Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joshua Dodson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joshua, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success can be perceived in so many different ways. To me, success is dedicating yourself to whatever it is that you are passionate about, even in the eyes of adversity. Having a sense of purpose and building upon that feeling is something I’ve always tried to tap into.

The Japanese have a term for this, it is called ”ikigai”. It’s a concept that encourages people to discover what truly matters to them and to live a life filled with purpose and joy. For me, it’s creating art and connecting people through my art. I am a huge proponent of this way of thinking and believe it can have a great effect on a successful and meaningful life.

I did a mural for an elementary school a couple years ago. Surrounded by the sounds of children playing, school courtyard banter. Some children would spend there whole recess watching me paint. There was the feeling of my life coming full circle, as I was once one of those children, inspired and captivated by idea of possibilities. I perceive that as success.

Joshua, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Joshua Dodson and I am a self taught multi-disciplinary artist based in Dallas,Texas. I create studio art, murals, and graphic design at Josh Dodson Studio.

I have been creative for as long as I can remember. Drawing and coloring have always been my biggest outlet. Mark making always felt natural to me. I was a very curious child and I wanted to know how the world worked. I was always hyper aware of my surroundings, which plays a big part in how my art has evolved over the course of my life. There were other childhood activities as well but I wanted to create. While some kids went for the football, I was eyeing for the 48 count box of crayons.

Things really took off for me in the early 2000’s when I was introduced to the art of graffiti writing. It was something that struck a chord in me in the most fantastic way. Constructing and deconstructing letterforms and creating layers of color in them opened my eyes to a realm of possibilities. There was this strong allure of having a secret identity and writing my name in secret places. Writing graffiti was a great way to explore the urban environment in my city, the sounds, smells, textures of surfaces all contributed to my experience. It was like a video game, except it was real. As I got older, responsibility became prevalent and the drive to become a full time artist became more apparent to me and graffiti slowly took the back seat.I began taking the tools that I used in graffiti and started to experiment and applying them to canvases. In 2011, I participated in my first group exhibition and never looked back.

My work focuses on the relationships within form and color through systems of structural abstraction. Heavily influenced by urban letter forms within graffiti design, they also build upon the nuances of constructivism. Usage of gradients, shadows, and lighting make the paintings seem 3-dimensional giving the works their relief. Through carefully planned compositions, my paintings go beyond the boundaries of canvas and instead find themselves placed within intricately shaped wood panels which serve as vehicles to display shape and color in a near mechanical sense. Brilliant colors overlap each other while gradients dance into shadows, giving each piece a sense of motion. When placed together, a series of paintings can communicate a physical dialogue between each other informing the objects individuality.

My mural practice allows me to bring my ideas to the public art arena. Transforming large spaces with color through abstraction is an incredible feeling and very satisfying for me.

For the mind, color has the power to change the way we think and perceive the world and I think we need more of this in our daily lives. I believe my clients and collectors understand this a great deal and trust me in being able to achieve this. One of the best things about my job is meeting people and opening up conversations about new ideas and bringing them to life.

It has been a long and bumpy road but I am proud to say I am now an established artist with gallery representation at Ro2 Art Gallery here in Dallas, Texas. have been incredibly fortunate and to work with some amazing people along the way. My most recent project was a collaboration with immersive art giant Meow Wolf, and their fourth permanent exhibit: “The Real Unreal” located in Grapevine, Texas. I created a dynamic set of murals enhanced by light and sound to bring the space to life. I have also worked with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., UT Southwestern Medical Centers, Ink & Oro Studio, M2G Ventures, D Magazine, and many others.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Well, it wasn’t a consistent side hustle! I was just doing something I was passionate about and I had a huge support system from friends and family.

I think it was around the year 2010. The decision was clear to me that I wanted to go all in as a full time artist. I would do small group show here and there and maybe sell a painting or two. Getting comfortable about selling my work and pricing it was incredibly challenging. At some point I realized that the feeling of being a part of something greater than me drove me to great lengths, things were starting to click. My painting space moved from the corner in the living room with terrible lighting, to outfitting the garage to a completely functional studio. I could paint a series of paintings in a proper setting. I began applying for every show that I could, meeting people, networking, and having meaningful conversations with my peers. I still had a full time job during all this time but I devoted as much energy as possible to my craft. I felt invigorated. As time passed by I started to create a name for myself here in Dallas’s growing art scene. Instead of applying to opportunities, they started to come to me.

Fast forward to 2019, I was starting to get to a point in my art career where the idea and dream of painting full time could become a reality.

The next year, Covid-19 made its entrance, and it was the strangest time to be alive. My day job was put on hold as was the case for most people. Art shows, events, all went cold. Everyone was keeping a safe distance from one another. I had a couple outdoor mural gigs, but for the most part, like many of my colleagues, I hibernated in the studio. After Covid tapered off and we started to get back to normalcy, things really took off and haven’t really stopped. I’ve learned so much along the way, and I’m extremely grateful for all the things I get to be apart of.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media has been crucial to the audience of my art. It makes my work accessible to thousands if not millions of people online. With the advent of apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the most recent wave of sharing content through TikTok, it has never been easier to get eyes on my work. Things have definitely gotten more advanced in the way you can share images and videos. Everyone has turned into there editor and producer to an extent.

I’ve always gravitated toward Facebook and Instagram, with my account being linked to reach both platforms simultaneously. I think the stigma and ”algorithm” is something of a hot topic but it is only still just a digital tool.

I would say, if you are just starting out, consistency is key. People want to know what you’re working on. Engage with you’re audience. Try to post content that is relevant to what you are posting about.

Show the people what you represent!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joshdodsonstudio.com
• Instagram: /joshdodsonstudio
• Facebook: /joshdodsonstudio
• Linkedin: /joshdodsonstudio
• Youtube: /joshdodsonstudio