Today we’d like to introduce you to Wes Hinds
Hi Wes, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well born and raised in East Memphis I was a child of divorce raised by both my parents and grand parents I was introduced to art at a young age in 3rd grade at Cordova Middle School and fell in love immediately I got in trouble a lot for drawing on class work and homework but whatever they got over it and just evolved over time as I started hanging out with kids in my neighborhood who were big into graffiti and the hip hop scene that my sheltered self had no idea about it but as time passed we started throwing up tags and full on pieces on walls in tunnels and behind buildings etc. as I grew up in the city fully colored in graffiti on the streets and trains and just everywhere I looked I fell more in love with the art and high school I had a great art teacher who taught well and saw a spark in me as I paid attention to every bit of the information I was given and as I left high school I kind of just forgot about art and was too busy chasing girls and drinking and smoking at all times eventually I made my way out of the city and moved to Florida and after the passing of both my grandparents who raised me especially my grandma who liked seeing me in my art element I started painting again on much bigger canvases and posted the first piece I did on social media and got such a huge reaction from it that I decided to pursue this new life and 4 years later I look back grateful at the success I’ve had gaining collectors and new friends that have helped me become the man I am today. I’m very excited to finally be able to come back to the city that raised me and show off my work December 6th at Minglewood.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road is far from smooth. Plenty of ups and downs these past four years questioning myself if I’m on the right path and giving up here and there but I know there’s a future here and can’t give up knowing that I have my following of friends and family and random people I’ve met and I can proudly say I’ve found myself and see no quitting anytime soon
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is everything I’ve ever been put all together. There’s very bright colors and from that you might see happiness but really it’s my struggle of being the happy kid and always laughing and making others smile but the messages on my work show the real me who suffers from anxiety and depression but reminded that I’ve been in worse situations and others have it worse than me to keep my head up and show you what I’m about and that I have a serious side
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Honestly besides my past mentors (grandma,mom and art teachers) I’ve really taught myself over these past years by doing research and looking up other artists that I’m looking to be in the same eye as and just pulled my own style kind of into what it is now. We evolve and looking at my work over the years it shows
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.weshinds.art
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/weshinds
