Meet Jesus Trujillo

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jesus Trujillo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jesus below.

Jesus, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

Whenever I get a chance, I’m constantly researching carpentry videos, text fonts, color palettes, cultural and pop references, different types of textures to work with, and other new methods and ideas to improve the look of my artwork. I feel that I’m a bit of a workaholic, but I love making art and doing anything related to it so much that I want to prove to myself that one day I can make it as a professional. There are times where I do feel like giving up, but my body tells me otherwise. So, I keep pushing myself as much as I can and hope for the best, because that’s all I got.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Sup folks. I’m Jesus Trujillo and I am a multimedia artists who is based in Arlington, Texas. I primarily work with bending and curving plywood, to show tension and stress in my pieces. I also use Spanish phrases in my work to invoke my personal frustrations growing up as a “no sabo kid.” There’s a lot of cultural identity tied into what I make and there is a sense of wanting to belong in the Mexican community. I’m hoping my work can offer a more sympathetic outlook for the younger generation who were like me at one point. Aside from making art, I also work as a freelance art handler and installer around the DFW area. The skills I pick up from those side gigs, I try to pass on to students and emerging artist who don’t really know that side of things. I enjoy demonstrating to those how to properly pack and install their works and teaching them what tools and materials they’ll need for these kinds of lessons.

In the not-so-distance future, I feel that there is this shift in my artwork coming. I want to be more political with my work and I want speak more on of the recent injustices of the ICE raids that is happening across the “United States” right now. As a first-generation American, I feel like it is my duty to fight back for my family through art. Art is political—no matter what era it is. We belong here. We’re more American than the Americans.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think one of the most impactful parts of my journey was learning to understand my tools and the materials I wanted to work with. For me, bending and curving wood was not an easy thing to do at first. I had to do a ton of research trying to figure out how to do that and what certain tools I would need to use to do that. Also, I had to become comfortable enough to use said tools without hurting myself—which was a whole process in itself.

Another thing to know about the art world is that it can get a bit lonely if you’re not surrounded by the right people. Opportunities like, open calls, grants, and residencies are usually gatekept by folks already in the community. My recommendation is finding people with that “everyone eats” type mindset—people whow share opportunities instead of keeping them to themselves. Look for open calls on Call for Entry, through instagram, through word of mouth—to have such support system is wonderful and it can elevate you to places you wouldn’t think you could reach on your own.

Lastly, research is the most important thing to do when doing all of this. Knowledge is key—it helps you improve your work, move your career forward, and tackle anything else you set your sights on. Without it, things can get a bit challenging and that’s okay. Take what you will with these tips and I hope it helps you on your own journey.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

As of recently, I had to move my studio space into my bedroom for the time while I search for a new space. Making new art at home feels a bit overwhelming with how crowded the room is, and I’ve had to prioritize in making smaller works instead of larger pieces due to how limited I am with my space.
There are some tools that I wish I had to make things easier for me when I’m cutting out my plywood— like using a bandsaw to cut those tight areas, but I have found a work around for that with using my Dremel tools. Though it takes me an extra 20 or so minutes to do this process, it gets the job done. Despite all these minor setbacks, ironically, I think this forced downsizing of space and the lack of certain tools, is causing my pieces to look their strongest in awhile. So there is a bit of good that is happening with this sudden change haha. For now, I’m just making due with with I have right now and hoping for the best.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imjoniibass/