We were lucky to catch up with Caleb Braxton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Caleb, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
My process is that of reflection and meditation on the experiences and emotions im having. Often pinpointing or meditating on a concept enveloping multiple feelings or experiences all at once. I use art to work through my problems and to empty my cluttered mind and soul. I think my work typical feels off putting but relatable. The beauty of art though is that once it leaves my head its meaning no longer belongs to be but to the viewer and those consuming it. In this sense all of my art is misunderstood or miscategorized from my intent. But that’s the beautiful thing is that art is only understood by our personal experiences and how it makes one feel when observing it. Im concerned little with being understood and more with the act of creation itself.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an artist and a nurse aid in a long term skilled nursing facility. As an artist i am constantly alchemizing the observed world into art. I’ve trained as an artist my whole life.Children are inherently creative and often draw and paint without inhabitions. I just never quit. This love for drawing was the gateway drug to many other creative outlets such as painting, ceramics, poetry, felting, sculpting and photography. I believe the artists strongest asset is not the hand but the eye. Most people can see but it takes time to learn to look, and even more time to learn that the way you look at something changes the way it looks. I feel like my gift is in my ability to transmute emotion into creations that question and explore the depths of the human existence. My art is a way for me to move through and process the world in a safe space. Creating is the only true form of freedom in this world. You can make something out of nothing if you can see it. You can take one thing and turn it into another. Art as therapy. Life has shattered me over and over again but through Art ive been able to not only stich myself back together but ive been able to reforge myself In Stoicism and regenerative creative magic that allow me to experience the connections, loves, hardships,joys,sorrows,defeats, losses and all the gray matter in between. What sets me apart is my unapologetic voice and a spirit on fire with all the joy and pains life has to offer. My art becomes prayers and shrines to honor and manifest intentions. My creations all exist in a universe i have created to house the weight of existence. I’ve worked since I was a teenager on a style of creating where I create characters and symbols that write my story in a visual language. I love symbolism and imagery dripping with cryptic knowledge emenating a longing to be read and looked upon. I’ve used this form of Art as Journaling as a kind ofmedicine to get me through the lowest points of my life and to celebrate the highs. I lost my father to suicide as a young man and I can honestly say that art saved my life. Art also later championed me through the loss of my best friend to a drug overdose. I think my art work can be described best as a bubble gum ghost story. The princess pink fleshy pallete and vibrant primary colors juxtapose often discomforting imagery familiar in form but organized strangely or malformed. The illustrative style reading almost like a comic at times begins to grow into organized chaos as I hone in on tiny little details creating work that you would actually have to look at in order to see. In short I dont typically create art sheerly for financial gain. I create art not products. They are my explorations of life death and eternity. My main source of income comes from being a Certified Nursing Aid in a long term skilled facility. My observation skills and emotional intelligence learned from a daily practice of making art have aided me greatly in the care for others. My job is often traumatic and stressful as many people suffering through terrible conditions or old age in general live on top of eachother. I work in a square shaped building that houses 26 rooms most of which are split into 2 closet sized areas divided by curtains. Many of my residents live in there own. Pocket of reality due to dementia which i can understand because I often find myself in my own pocket of reality when creating art. I work hard to serve others the best I can and to face what others often have difficulty doing so. I watch and tend to humans at the end of life’s journey. It is the most difficult but important work I have ever done. I have made so many beautiful connections and had truly wonderfully human moments. I am blessed and strong and capable and as long as I am i will find myself in human services. I work hard to care for and befriend people that may or may not be here in a year. Grief can be a crippling beast but art makes that beast tameable. The human is a vessel that needs filled and emptied often. Even the most tangible and spirited will end. In close im not so versed in financial value but I know that for me at least Art Posses a celestial power and spirituality which allows me the ability to explore and process difficult emotions and experiences. So as an artist I love to share art with everyone. I want this power to shine its light on everyone! So come make art with me and if you want to buy one of my paintings or sculptures ill trade it for something you draw or create for me. Let’s Trade!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The driving force is connectivity and a child like wonder for everything. Life never ceases to amaze me with its sharp pains and sophisticated beauties. The goal is connection. To trace and retrace pathways and resolutions. I want to ask questions and try to love. I make work about abstract themes like love and time. I play with line color and form to lighten the seriousness of said themes. The human condition is one of breaking and reforming until it is no longer possible. What an odd ride to be on.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Life can get gritty. The tangibility of the human spirit is fascinating. Art became a tool of resilience for me growing up. Weaving reality into illustrative suggestivism i can express myself freely in a space all of my own. My father took his own life in 2008. Suicide shatters those left alive with so many questions. Art offers the most honest collection of these moments of profound loss. Not just in capturing the sorrow but by honoring memories and cultivating hope. Grief is inevitable and later visited me in the loss of my best friend to drugs. Life is Fickle in how long it chases to manifest and in whom.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: appleeyeart@ig
- Facebook: Caleb Braxton
Image Credits
Caleb Braxton