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

EJ, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am happier as a creative/artist. While I do have a full-time job that helps pay the bills and provides me the stability to maintain my actual passion. I am a high school art teacher, so that keeps me grounded but also allows me to be creative and share my passion with the younger generation. I have worked in retail and even sales as a potential avenue in a career however, I never felt that I was being true to myself. I knew that I did not want to be at a job where, yes, I could make more money however, I would feel as though I was selling my soul to a job with no heart.

There was a very brief period in time when I applied to work on a cruise ship for an art auction sales job. I say brief because I only did a five-month contract. To the story, I am in my early 20s, and I wanted to travel, so I found a job that allowed for that but still be relatively in the arts. Long story short, I did get the job after very extensive background checks, interviews, presentations, you name it. It was probably the hardest and most expensive job application process I have ever done. I did get to travel to Australia, Fiji, and the AUE within that five-month period. That component was amazing however; the problem this was the first time, I was not making any art as I was working long hours on a ship trying to sell other artists’ artworks. Also during this period, I lost a ton of weight in an unhealthy manner and I quickly learned that I was not a salesperson. Having this one brief job experience set the stage for what I wanted in my career as an artist. Leaving this job, motivated me to go to graduate school for my MFA, and gave me a window into the corporate viewpoint that is very prevalent in the art gallery setting.

This also brought me to understand that there are two different types of art. That is art with a soul vs art with no soul. Art that is made with the intent to be aesthetically pleasing and consumer-friendly, more often than not, has very little soul, while art that has meaning or forces the viewer to interact more profoundly in a manner that, while yes, might make them uncomfortable, will often have more of a soul to it. Yes, art can be pretty. However, I think art with an impactful intent speaks louder than one that will look nice in your living room. This might be my cynical side of things, however, I have been on multiple sides of this corporate art gallery bubble, as either a maker, salesperson, or even picture framer. Unfortunately, one does have to feed the other. If I had to choose, I would rather be a maker as a creative and focus on making the art that feeds my soul. As the worst moments in my life were when I did not make any art for an extended period. The reasoning was either due to lack of space or other commitments were overshadowed. That is where my mental health took its biggest toll, as I had to find other ways to have an outlet to cope.

This is the reason I fell in love with teaching art because I knew that was the root of my passion for the creative side of me and I love sharing my passion with anyone who will listen.
As I picked up my practice again and became more consistent with it, my overall happiness vastly improved.

EJ, 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?

After I graduated from McDaniel in 2015, I have been making art as a practice. Of course, I did not realize this was where my career would end when I started college. Growing up, I was always into art; I would draw extensively as a child as my primary outlet. Being dyslexic and in a very broken school system in the state of MD art was my only consistent outlet. I was very fortunate growing up as my grandfather took an interest in me and wanted to impact my life. As a way to educate me in art or at least expose me to the arts, during the summer, he and my Mom would take me to Europe to visit the museums and explore the country without having to read a book. To make a long story short, he is the reason why I love art history so much and why I minored in it in college. He is also part of the Studio Name that I gave myself when I started my online presence with my practice. The Studio Name, EJ Lee, partially honors him as he made a huge impact on my life growing up.
So, let’s break it down: EJ is the initials that I went by in both college and grad school. My legal name was Emily Johnson, but I felt I had no Identity with that name, so EJ was born. Lee was added as a nod to my grandfather, as that was his last name. EJ Lee, as a studio name, allows me to also have anonymity and maintain a personal life while keeping my art public. When I decided to do this, I was thinking about the longevity of this being a name which all of my art was made under, not necessarily hide my identity but to reach a wider audience while also accounting for personal life events that would not interfere with the art making to make it consistent.
My public platform will only be about my art making and nothing more, my focus on what I make has shifted substantially since 2015. The Brand EJ Lee has turned into exploring language through the poems that I have been writing since I was 18. there is a dyslexic undertone that is present within my work, as it reflects what I explored during grad school and has transformed into what you see online.

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

I would encourage people who want to start supporting the arts to start locally. I would personally avoid the big galleries that are for-profit and go to an art fair or a local gallery. Art is not reserved for the wealthy class, but rather, it’s supposed to be for the masses. When purchasing art, look for the art that speaks to you as a person. Everyone’s tastes are different, and that is ok. Art, at its core foundations, is meant to be a reflection of culture and society. There is no right or wrong answer, but rather, find what speaks to you.

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

Most recently, my art has taken a very different tone or theme that I, for one, never thought I would be exploring. I recently left an abusive relationship, and my art has been the only thing that has kept me sane as I have been transitioning in my life with my newfound independence. I do not want to get into too many details, but to make a long story very short, abuse comes in many shades of gray it’s not all black and white. I am learning not only forgive him but also myself as I move forward in my life and art-making. I have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of weeks and I personally cannot wait to see where this journey of life will take me but I do know that it can only go up from here.
I am currently exploring this new freedom with new poems about starting over or walking away, even feeling emotionally overwhelmed. I know what I am doing is important to not only myself but also to many people like myself in similar situations. Whether that is with the daily affirmations that I was posting or my big canvas works. I am aware that the viewer will find the poems difficult to read. However, that is the point or at least the intent. I find some of these poems difficult to read, and obstructing them a little and relying on the patience of the viewer further feeds into a hidden pain behind “pretty colors.” There is a psychological choice when I select my colors for each poem. Everything is thoughtfully planned and considered before the making begins.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ejleesartwork
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EJsARTWORK/
• Other: I will be featured by the PAKS Gallery at the Carrousel du Louvre Art Fair in Paris, France, between Oct. 18th-20th.