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

Ash, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Always an avid lover of art and design, I initially went to school to study interior design. Once I realized that wasn’t a good fit, I made the switch and got my BFA in Theatre Design & Technology. That’s a fancy way of saying I specialized in backstage work for live performances. I tried everything from costume design, to set construction, to prop building, but scenic art was what really stuck with me. What is scenic art? Any time you see a live show with custom built set pieces or props, those were most likely built and painted by scenic artists. Think of a set or backdrop for a Broadway show.

During this time I developed a steady hand and strong eye for detail, I learned how to recreate renderings on a large scale, I learned how to mix and match colors, and many more essential skills that would eventually lead me to where I am today. I was also fortunate to have spent some time working in our scene shop where I learned basic carpentry skills which I still use frequently in my work as most of my recent paintings are done on hand-cut wood.

I once got some great advice that I took to heart, but unfortunately never acted on. A woman who hired me for one of my first corporate scenic art jobs (painting a showcase for the Detroit Auto Show) encouraged me to take business classes. At the time I was still in school trying to finish a 4 year program in 3 years, working one job and taking on freelance gigs, and applying for summer internships so the idea of adding one more thing into the mix was just too much at the time. Even after I graduated I had considered taking some business classes, but time came and went and I ended up kind of learning as I went. Not that there is anything wrong with the trial and error method, but having some concrete guidance in this field would have made the learning process a bit less painful. I encourage anyone one entering any type of creative field to invest in business classes because the chances of you working mainly for yourself are high.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Graduating with a theatre tech degree in Michigan meant I wasn’t exactly flooded with job opportunities right out the bat. I juggled multiple part time jobs while figuring out what to do with my skillset. I’d never painted a mural, but how different could it be from painting a 30×40 foot canvas drop? I scoured Craigslist and snagged a couple of residential mural and window display gigs. I also taught myself digital art and began selling prints, stickers, and paintings at art shows and comic cons around Detroit. I was getting steady mural work and show opportunities, I was even getting consistent scenic art jobs at schools and small theatres in the area. Things were going well. I wasn’t ready at the time to take my work in a different direction, but sometimes a worldwide virus forces everything to shut down for a year and makes you reconsider your direction in life. I decided I no longer wanted to put majority of my eggs in the “live show” basket. The scenic art jobs were getting redundant and after making a bunch of fan art for comic cons, I was more interested in sharing my original work with the world. Once everything started opening back up, I decided that I would put my focus towards my mural work and creating original pieces to sell to collectors and galleries.

Now that’s exactly what I do. Most of my workload these days is creating murals and hand painted signs for small businesses, working on commissions or reaching out to venues to display my work, and I still get the occasional corporate scenic art gig. Most recently I had the opportunity to work as a scenic artist for Arizona Tea on an art installation for their bottling plant in New Jersey. Currently I am working on putting together an art show featuring my hand-cut pieces as well as planning a live painting event that I will be hosting at a local tea and wellness shop this holiday season.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I would say one of the greatest resources for anyone working in a creative arts field is community. Find what interests and motivates you and look for people who share those interests and goals, or at least something similar. When I first entered the freelance world, I struggled to find my place in the art scene. I was interested in so many different things that I never stuck around in any one community long enough to be impacted by the people around me. Now that I’ve narrowed down my areas of focus, I have found an amazing community of local artists. The support, encouragement, and guidance I’ve received from the Detroit art community has helped to shape my career and has presented me with some incredible opportunities.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

In addition to freelancing, I have been teaching middle-high school art and digital art for neuro-diverse youth for the past 3 years. Teaching art and working with young artists has been a truly rewarding experience. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help guide these students to achieve their individual creative goals. I think back on my education experience in the arts and I try to give my students opportunities that are not offered in a lot of traditional schools. Many students are interested in learning how to make a living off of their art, so last year we started running student-made art booths where students can sell their art at school events on and off campus. They sell anything from sculptures, paintings, keychains, digital art prints, jewelry, and more. For those students that want to take a more casual and exploratory approach to their work, I provide an open, independent work environment where students can experiment with different mediums and work on whatever creative project they’d like. I’ve had students build cosplay props, create and animate sprites for video games, and make a chess board with hand sculpted pieces. Every day these kids bring something new to the table and it is a joy to be able to work with them and see them grow as artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ashkaygart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ash.kay.g/

Image Credits
Keith Bedore Kenny Lenzi