I definitely think a lot of modern/abstract art has had an influence on me. Admittedely I was really snobbish about it while i was in highschool, but as i got older i realized that hey, making art that most people might hate is actually essential.

It’s where a lot of my attitude towards my own art came from. When you make something just for yourself, and not for mass consumption, you are at your most honest. This can be true for paintings, videos, vent art scribbles, or gluing together things into abstract sculptures.

Seeing things like Roy Lichtenstein making comic panels into giant paintings or Keith Haring using bright colors and bold lines were examples of them doing what they wanted. Or its Piet Mondrian making paintings of abstract squares and shapes barely resembling anything in real life. Or Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, where he shot hours of video of his friends and colleauges sitting like they were having their photos taken. Things like that motivated me.

That’s where my attitude of “make art because you want it to exist” came from. Because if you need a practical “reason” for you to make it, then you’ll compromise your vision, and won’t reach your full potential.