We were lucky to catch up with Dylan Friedkin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dylan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I have always been an artist. I got my first easel when I was two years old and that was that.
I fell into art professionally out of survival. In 2018 I ended up in a domestic violence partnership with a narcissistic abuser. One weekend they took me to San Francisco as a “break,” but when we got there I had essentially been kidnapped because they then said “we are staying here now and we are going to be homeless.”
After about a month of processing that and getting desperate to care for my “family,” I one day set up some of my drawings and paintings for donations. I would have accepted any form of help at this point. That day a couple came up and took one painting and gave me $200. In that moment I knew that I could do this. I could find a way out of this hellish experience by selling my work on the streets. Or I would at least attempt it. That was just the beginning of me realizing I had to passion and potential to have my creations loved and seen by someone more than me. It was a way I could be seen, while behind the scenes I was suffering so greatly.
Dylan, 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 am a queer, nonbinary mixed media artist who often experiments with bright colors and textures within my work. I want people to FEEL things when they see it. I use art as my main go-to for processing, healing and communication. I am autistic and I don’t always have access to my words, so art always works better for me.
I am mostly a painter but love to involve collage, watercolor pencils and objects into my work.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being an artist is not only rewarding internally, but can be so rewarding outwardly! Seeing people walk by my work and smile at it, is all I need.
As someone who is recovering from domestic violence and houselessness, that smile is so much more meaningful to me than money. Having people come tell me the impact my work has had on them is everything to me. It’s magical to feel so seen in this way. Each piece of art is a piece of my soul put onto paper or canvas, so it means a lot for people to react so positively to it.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal always with my work is for it to help me along in my own healing. Sharing my work is lovely but I really make it for myself. I use art to work on unlearning perfectionism and I use art to share my story in ways that feel safe to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram @dylanrayarts
