Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with James Hunt of Downtown Phoenix

We recently had the chance to connect with James Hunt and have shared our conversation below.

James, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Wake up, eat, paint, go to bed.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is NXOEED, I’m a visual artist. I make paintings and hide them throughout the world for people to find and collect.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I’ve always just been an artist. The world never really told me I had to be anything else, or if it did, I never listened.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Only very recently. I was in Los Angeles for a show several months back, and the futility of my endeavors for the past 35-40 years was suddenly made clear to me. It wasn’t a bad show or anything. In fact, it was good. I just felt like I had devoted my whole life to things I no longer really cared about. So I stopped painting for a while and concentrated on other things. I’m only just now getting back to work.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I don’t appear in public very often, so probably not.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’ve only ever done what I wanted. I knew before I could walk or form complete sentences that I was going to draw and paint. I devoted my whole life to it. And only now, at 53 years old, am I beginning to second-guess it. I’m not as interested as i used to be.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
NXOEED

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