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

Hi Juan, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Since I was a kid there was nothing I wanted to do more than to create and make art. At age 5 my parents started buying me newsprint pads and color pencils, and it sparked in me an ongoing passion to make my mark in this world. I didn’t get into painting till I was in high school, but by then I had a very clear vision of becoming a professional artist. I enrolled in art school right after graduating and obtained my bachelors degree in fine arts, i’ve been practicing my craft ever since, and as a full time artist for the last 4 years.

Juan, 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?

I moved to Houston, Texas from Cali, Colombia right out of high school which was a huge culture shock for me, not to mention the language difference. I was lucky I had gone to a bilingual school through my teens and knew english, reading and writing mostly, the speaking was challenging at the beginning, and it took a while to adapt my ears to the native speakers. I went to art school because I wanted to plug myself in the industry and thought that would be a direct way to make friends in the same field and expand my artistic education. Through art school I started showcasing my works in cafes, small galleries, and other venues, I was playing music in bands back then and would create banners and have other works of art on stage while we played. After graduating I switched to high gears with my art, I worked at a couple different art stores and galleries and did several art shows in Houston. A few years later I moved to Austin, found myself at a low point in my life, but at the same time, I found a place that would forever change my artistic path, Cherry Cola Dog. I mention this place in particular because out of all the places I worked for, displayed my work at, this place was the one that catapulted me into earning a name in the city and becoming a full time artist. On a more personal note, I met my now wife Rosemary there, and since then we have been weaving a beautiful creative life together, to the point of forming our own official business, Surreal Nature LLC.

What inspires your work and what sets you apart from other artists in your city?

My work explores the mysticism behind our human experience, highlighting the magic and wisdom of the natural world around us, while illuminating its profound influence on our own spirituality and evolution of consciousness. I believe being an artist entails being a communicator of ideas and reflections of the world, it is a job I take seriously. Great art moves us on a deep level, and I believe that action can cause a ripple effect to bring more meaningful change within us, and as we change within, we change the environment around us. You can usually tell the level of depth an artist has just based on what they create, so with my work it is really important to me to seek to inspire others through self-discovery, transform our perception, and expand the world’s self-imposed limitations.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I believe we need to start by validating the work of an artist as a real and necessary job. I’ve witnessed it many times as it has happened to me and others, there are many businesses and organizations that want high quality work for little to no pay, or better yet, for supplies and tons of exposure! I see it at events where DJ’s get paid, dancers get paid, but painters get to only rely on potential sales from their work. I think artists (visual artists mostly) also need to know their worth and not work for free, specially if they have a day job, this has created massive inequalities in the field and has hurt the market for many artists who work full time.

Pay your artist well, this is hard work and it takes years of practice to develop a craft. Hire an artist for your next event, commission them to paint something for you. Hire an artist to create an experience for your next team building. Share their work with others, and most importantly buy art from a living artist, the dead ones don’t need your money. Oh, and sign up to their Patreon, you have no problem spending $5 on a cup of coffee, so why not give $5 a month to your favorite artist?

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

The concept of NFT is really cool, but I think it’s still something that has many kinks to be worked out. NFT’s make sense for digital artists who have struggled to have a platform in the physical world, but it seems to me it is less about the art and more about what comes with the token. What seems to be an ideal NFT is not just a digital image because let’s be honest, a copy/save is just one click away. An NFT that is animated and opens the door to something more exclusive from the artist is the way to go in my opinion. Don’t do it just because you think you can make money from it, stay authentic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juanvillegasart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/villegasartist
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChgW5q79xrW5dzsi4KuxANQ
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/surrealnature