Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to E. “Oscar” Maynard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

E. “Oscar”, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I love that i can make part of my living from doing my life’s work. I know this is a rarity. I want it to be possible for everyone, which would require a huge overhaul of our priorities and systems as a species.

I’ve had regular jobs, and have not enjoyed most of them. I just can’t fit myself into that box. The regular jobs I have enjoyed were built on mutual respect and investment in one another’s lives. Even then they were not really regular permanent full time jobs. They were working on a farm, or childcare, or teaching, almost always temporary. I’d say 8o% of the work I’ve done in my adult life has been in the gig economy.

E. “Oscar”, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Tender-Heart Press was founded by E. “Oscar” Maynard in 2017 in Oakland, CA . Oscar makes letterpress posters rooted in heart wisdom, collective healing, and liberatory spellwork. Since 2017 their work has been printed in various print shops across the country including Berkeley, Santa Fe, Silver City, Detroit, Houston & Atlanta. In 2020, they bought a Vandercook SP-20, which began its life as a proof press for a Newspaper in Wisconsin. Oscar loves the smell of the ink and the slow process of laying type by hand.

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

I find that being on press, or designing a huge papercut is cathartic. It is medicine for me, and it is medicine I create to share with others. My favorite moments are when someone comes up to me at an art market, or writes to me online to tell me how my work has impacted them. I’ve started a notebook to record the things people say, so i have a reservoir to draw from and resource me when I slip back under the spell of capitalism which says my worth measured by money and status, or just feelings of doubt and fear.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Step away from models of “Art as Investment”. Art is not, or should not, be an investment that collectors sit back and wait to appreciate, and then sell at a profit. There is nothing more perverse than this. Most artists- the ones I go around with- put their everything into their work. To treat is as a trade-able commodity is disrespectful. We got here through the hollowness of capitalism. We can imagine something different.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.countrycounterculture.com/tender-heartpress
• Instagram: @tenderheartpress
• Facebook: tenderheartpress

Image Credits
All photos taken by me.