Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Viridian Van Buskirk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Viridian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
I grew up with an undiagnosed learning disability, one that made understanding the world around me rather difficult. In turn, the world found it difficult to understand me as well. I had a hard time in school and found social interaction tricky, the two worst things to struggle with as a child. Though I managed to find friends who could appreciate the more off-beat aspects of my personality, teachers had little interest in helping me along. Next to my classmates I was as good as a lost cause, and they made sure to let me know. I had sketchbooks confiscated, drawings thrown away, and endless scoldings on what a waste of time art was.
At seven years old I was tested frequently, all attempts to explain what was “wrong” with me. When I was nine, a teacher told my mother I didn’t belong in school. Eleven, and I was put in the “other” math class, where the teacher put more effort into organizing her books than helping us. Things continued this way until high school, where the people who labeled me a lost cause no longer had a hold on me.
High school gave me the chance that it gives every incoming freshman; the chance to really become myself. I made the tight-knit circle of friends that I still have today. Academics continued to be a struggle, but teachers and staff were much more understanding, and even helped me as opposed to leaving me behind. I can’t say I’m the same person as I was back then (thankfully!), but it definitely set me on the right path to find the real me.
Things had a funny way of working out in the end; what teachers scolded me for back then is what I plan to do for a living now, and I think I’m doing pretty good at it so far!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
For just about my entire life, creating art is what’s on my mind 24/7. I’ve tried my hand at nearly every art form, for better or worse, and found that illustration is what suits me best. Using images to tell stories, convey feelings, say something new or just say anything at all is how I approach the creative process. I often struggle to put my thoughts into words and find it much easier to express myself through my work. Wether through multi page comics or single illustrations, I let my art do most of the talking.
I hope to go into the entertainment and publishing fields. Being even a small part of a larger project in these businesses is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’d like to publish a few graphic novels of my own someday, and maybe a cartoon if I’m lucky enough! A growing interest of mine has become advertising and surface design, and as such I hope to try my hand at these as well.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I find that young creatives are rarely given support for their interests, so much so that they are often discouraged from pursuing it as they grow. Finger-painting is a staple of preschool curriculum, but art classes dwindle in availability as the grade level increases. The arts as a whole are underfunded of course, but that is sadly to be expected when there is such little support given to them in general. I was rarely even referred to as an artist until I was twenty-one; I was only “someone who liked to draw.” Sketchbooks were confiscated, drawings were tossed out, I was told to focus on what the important stuff. It never occurred to them that what was important to me, and many others like me, was art.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I want to reach as many people as possible with my art, to have my work mean something bigger than myself. With any one of the stories I choose to tell, I want them to start discussions among those who engage with them, even if it only goes so far as. “I like this piece, do you?”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vvanbuskirk.myportfolio.com
- Instagram: @viribuskirk
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/viridian-van-buskirk-9b96402b0