We were lucky to catch up with Dustin Myers recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dustin 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.

My parents have always been supportive of my pursuit of art. I am very fortunate for this, since they didn’t try and force me into some other career. Without their support, I could have seen my path going differently, but my dad has always told me to do what you love, and you wont work another day in your life.

Dustin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been painting most of my life, and started showing in galleries around 2007, When I was in college. I first got into a gallery by contacting the gallery on social media and seeing if they would be interested in showing my work. I create oil paintings that are made to be seen in person, and I wish everyone that saw my art was able to see it in person instead of on their phone. The experience is a lot nicer seeing the actual paint that was used along with the original scale. I spend a lot of time on the surface quality and texture of my paintings, making them feel somewhat lifelike in person. I have been working on this technique for a long time and feel I’m finally getting the hang of it, even though I have.more to learn.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to create. That may sound basic, but I sometimes wonder what I would be doing with my life if I weren’t painting. I find so much of my growth and happiness and challenges come from painting. I love being in the state of creation as I am sitting behind my easel. I also feel like I have conditioned myself to find that the most rewarding aspect when I first started out mainly to counter the act of finding other things more rewarding. I would not enjoy creating art if it was a means to an end. I want art to be an end in itself. I see too many artists treat art as a means to make money, or a means to gain a following and become popular. And in these cases, it usually transforms thier art into something else. If I choose to have the act of creation as the reward, then I feel I am creating the art for myself and that should create more of a genuine output of what I want to make.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I always feel like there is this ultimate painting that I’m going to create some day, and every painting I am doing up to that point is just preparing me for that painting. i’m not sure when I will create that single final boss of a painting, but i think of it like a carrot that is dangling in front of my face to keep me going and trying to improve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dustinmyersart.com
• Instagram: DustinMyersart