We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Briah Gober. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Briah below.

Alright, Briah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

Both of my parents are very left-brained, business professionals, the process of being me was always a bit of a challenge. They misunderstood me for a while but they’ve always supported me. They always allowed me to be expressive and they’ve always accepted me whether they understand the vision or not, They’ve always allowed me to be me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Briah Gober. I am an artist, born and raised in Chattanooga Tennessee. My creativity consists of an array of mediums. What got me into my craft was an inescapable desire for art. I started with doing live painting in the local park. Eventually graduated to doing live paintings at pop-ups, events and shows, and painting on canvas and odd objects such as doors, toilet seats and more.

It all began with a rebellion against traditional brushstrokes, as I sought a more expressive approach. Dripping paint became my chosen method, yielding a potent and dynamic form of the medium. This experimentation gave birth to my unique technique, “recycling the paint,” where excess paint from one canvas flows onto the next, creating unexpected and captivating artworks.

My discipline of practicing oil painting developed in college. Because I was majoring in marketing, all my electives were oil painting classes. I expected to dread these but ended up loving them. After doing many self portraits in our studies, I started a self portrait series depicting me at different stages in my life. I am still working on that series today.

Since high school I have been interested in the art of screen printing.
When I was 18 I actually spent my entire life savings on a press. With little knowledge and no experience I was quickly humbled. I began asking the screen printers I knew for advice to gain experience.

This industry being male dominated, I always felt like I wasn’t taken seriously when I inquired or showed interest in learning. I want women to know that no matter the art or the industry, it is possible. After years of trying to understand the art of screen printing through various different teachers, I got a job screen-printing! I did everything from mixing ink to creating the screen, printing the garment manually, packaging and fulfilling orders.

I learned so much about screen printing and my love only grew. I just recently started work at a new screen printing facility where everything is automatic, learning the art of screen printing as it grows as an industry has been interesting.

My business, Lovely Intoxication is a name I’ve been fostering since the Tumblr era. The idea is that if you were to look up “intoxication” in a dictionary it would most likely have a bad connotation attached and it would most likely mention drug or alcohol abuse. When I think of the word intoxication, I think of something that is much more than that. It pertains mostly to an overwhelming feeling or sensation and I feel like it has less to do with the vice that is doing the intoxicating and it doesn’t have to be something negative. I think you can be overwhelmed or intoxicated with an environment, a conversation, a glass of water and lastly I know that love can be intoxicating. I wanted the logo to look as juxtaposed as it sounds. I’d like to think I’m changing the connotation of the word, to have a positive meaning as opposed to what most people think of when they see the word.

I want my art to be accessible to all. I do have to create pieces that I can sell at prices to keep me afloat financially. Pulling from some of what I learned in college as a Marketing major, I had some of my pieces reprinted on puzzles and I started creating wearable art, stickers, lighters, beanies, and t-shirts, to go alongside my art creations that are all less than $50.

A few years ago I became fascinated with instant photography. I often carried a disposable or an instant camera to document my surroundings. I fell in love with this medium, using some of my photos as designs for my t-shirts and merchandise. Last year I had the opportunity to apply for a grant pursuing funds for an aura photo reader. I received the grant from Arts Build in January and I am now in the process of preparing to embark in a different direction with my photography.

What sets me apart from others is the array of mediums I dabble in and the array of products and services I am willing to offer.

The projects I am the most proud of are the painting and installation of the legs on Barking Legs Theater, The Communal Kaleidoscope Mural I created in collaboration with Alecia Vera on the Kinley Hotel in the heart of Chattanooga and the painting of the car that was donated to me by Art 120.

Nurturing my creative journey, I have a dedicated studio at Highland Park’s St Andrew’s Center. This space fosters exploration of new techniques and expansion of my artistic vision.

As an artist, I believe in embracing constant growth and evolution. The path of creativity is ever-changing, and I am thrilled to continue my practice, eagerly welcoming new challenges and passionately sharing my art with the world.

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

I feel as though a lot of non creatives can’t fathom the need and the urge we as artists have to create. We’d rather face uncertainty and “starve” per say. It’s as though we only live to create.

In my journey I’ve realized that my path is unconventional and not something I can look up to or copy from someone else’s journey.

There are numerous artists that I am inspired by but what inspires me isn’t always about their art or medium per say, it’s their relentless courage to be who they feel they were created to be. It’s the unquenchable urge that they had to push through the societal pressures from their family and the world.

Growing up with parents who are “left-brained” people I felt like striving to be an artist was looked down upon. It took years of going against the grain and being misunderstood to create the life I wanted to pursue.

Something that non-creatives may not understand is the creative journey, not always knowing what’s next or where the art may take you but trusting and knowing that there is no choice other than to create.

The only desire of my heart that I know to be constant and true is to create art. I’ve always had dreams of traveling the world and being an artist who creates no matter what. I know that following a traditional career path, my art would die. My focus and my freedom would be elsewhere. I think there’s a certain kind of freedom a creative person provides for themselves that is irreplaceable, despite the uncertainty of the career.

A non-creative person with goals of having a defined, traditional, career path along with having children and a family may not understand the sacrifices we make in order to be artists.

I do believe non-creatives are inspired when they see an artist really going for something they love.

I think it’s fascinating to see something done for the first time but it’s terrifying to do something that’s never been done for the first time.

To the world I often feel like a fool, pursuing my dreams whether people believe in me or not. Artists are constantly being critiqued but the real art is also not caring what people think. Artists have to be vulnerable, confident and humble all at once. I once saw this piece about an artist’s constant battle between humility and narcissism.

We are the creator, the marketer, the salesman, the distributor, the accountant, and more. We have to constantly have an open mind, we have to be confident in showing our work but vulnerable in doing so. We have to know that our work is good in order to sell ourselves, and to market ourselves but to also be humble with your work and willing to learn and grow with the art and to be willing to critique ourselves.

I’ve known many artists to only master one medium, I am inspired by them but I have an urge to learn it all. I’ve been told, I should just pick one thing and put all my eggs in that basket and to master that one thing.

I think the journey as a creative can be misunderstood by other creatives as well. There is no handbook for this and that’s why the starving artist stereotype is always so prevalent in our fears.

I think if I were to focus on one thing, I’d become a master of one, which is better than a master of none but I’d lose my freedom as an artist, being tied to one medium is not freedom.

My mom once said to create like I am the only person on earth and that no one will ever see it. I think that will stick with me forever. She being one of the people that didn’t see the vision or understand me during vital transitions in my life.

Knowing that I have to sell things to make money, I have to appeal to my market in order to be successful but to also take art back to its roots. The reason I started creating art as a kid wasn’t for anyone else’s pleasure but my own and to keep that mantra at the root of it all is vital.

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

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lovelyintoxication.com
• Instagram: lovelyintoxication_
• Facebook: Briah Gober
• Twitter: @LOVELY_INTOX

Image Credits
James Smile Lick – @our_ampersand_photo on the photo of the mural and the photo of me in front of the mural. The rest were taken by me.