We were lucky to catch up with Gabe Gault recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gabe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I first realized I wanted to pursue art out of high school going into college. I wanted to become an animator and create animations along with comic books. I ended up dropping out of community college too. pursue an internship with my mentor. For six years, I apprenticed with Rob Prior working on high volume comics and I learned the ins and outs of painting and working with really quick turnaround times. That was such a valuable discipline to learn that I still use to this day.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Gabe Gault. I’m a painter, muralist, and all around creator. I was born and raised in Venice Beach, which serves as a huge influence and inspiration for my work. I started out working in comic books on really small scale, and now work on a very large scale, including the largest mural in the country, the Glass City River Wall. I love mixing street art influence with classic portraiture, and feature people that I think make an impact, everyone from well-known figures to people in my own life. More recently, I’ve gotten into finding new ways to use technology to create art and ended up going viral for painting digital murals in the Metaverse. I love exploring the innovations that technology provides and finding ways to incorporate art with this new frontier of science.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started online by connecting with close friends and family and gathering a support system. Connecting with other artists has been crucial as well. You never know where the next opportunity can come from. And when people support you, you support them back. Social media was a game changer for me. It’s a quick way to have essentially a gallery of your work ready and available. But it can be difficult because there is so much pressure to post all the time, make the next splashy thing, have every post go viral. But just know that keeping up like that is impossible. It’s important to be consistent and strong in your creative identity so that people can recognize your style (though style is something that should evolve and change as you develop as an artist), but it’s also important to take breaks and step back. Social Media is not real life. It can open a lot of doors, and get you in a lot of rooms, but there are also plenty of people who don’t use it who are still successful. Use it (or don’t) in a way that feels authentic for you. And chasing the viral video will lead to burn out. The posts that will get the most eyes on your page will surprise you… there’s no way to predict it. But just keep going, keep putting in the work, and your audience will find you.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best way to support your local artist is to support them online and social media and, even better, purchase art from them! Small or big, prints or originals, that is the best and most direct way to support. If you are a business owner, commission a mural from them. It’s a write off! Or connect them with someone who needs work done. Word of mouth and personal introductions go a long way, and ultimately artists are small business owners themselves. I have repeat clients that I met through random connections, so fostering relationships at a community level creates a ripple effect overall.

Contact Info:

• Website: gabegault.com
• Instagram: @gabegault
• TikTok: @gabegault

Image Credits
unknown but I have the rights to these images