We caught up with the brilliant and insightful George Halkias a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
George, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from irrational thought. There’s no logical reason to feel optimistic about life and the world. Delusion keeps artists from giving up on everything. Optimism barely breaks the surface of pessimism, peaking up every now and then. Also, generic welbutrin has given me an extra artificial bump of positive energy. Medication combined with forcing myself to believe God loves me is how I stay somewhat hopeful.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
God always tests his toughest soldiers. The stability of my brain has been compromised from a very young age. I don’t know why or how this happened to me but it doesn’t matter at this point; I was given the gift to be uniquely creative. I’ve been painting for at least a decade at this point. It’s all mud now. I don’t try to think about what I can do to get more eyes on my work. I’m steadily disappointed with my natural inability to market and network. I love being an artist because it’s who I am. About a year ago I made some art that got great engagement on Instagram, but because of the graphic nature of it my posts were flagged and removed and now my page is essentially worthless. But follow it anyway (josh.godly) to see what I’m up to. I recently had a show called Welcome to Hell in Baltimore. It was a marvelous affair.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Obsession, patience, and boredom.
Be obsessed so you create often. It’s the quickest way to figure out your style and who you are artistically.
Be patient with yourself and the process. Follow through on the vision you had. Art takes as long as it needs to be finished.
Be bored so you can fill that time wasted with your artistic journey. Don’t play video games or watch TV until you’re exhausted with painting that day.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My brothers and my white immigrant wife. Nick and Stavros are both successful and driven guys. I’m driven too but my cynicism and distrust with the idea of strange people in general hinders me. Seeing them do good things and living off their passions inspires me. I’m not there yet and because my passion is the stupidest in a financial sense that may never happen, but it’s still helpful to think about their journeys and where they are now. My wife Melissa is smart and teaches me stuff about art because she’s learned and cool. She’s also had a hard year because she moved to Baltimore from an Australian beach town so I commend her for having to deal with that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josh.godly/
Image Credits
Sam Levin (IG @goopcat)
