Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Jackson.
Hi Joe, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Like most artists, I believe it all started as a child with an uncontrollable urge to express myself. I was constantly drawing all over my assignments in grade school. These actions eventually led to having to be assigned additional “scratch” paper to doodle on – it was all creative chaos from that point on.
The urge to create slowly becomes a part of your being down to the core. For me creating art was a way to express my interpretation of life and the mish-mashed twisted reality in my mind. Over time my doodling turned into sketches and then refined drawings. As I progressed in years I eventually ventured onto legal graffiti murals, airbrushing, and custom painting vehicles. From the first custom paint job I saw, I was hooked. I could now put my designs and artwork on mobile canvases that everyone would see. Eventually, I pursued an art degree at MSU in Murray, Ky.
There I studied fine arts with an emphasis on functional design/furniture making and sculpture. I was never able to fully finish the program at MSU due to life events. Although I had left the adventure of formal studies, I still pushed forward with my creative ventures. To this day I am still creating art on vehicles and have ventured onto the path of digital arts.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To me, there are no actual smooth roads during the creative process whether it is the interference of life events, family, children, or a typical 9-5 job. There are always hiccups along the way. Sometimes new processes you want to pursue are expensive, or there is a massive learning curve, or the ever-looming “block” halts all creative processes. At times in my life, I have gone 5-6 years without creating anything.
The overload of daily life can eat up mental capacity and drown out creativity. Eventually, things calm down and you can pour out all the ideas you have stored up. It helps to find additional artists you can bounce ideas off of or get some honest peer reviews.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I believe most local people know me for my custom paint and airbrush work on vehicles. Most of my online clients know me for my digital creations of logos and illustrations. I can’t really say I specialize in any one thing or form of art. I prefer to stay nimble and dabble in a little bit of everything. I’m not overly concerned with mastering any one style or media. As long as I can create, I’m happy.
My most proud moment would be with my custom paint work grabbing a few magazine features as well as my digital logos being sent all around the globe. To know that I have artwork spread everywhere is a concept I couldn’t have fathomed 15 years ago.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/criticalelementz
- Facebook: facebook.com/criticalelementz
