We recently connected with Jesse Barstad and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My mother was also an artist and a musician so she has always been very encouraging and supportive of me. When I was very young, I loved to watch cartoons before and after school. I would sit in front of the TV with a notepad and a pencil trying to copy the drawings. This was something I did well into high school. I remember as I got older, my mom really pushed me to make my own original art rather than just copying others people’s drawings. She also did a decent job of showing my that art/music can often be subversive or even downright offensive and wasn’t afraid to let me explore certain pieces of media that others may have deemd “inappropriate'” while teaching me to seperate artistic expression from reality.

My Dad, on the other hand, doesn’t have an artistic bone in his body. However, he could clearly see that this was something I enjoyed and made me happy so he also helped me as best as he could (mostly by signing me up and driving me to after-school art classes).

Jesse, 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?

I mostly drew for fun until I was in my mid-twenties. I started playing in a couple bands around this time so I’d network with other musicians constantly. Eventually, they’d find out I was an artist so every once in awhile they’d hit me up for merch designs or a new logo or something related. Often times they would pass my name along to some other musician friends of theirs who would contact me for designs, so a lot of my early work came by word of mouth.

More recently, I’ve working in a print shop for my day job. Because I have access to the materials and the machines at a discount, I’ve started making my own prints and stickers and selling them online and at pop-up markets or craft fairs. Which has also been great for meeting and networking with other makers and artists.

Commission work for musicians is still a very significant portion of my art career. Because these are custom pieces, the main question that I ask myself is “how can I make this stand out from everything else?” I often use vivid color palettes as an attention grabber and tend to lean into subversives themes like horror, drug abuse, gore, sex, etc. as a way to keep you looking at the art for as long as possible.

I’ve learned that these themes can push away potential clients but I’ve learned that the people who vibe with my style are REALLY going to vibe with it.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

A question I get asked often is “why do you make art?” and the only answer I’ve really been able to come up with is because I have to. A nameless drive that compels me to put ink to paper. I think part of it comes from the fact that I have trouble expressing or articulating certain thoughts or emotions verbally, so those thoughts and emotions eventually come out via the art. There’s something soothing about it. It’s a nice way to put my brain on autopilot and just let my hand move about the page freely. And I believe it’s a much healthier way to decompress or blow off steam rather than just sitting at the bar or in front of the TV all night.

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

One of my favorite things to draw is the human figure. There’s a lot of fun and interesting shapes going on in the human body. When I first made an Instagram account, I’d post tons of sketches and gesture drawings. After a while, I noticed that a lot of my “pin-ups” were the most popular, so I started leaning into that style. I began posting more finished pieces rather than unfinished sketches. Eventually I started adding different elements as a way to try and stand out from other pin-up artists. I would exaggerate anatomy, add fantasy elements, make the figures look a bit monstrous or inhuman. Just a lot of experimenting and pushing the envelope. Lately, I’ve moved away from “sexy” drawings and have been focusing more on expressive and personal pieces but I still make the occasional pin-up from time to time. I think having a “theme” to your artwork really helps to get the right people interested in your work. Cohesion tends to draw people in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/lazerwulv
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lazerwulv/
• Twitter: https://x.com/lazerwulv