Never stop learning. Don’t ever think you know everything there is to know about your craft. Creating art means having a constant pursuit of knowledge, growth, and increasing maturity no matter what phase you’re in or level of achievement. Make art for YOU.

It takes time to refine your technical skill and creative process, so do something that adds to your practice daily. Also, keep on top of admin. It's a beast that can quickly get the better of you!

I very naively thought that I could take a year off, create a bunch of beautiful artworks and sell them. I’ve learnt that being an artist is 50% creating art and 50% attempting to run a business and be a marketing manager, a graphic designer, a photographer, a web-developer, a salesman, a networker so that my art can actually be sold. I am so grateful for the Boynes Emerging Artist Award for supporting and helping artists get exposure.

Do what you love to do and plan for spending time working at getting better at it. That dedication I believe becomes apparent in the work. Having said that, applying for things is sort of a numbers game. Expect a lot of rejection but know that something positive and lovely is bound to happen as well. Also, expect to not expect when and where that will happen. I have also learned however that the accolades are definitely not something one should base their self-worth on and that’s why it is really important to be grounded in the work and what it does for your own experience in life.

My advice is to change pace when you aren’t excited by your work. If an idea isn’t exciting, find a way to change it, or find a new one entirely to work from. I’ve let myself go too long on ideas that I’m no longer thrilled about and the results are never thrilling either.

It’s important to not be afraid to apply and keep trying, even if you face rejections. I  know firsthand how discouraging rejections can be, but it’s important to remember that if  you don’t apply, there is no chance of success. But if you do apply, there is at least a  possibility that your application will be successful. So don’t give up, and keep applying.

I'm sure nobody wants advice from a self taught sculptor that’s only been doing it for 2 years, however if you’re self taught like me then, watch lots of videos, buy the books, invest in the materials, look out for short courses and get loads of advice from established artists. Joining an association is a great way of meeting like minded people and getting their expert advice which is what I did.

If you’re just starting out or thinking about starting then just go for it. If not now, when?

My main piece of advice for other artists is to talk about your work with anyone who wants to listen. If you are unsure about where your work is going, the more you talk about it, I have found, the more you will catch real glimpses of it along the way. Another piece of advice that I received from one of my past professors, is “at some point, the work starts dreaming about itself.” Turning off your mind and creating intuitively can lead to incredible results. Your body knows what to do, and it knows how to do it. Sometimes, all you can do is trust your physical self.

When I moved from Idaho to California, I did not foresee myself going through a divorce and having a rod placed in my back and a new hip. Through these events I was forced to  go inside and forced to be intimate with myself. Uncomfortable as it was, I created  sculptures that hopefully allow others to do the same.

I once asked another artist if my work was getting too weird and I got the best advice. “Let your freak flag fly.”

You should trust your intuition and believe in your skills. There is no point in comparing your work with other more established artists, as everyone has their own path and different learning process. Be consistent in your language, but be bold and experiment with new techniques to evolve. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself and go out of your comfort zone. Take every chance to show your work to a broader audience. Apply to competitions and publication opportunities and connect with other artists and curators to learn more about the art business.

Honestly I am still trying to figure that out for myself. What I do is research what type of art received awards in the past for that particular competition/award etc, to see if the type of work that I do fits well with that particular competition. Another very important aspect is to learn and practice writing about your art in a clear way, because our work is important, but so is the way we express ourselves about what we do and why we do it.

That unique art can be created out of anything such as recycled magazines and any other form of print media in my case. I like to invite the viewer to come closer and see beyond the image to its construction. Within the colours are texts which I have transformed to create new meanings and these texts and images can take you on a journey. They tell their own story to be interpreted or just enjoyed.

With my work I try to show the hidden truth that I sense exists deep within people’s experience of the world, and reflects their living condition, their mental state, their interests, and other aspects of their disposition of being. I hope to search out the humanity within these situations.

Being a painter is a constant and monotonous routine, devoid of real highlights. The real successes are not exhibitions or awards, but the small miracles that happen in the studio, when I'm able to distill the essence of my work. Across the Universe (winning artwork) is that kind of miracle!

You must prioritize taking high-quality photos of your work to uphold consistent standards, even as an emerging artist. Additionally, I recommend that you apply to multiple art opportunities at a time, for keeping a broad net is necessary in the highly selective environment of the art world.

Be true to your imagination as it engages outwardly from yourself to others and the worldly context you share. Art is not self-expression. The truth art can offer does not reside inside the self, it is embodied in the intermediaries we fabricate in the space between ourselves, revealing who we are in the interplay of self and other that artworks, I believe, are most suitably intended to accomplish.

When I started photographing seriously, I was drawn to situations where people were in their own workspaces. These were places where people felt most at home, most themselves. They did not need “to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.” I tried to stand and watch a little before photographing to convey my appreciation for the worker’s skill and engagement. A man’s work is his life and should be respected.