One Year in Review

When we talked last time, I had just started my first full year as a featured artist in the gallery. I was really pushing hard on gallery shows and getting my art out there I was really sales motivated I almost have done like a 180 since then. I look at it like I spent last year, the time and the money, it was like an education in the art world as far as business goes And although there's a lot I won't do anymore, I wouldn't have changed what I did because it was very educational as far as the type of people you meet, the type of business that goes on, the monster that is the art business It really allowed me to focus on what's important to me I've come the conclusion that what's important to me isn’t sales, as I say that as a full-time artist who pays my bills through my art sales. I found myself really focusing on the financial part of it In my mind, I had to make my art in a certain way to make it sellable I had to do these things, you know, certain type of art to make it sellable. And I was so sales, sales, sales If things didn't sell, I wouldn’t create it, and I can't create from that space. You know, that's not the space I wanna be as an artist So, thought process now is like “I don't make art to sell. I will sell some of the art that I make, but I don't make art to sell.”

Do you find that you're really finding your space in the art world, or for yourself, as an artist, as you're growing and emerging?

I am finding my space, finding my voice, and the actual process of creation has become even more of a meditation for me than before, because I'm striving to get out of that, you know, financial, “ends justify the means” type mentality when I'm creating.

I really have to meditate and there's no other way about it I have to really focus on the present like there's nothing else existing except to paint this canvas, and that's the only thing that's going on. I'm not making a piece for economic consumption. I'm not making a piece for anyone's approval I'm not making, I'm not making anything. I'm just putting the sum of my soul at that point in time onto this canvas. And that's all I'm doing and that's all I allow myself. That is my goal. That's all I allow myself to think about, or not even to think about, but to be, during my creative process

Why is creating art important, and why is it also important

I think, with all us humans, especially with creatives, there's a lot of room for ego and for self. And no matter what, you’re always gonna have that We're all where we cannot be egoless or selfless. Right. But I try not to make it all about me. To me, a good piece of art engages you and makes you think I want to leave room for you to think, I want to leave room for you to tell a story because really that's what art is like That's the art I always say art is the glue of the universe. We hold as creatives. We hold the universe together.

I just want to be able to be that guy or that artist, that person that you come to work with. It's all about, we're going to work, we're going to get the best shot for your portfolio We're going to get the best shot for my portfolio, and we're going to put an amazing show, and we're going to do the best work together that we can. We're going to, at the end of the day, look back on this and be like, “damn, that was some good work.” And that’s my goal.

How has your sobriety influenced your work?

In the last six months or so, if you notice I've been hash tagging sober artists on my Instagram post. it's almost like in our culture, it's almost just assumed that if you're an artist, you drink and you take drugs, you definitely smoke weed I am a 17-year recovering addict. And I always equate my addiction, to the disease of addiction, because it truly is a disease; I equate it to that like a diabetes. Just because I can't eat cake because of my blood sugar, doesn't mean that you can't Right I'm a better person, a better father, a better being, sober. I'm not wired to partake of alcohol and drugs. I'm just not wired That's just not who I am But having said that, to answer your question, to me, it's empowering to know that I don't have to go anywhere to get anywhere my creative energy for me personally is always there. For me personally, there's a freedom and a liberation knowing that that is always there for me I don't need to go outside of me to get to there. To get to that place where I can create I'm very fortunate to have the time I have, and I truly do put my sobriety above anyone and everyone else Cause if I'm not sober, I don't have anything or anyone else

What is some advice that you would give artists that want to become full-time artists, to take that leap of faith in the way you have over the past year?

Well, it is definitely a leap. You know, one of my main moto’s is, “you wanna jump off the cliff and build the plane on the way down” because no matter how well you plan something out, what does Mike Tyson say?

“Everybody has a plan until you get punched in the face ” The biggest thing I would say is a trust in yourself. Trust in yourself Because your gut does not lie to you Trust in yourself The Samurai had a thing that the decision should be made in a span of seven breaths And once you make that decision, you go with it. There’s the example of a hawk. When the hawk is picking out prey, even though he might be in the midst of hundreds of birds, he doesn’t deflect from that one bird that he saw. That is his goal. So, my point is, “okay, you wanna be a full-time artist” You need to sit down with yourself, and come to the realization that it's going to be tough. They're going to be sacrifices You know what I mean? It's not the movies If you want to live that Basquiat lifestyle with taking drugs and partying and hanging out in New York, fine That's, that's you But for me, It's about creating daily, it's about staying focused. It's about practice. This is a craft. If you are an artist, you should be drawing every day You should have a sketchbook. I don't care what kind of art you do; you should be drawing You should be reading about other artists You should be looking at other art Not the saying that that should be an influence, but you should be knowledgeable You should be able to talk about other artists and why this artist was important and what this artist did It is a craft When you focus on your craft and you do it every day, all that other stuff works out. Because as a creative, you don't have a choice You have to create

Jason Moss