We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eric ESH Hornsby a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Eric ESH , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In 2014 I had been in my environmental career for 10 years and was looking for something. I had dreamed of running an eco tourism business for some time by then. In fact I was in the process of starting a customizable eco trip business. I had bought six kayaks and had several mountain bikes and was spending time at the small business association try to learn how to launch. Somewhere during this process I had a realization, I realized I really could pull this business off! And I also realized with this same focused effort I could probably do anything. So I had to ask my self what would I do if I could do anything? It took me less than a second to say i would do my art! Time to pivot. I decided then and there I was gonna be a professional artist. How? No f-ing clue. My art career up until then had consisted of me attempting to write and publish comic books to no avail and faithfully painting and drawing for myself and any friends and family who would look at it. To which I received mostly positive feedback but no one telling me I should quit my day job. My day job was at one time a dream comes true to me, not something I would easily walk away from. In my twenties I was struggling. I had been working construction and other odd jobs until after two years of applying I landed a job as a park ranger for Hillsboro County’s parks recreation and conservation department. I loved it. In my 1st year I was able to move to a “live on” as site security on a nature preserve. I had amazing experiences and learned a lot, all the while deeply Immerse in the natural world that i had fallenin love with as far back as I can remember. I worked at a regional park for eight years then I moved over to the conservation land management end of the department. As an environmental technician There I had more incredible experiences be it trapping Ferrell hogs, making new trails or operating a brush truck on Rx fire (controlled burn). For a high school drop out who barely survived his teens and struggled for the first half of his twenties I thought this was as good I could of hoped for. But there was a fire burning in me. The same one that had me drawing every night of the week that had doing graffiti, and painting landscapeds it was the fire of creativity. And so in twenty seventeen I was preparing to put in my two weeks notice as an environmental technician. by doing so I was having to say goodbye to a regular paycheck helth insurance, and my home to go out into an uncertain ever-changing world to sell paintings. With that in mind I remember looking into a mirror and saying to myself how bad do you want this? My response was I’m willing to die for this. OK let’s go.
Fast forward to twenty twenty three im a full time working artist im a home owner and I’ve painted all over the country eighteen different states as well as Canada and Costa Rica I founded and ran a mural festival for 3 years. And every year things keep on getting better despite having no artistic training, despite opposition from the petty egotism of some more established artists, despite the pandemic I’ve done well. And I couldn’t be more grateful

“If we define risk as the likelihood of of a negative outcome ,and we look out to the future of our Finite life and see ourselves stuck in the same place five ten or twenty years down the line and unfulfilled what’s revealed is that inaction is th greatest risk of all”
Tim Faris

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’m more well know for my large scale work. I use spraypaint as my main medium
I do paint canvases as well and usually use poska paint markers.
I do lots of commercial work as well as commissions . I show work in lots of group shows around tampabay.
As well as canvases I paint skateboard decks and table tops and pretty much down to customize anything. I paint cars and make stickers and t-shirts as well.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I cannot recommend Steven Presfeild’s “The War of Art ” enough! It is a game changer.
He has several other outstanding books that expand the thesis from the war art and I highly recommend them too. look for “Do the Work ” Going Pro” the artist journey” and put your ass where your heart wants to be.
I would also recommend all of Robert Green’s books especially “mastery” and “laws of human nature ”
Also
Tim Faris’s “Four Hour Work Week ” IS A MUST READ.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Honestly I just want to create. My mission is the work itself I want to improve and I want to be inspired I want to do it for the rest of my life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/artist_esh?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hornsbygator?mibextid=9R9pXO
• Other: @artist_esh on tictoc