We recently connected with Sky Welkin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sky , thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I first earned money from my artwork at a mother’s day fair in Portsmouth, VA back in 2013. I had a tent set up with a couple of slat grid stands to adhere my prints and original illustrations to in an effort to set up a gallery. This lady and her husband came by my tent with their baby in a stroller and she stood in front of me and stared at my work. She practically started right past me, not saying “Hey, how are you?” until about 30 seconds after stopping. After a brief conversation about my art and being a student at Old Dominion University at the time, she asked, “How much for that one?” She pointed at this illustration of sunflowers I drew that had hollowed eyes and they were standing semi-erect in a barren field. I said, “$65”, unsure of how to value/price my art. She replied, “I’ll take it”, and swiped her card on my pay pal card reader that was attached to my phone at the time.

The fact that a complete stranger valued my creativity to the point that they compensated me for it gave me the motivation to pursue this strange journey as an artist. Ever since that transaction, I knew that it’d be possible to start a business centered around my creativity.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am such a curious person. I view my curiosity as somewhat of a guide and it’s led me to the moniker Sky Welkin (real name is Derek) and it encourages me to experiment. I’ve long admired graffiti not just for its rebellious nature, but for the creativity that lies within the culture. Simultaneously I was a subscriber to street culture and a fan of cartoonists and started to feel profoundly inspired to have a voice of my own. The prospect of identity seemed attractive as I always wanted to find a means to express who I really am. There had to be a way for me to express my multi-cultural upbringing in Greece, Panama, and Thailand. There had to be a way to express all the books on graffiti and works by cartoonists that I owned, and so I thought why don’t I take a stab at this? I was so inspired by the works of Futura (formerly Futura 2000), Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes), Peyo (The Smurfs), Banksy, Parra, and many others. With curiosity being my guide I thought “Why don’t I pursue this journey?” Why not see if I can contribute to this culture that inspired me to the point of action? So in 2011, I began to develop a voice and style which took a few years to have some sort of appeal to the common viewer/observer. While it has taken a couple of years, I get a profound sense of joy when my art or product is purchased. I get satisfaction knowing I made something distinguished and did not just rip off another artist.

I can say that it hasn’t been until the last year or so that more opportunities for commissions, murals, and sales have become more commonplace. Some of the problems I’ve faced have been getting more elite art establishments to accept my work the way others have accepted let’s say, David Shrigley, Jose Cornella, and others. I’m also not oblivious to the idea that as a black artist there are countless opportunities for “black art” but not so much for artists that are black that just “make art”. I may be paranoid but it seems as if that’s a freedom that I am fighting for. I have the right to explore and share my imagination and hope to inspire others to create work beyond the labels society has assigned to them. That has truly become my mission and everytime I am supported by people from all walks of life, I am one step closer to succeeding.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think NFTs are amazing and it’s unfortunate that harm can come to the planet from all the mining and minting in the crypto world. I see NFTs as a way to give power back to the people and set up passive income in a way for creatives that hasn’t been established due to the tech not being there. It’s cool to be able to capitalize on the resell market as opposed to your profit/payment abruptly ending after the initial sale.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

People tell me they can relate to the humor or banter within my work. It’s neat experiencing people who identify with my creativity as I believe all forms of art is a conversation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.skywelkin.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sky_welkin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkyWelkinStudios/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJEEhOhIBYA

Image Credits
All images taken by the artist (Sky Welkin)