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

Hi Astor, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

The type of art I make is not for everyone, and I understand that. However, we are living through an intensely reactionary moment, and I receive a lot of abusive messages online due to misplaced fear and anger at the subject matter I depict. Some of these come from the usual suspects: dyed in the wool homophobes who only intend harm. These I can disregard. The worst messages are the ones that come from within the queer community, but which come from a place of fear– fear that by making the kind of art that I do (erotic, outwardly queer and trans) I am somehow validating the accusations flung by the Right, and that they will be tarred with my brush. They believe that by minimizing themselves, and by erasing me, they are protecting themselves. That if they can only make themselves small enough, that their enemies will not notice them, or may even accept them. This is a fruitless endeavor. It’s self-annihilation, and not only does it fail at every turn, it does the work of the bigot for them. Ultimately it is very sad, and I won’t pretend it doesn’t bother me. However, I don’t feel hurt by being called a ‘groomer’ when I am making adult art, for adults, on adult skin. I feel pity for the people who live such a shameful existence.

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.

I’m a tattoo artist and an illustrator so obviously that means I work really closely with clients– especially when designing a custom tattoo. I often get clients who only have a vague idea or a specific vibe they want for a piece and it’s then a process of building a dialogue with that client to tease out the specifics. These pieces can be deeply personal, and are ultimately wholly unique, permanent only to a single human lifespan.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Are NFTs still a thing? Are they at all relevant? I think there are beanie babies worth more, culturally. In short, I think they’re bad. The only thing I will give to NFTs is that I used to get a little serotonin boost every time I heard someone’s apes had been stolen, and now that nobody cares about NFTs anymore, I have to seek that rush elsewhere.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think that people who are not in the arts think that artistic ability is some sort of divine gift. They truly believe in the myth of ‘talent’: that Apollo prances down from his cloud and kisses the art children on their little cheeks and then suddenly those children are intrinsically able to Art, chosen by fate and providence. I want people who are not in the arts to understand that artistic ability is a lot more like athletic ability. Certainly there are some people who have small advantages, but were it not for the time and energy invested, and the willingness to suck for a long time before getting good, there would be no athletes, nor artists. It’s about training of muscles, and the desire to learn and hone a skill. Nobody is born an Olympian. Michael Phelps could have become an investment banker. The Williams sisters could have become music historians. Simply being tall doesn’t get you into the NBA.

My theory is that the reason people want to believe that artists are ‘gifted’ is that it makes the practice seem more magical and special, and also makes it into something that they could not possibly achieve so they aren’t missing out by not trying. It’s not true. Art is a fundamental human impulse, and I wish more people would just indulge that.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/astorbonder/