other person is this exact same way, all of us reflections of one another. We are both the universe and its active creators, we hold everyone else in our arms. Once you begin to love yourself and accept yourself as you are, truly imperfect and growing and changing, then you can find love anywhere and accept everything as it is. And I love that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alecjohnson.art/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alecjohnsonart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alecjohnsonart
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alecjohnsonart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alecjohnsonart1445
- Other: https://magentacloud.de/s/LQNKQgY43aaFifi
Image Credits
Prakyath Chadalawada
