We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brian Ford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, thanks for 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.

Ever since I was a kid I have been creating through drawing. I’d spend hours in my room drawing the latest comic book heroes. Through high school the one class I excelled in was art. During my senior year my class time consisted of art, advanced art, yearbook photographer, gym, lunch and study hall. But something within me changed between high school and attending art school. That change would cause me to pack away in the depths of my soul my passion and talent for art.
Over the next twenty plus years my art remained deep inside of me, but I continued to plug ahead doing what I felt others wanted me to do. But when a global pandemic changed everyday life and routine, political tensions rose, and our society became more divided I found myself exploring and searching deep for the things in life that really matter. My artistic identity was pounding on the door begging to be let out. So I dusted off the art supplies, picked up a pencil and sketched out what was in front of me, the woods. Of all the essential items in my backpack my sketchbook and pencils were included. The more I sketched the deeper the desire to create. It became a hunger, a knot would develop in my stomach if I went more than a day without drawing. A sketch a day kept the frustration away.
This is the real me… I’m an outdoorsman and an artist. A guy expressing his love and passion for the outdoors and nature through drawing and painting and what I’m learning through this process is to press on no matter what and enjoy what and who I am inside as an artist.

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

I am an adventure artist working in ink drawings gathering my inspiration from the outdoors. Growing up I always preferred anything nature. Whether it was playing in the nearby creek, camping with my family, or hiking with my dad, the outdoors has always been my true passion.
I relocated to Savannah, GA in 2024 where I still seek my inspiration from the iconic Live Oaks and its historic landscape as well as spending time in the mountains of Northwest Georgia.
My main medium of choice is pen and ink, with the occasional dabbling in paintings. I spend hours creating and losing myself in detailed drawings of elegant trees, showing their various textures, shapes and variety and landscapes. My technique is a combination of line work and pointillism thereby creating the proper shading, textures and details in each of my pieces.

What I hope my art accomplishes is to generate emotions, memories and dreams for the viewer and my collectors. As well as inspire them to explore our wild spaces, history and the benefits of nature on our overall health.

There are two elements that make up the real me, the outdoors and my art. Combined they are a big part of who I am. I use to think I knew my calling in life, but those were only the voices and noises of others that I chose to listen to rather then listen to my heart. Sometimes a person doesn’t discover their true calling in life until later. Here’s the thing I’ve discovered, now later in life at the age of fifty, about finding your calling. How do you know it’s your calling? When every fiber within wants to do it regardless of what other people say or think. You will do it anyway no matter the cost. You become so focused and driven that those who are not with you or support you become that blurred object on the side of the road that you don’t pay attention to and you keep on driving.

I recently was asked if I regret setting aside my artistic talents for so long and not discovering my true calling until now. I smiled and told them; “No, for me this is the right time because I believe it’s based on God’s timing.” There was a reason why, though it was my decisions, that God has chosen to bring me back to my art. I haven’t discovered the full reason yet and that’s okay. What I do know, is after all these years I know what I’m meant to do. It doesn’t come without it’s days or moments of frustration or discouragement. Oh, believe me, it does. This difference is I’m doing what I’m meant to do at this time. The right time.

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

Discovering and knowing my art made some impact on someone whether it sells or not. I often have people tell me how my art reminds them of places they have been or the places they dream of going. Others have expressed to me how my art brings them a sense of peace in a world of chaos, reminding them it’s okay to disconnect from technology and seek out quieter spaces in nature.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To inspire other to get outside and explore the beauty of nature and it can benefit their life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.the-wandering-artist.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianford.ink.art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572953039020

Image Credits

Photo Credit: Brian Ford – The Wandering Artist