We recently connected with Bryn Gleason and have shared our conversation below.

Bryn, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ll never forget the moment when I knew, with absolute certainty, that I was dedicating my entire life to my Artwork. I was seventeen years old, taking an introduction to traditional printmaking course at the University of Minnesota, when I was introduced to intaglio printmaking for the first time. I was immediately infatuated with the beautiful and intricate etching and printing process.

When I slowly pulled my first proof print off it’s etched copper plate, I knew there was nothing else in this world that would ever satisfy me. I stopped breathing for a moment. I was overwhelmed with the enchantment of unveiling that print—each intricate stroke, every careful line, all pressed deep into the thick dampened paper, all a unique testament to patience, skill, and process.

I don’t know how long I stood next to that etching press, silently holding my print in my hands, in awe of the way the light glistened over the wet ink, giving physical depth to my drawing, making it a truer, richer expression. It’s an image of a whale-like sea monster, chasing a small bird thats flying over the water, fishing with a bone and a string. Over 15 years later, that etching adorns a wall in Spit Bite Studio, my creative work space named after my favorite historic etching process.

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 love presenting my experimental mixed-media methods to my clients, particularly musicians. I like the challenge of delving into the depths of their vision, sound, and lyrical narratives to create something truly unique. Whether it’s the raw visceral energy of using unconventional materials such as raw animal hearts and old stained mattresses, the unpredictable destruction of fire as a corrosive element to flammable artworks, or the delicate beauty of printing natural objects such as bird feathers, plants, and mushrooms, I try and use materials and processes that best honor the conceptual weight of each piece.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My entire creative journey illustrates my resilience and dedication to my career as an Artist. Excited and naive, seventeen-year-old me had no idea what it would take to turn my love affair with intaglio copper etching into a successful career. But I didn’t care. I was ready to sacrifice anything and everything for my passion, and that feeling is unwavering to this day.

My printmaking mentor in college gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever received. He said, “There will always be someone better than you, someone who is more talented, has more resources, money, or support. You have to accept that because you have no control over it. All you can control is you, and how hard you work. Be the first one in the studio every morning and the last one to leave every night. Your work ethic is everything.” I took that advice to heart. I worked two or more jobs while in college to afford the new etching tools and fancy silk-finished etching papers I felt my craft deserved. I would race back to the printmaking studio after waiting tables all evening to hide from the late-night janitors, under bags of shop rags or tables, so I could stay and print all night long. I started wearing all black to hide the etching ink on my clothes so I didn’t have to waste time changing after printing and before rushing back to work. I applied to every show and opportunity I could find. I started volume bartending so I could afford to work fewer shifts and have more full days in the studio. I was exhausted constantly, but I chuckled playfully under my breath every time a bar guest furrowed their eyebrows at my young, weathering, ink-stained hands. I enjoyed only being understood or recognized by other members of the printmaking cult. Akin to the bond shared among Fight Club members, who recognize a black eye or a missing tooth. I’m filled with pride when I shake hands with fellow Artists, and they pause at the sight of black ink clinging to my knuckles and cuticles, offering a nod of recognition and saying, “So, you’re an etcher, huh?”

The exhaustion and the hard work has always felt worth it. My world simply revolves around what I love, no matter the cost. And though there is nothing easy about being a full-time Artist, I’m definitely not complaining, nor would I have it any other way. I worked for years in the food and beverage industry to afford the cooperative membership fees to print first at Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, then The Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop when I moved to New York, then The Chicago Printmakers Collaborative when I moved to Chicago. In 2020, I left the hospitality industry, giving myself the greatest gift of all: the freedom to dedicate all of my time and energy to my Artwork. And in 2022, I moved into a small one-bedroom apartment and set up Spit Bite Studio. I have a cozy, tiny room where I sleep and rest, but apart from that, the main room, the hallway outside my apartment, my kitchen, the little porch landing, every closet, the driveway, and the garage in back are all dedicated to my work. I figured, if I live and sleep in my printmaking studio, I’ll always be the first one here in the morning, and I don’t even have to leave at night.

I would be lying if i said it wasn’t stressful to never have a consistent paycheck, to avoid literally being a “starving artist” only due to food stamps, but I really wouldn’t have it any other way. I get to do the thing I love most, every single day, and I fucking love it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

My creative process is a chronic condition of my existence. I’ll never stop creating, whether or not I have an audience, but the most rewarding part is being able share my work with others. My Artwork is often introspective, emotionally driven, and saturated with expressions of pain and healing. I’m interested in intimate emotions, typically exploring themes that are dark, challenging and often uncomfortable for people to talk about.
Recently, I’ve produced series that were informed by my sleep paralysis and my experience as a survivor of domestic violence. It feels important to express and document these kinds of things because intimate hardships can feel extremely isolating. Processing my trauma through my Artwork is therapeutic for me, and sharing it to create a sense of connectedness with others is equally fulfilling.
Particularly, with my Artwork concerning the healing process as a survivor of domestic violence. It’s an extremely scary and isolating thing to endure, and it changes you in ways that are really hard to describe. Having other survivors approach me on the street or reach out to me on social media to express how they connect with my work, how it empowers them, or how it expresses feelings they struggle to articulate, brings me to tears—in the best possible way. It fills me up with so much joy and fuels me to keep being vulnerable with my expression and to keep making the work that I make.

I want to say thank you, to everyone who has supported me by enjoying my Artwork.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bryngleason.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryn_gleason/

Image Credits
Bryn Gleason