Meet Joe Velez

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joe Velez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?

I overcame my block by understanding how important it is to keep myself interested in what I’m working on throughout the entire process.
Sometimes when you know what the exact outcome of your painting will be, it can become boring after a while.
I changed that by allowing my work to be unpredictable to myself. Despite having an overall feeling or goal with a particular painting in mind, I now give myself a lot of room to be more spontaneous.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am an artist who paints and draws in a figurative style. Recently, I’ve begun blending classical techniques with a 20th century modern art approach.

7 or 8 years ago, I had a major slowdown in my productivity as a painter which lasted from then until somewhat recently. In that time, I learned and began working in photography which I pursued professionally, but also as an art form.

Since last year, I have come back to painting with renewed enthusiasm and an even greater love for it. It restarted when a close friend (who is also an artist) and I began going to museums together and discussing art. Soon we were painting together and at that point, I knew I wanted to fully re-engage with that part of myself. I then applied for and was awarded an artist residency (Project 14c), which solidified these feelings.

I do now feel that I have reclaimed my natural self. And I’m grateful.

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?

Being obsessive in learning about the thing that interests you is extremely important, in my opinion. Where you naturally want to consume different aspects of it night and day, and it’s virtually all you can think about. But this, of course, is not something you can force or fake.

Then you will probably need a willingness to fail. Knowing that it’s the only way to grow. To not even see it as failing but as a step taken, regardless of the result.

Also, it is a great boost if you have the support of those around you. I’ve experienced having to do things with and other things without support. And when you don’t have it, everything becomes or at least feels like a tougher grind.

But ultimately if you genuinely love what you’re pursuing, it’s already a success.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The number one obstacle for me, and I’m sure many other people, is time. Finding it or making bold choices in order to carve that time out for yourself. For peace of mind and to be able to work towards the things you’re passionate about.

The only way I can see to overcome this is to make certain sacrifices. Whether that’s socially or monetarily, you need to decide daily if certain things are more important than what you’re working on. And sometimes they are because we all have to eat and pay bills. And we do need to make time for the people we love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joevelezart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joevelez

Image Credits

Joe Velez
Angel Mendoza