We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eamon Gillen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eamon, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

The two mediums I mostly focus in have a few different approaches but in hindsight are very much similar overall.

I was always drawing as a kid, getting comments/likes in the real life that definitely helped fuel that passion. I’m older so this is pre internet that we know it, late 80’s as a kid that had graffiti around me a lot that just looked cool and doing peoples names as bubble letters at the time and some stagnant looney tunes characters. I really thought i was the shit because of that hype from people that didn’t really draw much but luckily didn’t get too much in my head.

Looking back I think the main skill I learned was just keep pushing it and now I see it as “enjoying the process”. That sounds lame typing it but the other thing i heard early on from my mother, who’s a ceramist, that stuck with me was that basically this (creativity/arts) can be something for yourself that no matter what you go thru no one can take from you.

Longer story shortish I started painting with spray paint early on making all the mistakes you possibly could as a very young person. Same time starting skateboarding so tattoos were around but nothing like today. My grandfather had a few tattoos done in 1950ish so I had a burning memory of how cool those are.

Painting a lot I eventually realized the best work I did was coming from not being worried about making mistakes/what people thought. I was able to do something but also enjoy it more. At the same time getting to run into people that knew way more than me there were mentorship’s of sorts. It’s a hard balance of the two. You need people that are realistically giving you shit for your mistakes but have a certain confidence to push thru and make even more mistakes and slowly dial your shit in.

Starting tattooing it began getting tattooed then eventually led to being apprenticed which is almost the opposite of graffiti work because you start with hopefully capable mentors and then learn whereas painting/drawing as a kid you go for it as exciting and making mistakes is great.

I honestly think the best skills are not to be afraid of making mistakes, try and find mentors/other artists to fuel you, teach you or even compete with to push each other. Be mindful about those relationships as well though, ive seen weird power dynamics exposed later on so always make sure it’s comfortable for you.

Eamon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Always assumed I would be doing construction for my whole life, which is a great and respectful pursuit, and do my “art” on the side/afterhours. It was a long multi-media process of actually becoming a full time artist. I provide tattoos and murals mostly while also making shirts and stickers for sale.

One of the biggest skill I have as being creative is the problem solving. I generally take client’s ideas, visions and limitations and use my filter of art, design and life experiences to make something we both agree on.

I like being well rounded as an artist in multiple professions given I can use knowledge from one to advise the others. Having done construction I know my way physically around ladders, painting and finishing that helps immensely with murals. Also the physical aspect of large scale murals can be easy to underestimate from the outside.

Readability of a design is important to me in tattooing and murals. I can get fancy but overall want you to be able to know what you’re looking at from a few feet away (tattoos) and/or blocks away (murals).

I can’t say much sets me apart that i can think of, more of continuing certain traditions of sorts with my own twist/filter. I guess I keep going even after being rejected or dissed cause I need to do it for myself. I’m not really going to meet a harder critic of my own work than myself so for better or worse I’m going to do my thing until I can’t.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I didn’t fully realize it at the time but there was certainly a time I thought I was owed/deserved a spot at an event that had come into town. I had definitely put in a lot of time painting but really thought I was the shit haha.
Turns out there are people from all over that are constantly putting more time and effort into what you might sit back and think you are the shit in. Being humbled isn’t something you sign up for and I certainly didn’t at that time and it was uncomfortable and then actually embarrassing once I saw how much better most of the artists were and how friendly they were.
I had to eat my own shit and luckily was mature about it and joined in the year after. A majority of the most skilled/accomplished artists I’ve met along the way since then have actually been pretty laid back and approachable overall.
I think being humble is a great thing. I thought I had it but I was off and still had a chip on my shoulder that I didn’t realize I had until it almost smacked me in the face

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

I think mostly targeting the youth. Working with children of different ages they generally already have better taste in art and the way to use art (music/style/online whatever).

There is a resilience that comes from fighting thru as a kid and not getting encouraged but i think later in your life there’s a bit of anger towards that past hardship but that’s above my pay grade. It’s a hard balance of being encouraged but not having everything given to you as it would be too easy and quick to give up during the inevitable harder times being an artist.

Either way more financial backing of art for children will only help. It’s hard to financially quantify that kind of action so people that haven’t cared about art (that they know of) would argue there’s better ways to spend money like on roads or whatever. Honestly art is everywhere around you. Music, design, your clothing, your favorite tv show etc etc etc. I’m not saying everyone should have a bright colored beret on to admire art but there should be a bit more money towards schools and get the kids even more encouraged and engaged.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Eamontron & Eamontronmurals
• Facebook: Eamon Gillen