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

Biafra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

I learned a lot of what I do by experimenting. Seeing things I liked and trying to figure out how it was made and guessing incorrectly and discovering new processes. Graffiti and street art were my introduction to art and creating and those are things that, at the time, could only be learned by doing it for yourself and figuring it out as you go. I applied that same mindset to other art forms as I got older like printing and painting.

I think being willing to take risks and apply a skillset from one medium to another is probably the most useful skill. I think without that it would be very hard for me to progress as an artist.

When I started doing street art and graffiti, learning process and tips and tricks was all word of mouth and trial and error. I think that slowed my initial learning down compared to today the way people are able to watch a 5 minute youtube “how to” video and go give it a go. I’m not sure I’d call it an obstacle, because there really wasn’t another option but I think a lot of ideas and techniques can develop faster with everyone sharing their ideas online.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got interested in making art through punk rock and skateboarding. When I was in middle school, I started cutting stencils of skateboard logos and band logos that I liked and sprayed them on my skateboard. About a year later I started cutting my own designs and applying them to all sorts of stuff. The more comfortable I got with a spray paint can the more interested I got in traditional graffiti and started combining my stencils with letters and just exploring all the avenues spray paint allowed.

From stenciling and spraypainting I got into screen printing posters and shirts, there is a fair bit of overlap in the way you approach stencil and spray paint and screen printing, so I took to it very quickly and wound up recieving a BFA with an emphasis in printmaking from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

As an artist I produce murals, posters, fine art prints, tshirts, skateboard and most recently I had the chance to release a vinyl toy, which was something I’ve wanted to do for the last 15 years, so it was great to get a chance to do that. I would say I’m probably most known for my murals and tshirts. I like painting large colorful murals that cover the wall from top to bottom. I like packing as much color as I can into otherwise drab areas. I think I’m known for the shirts largely because of the frequency of them and the price. They are released for one week and then never printed again. People tell me I undercharge for them, and I think that’s partially why they are popular, but I like the idea of people being able to buy something with utility at an affordable price. A lot of people that like my work are regular folks with regular jobs and they have bills and all that. I’d rather have people walking around with a cool weird shirt on than a Led Zeppelin shirt from Kohls that everyone is wearing, so I keep the price affordable.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think a lot of people who aren’t in creative fields have a tough time understanding how non-linear creative jobs can be. Creative jobs are not nearly as formulaic as your standard corporate job. I think in a traditional corporate job (and this is me speaking as someone who has had relatively creative jobs my whole adult live) you get your degree and you go into that field or you go into advertising or sales or whatever you can harness your skills into and you do it. In those jobs your output is quantifiable so it’s easier to explain to folks outside of your field how you do what you do and what your projected output is. It is also something that is fairly similar across companies. You clock in, you clock out. You might enjoy it, you might not, but it doesn’t define you.

In the creative field I think people have a tendency to look at it and say “it must be great doing something you love on your own schedule” and it is, but it is also incredibly arduous. When you are responsible for bringing an idea to life, from a sketch to a draft to a final product and you have to do it on your own it can become fairly taxing physically and mentally. I think people tend to picture it like someone in a movie staying up late and coming up with something brilliant right before the deadline. In reality it’s days on end of doubting yourself, trying to figure out what you are going to do and then getting a hint of an idea and trying to make something of it. It can get frustrating when those hints of ideas don’t amount to anything and the deadlines get closer and closer.

As an example, I am a fast mural painter. Once I’m on the wall I’m locked in tunnel vision and it’s all I’m thinking about until the wall is done. When people see me paint murals they will comment on how fast and stress free it seems. I’m glad it comes across that way, but I think the reason it does is because as soon as the mural is approved I’m thinking about how I’m painting the mural. Which colors are going on first, which spots need special attention, which spots might need a tweak once the sketch is on the wall. By the time it’s painting day I’ve mentally prepped myself so it looks effortless but it’s actually weeks of putting pressure on myself to makes sure I’m efficient. I don’t think this is a bad thing, but it does consume almost all of my brain until the mural is done. I think the idea of never being able to clock out of your job or your passion is a tough one for people outside of the creative fields to grasp. People in creative fields tend to be there because they have to create, a job outside of creating isn’t an option.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I would say my goal with all of my art is to make middle school/high school me proud and to keep pushing myself conceptually and in my skillsets. I want to make things that I’m proud of and I want to make things that have a visual impact and are meaningful to the people that encounter them. I like the idea of my art being accessible to people of all walks of life and I like the idea of people experiencing my work in different ways and places. I think that drive to continually leave little surprises and pictures for people, even if they don’t know who I am is exciting.

Contact Info:

• Website: biafrainc.com
• Instagram: @biafrainc

Image Credits
Black and White photo taken by: Lakshmi Venkatesh Oyate Mural painted with Wundr and Cyfi, painted as part of the RedCan graffiti jam in Eagle Butte, SD. Train Painting photo taken by: Ian Lundin CXXII