We recently connected with Eric Hagan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

What I have always loved about my parents is the fact that they have always seen the value in creativity, not as a mere hobby but as an integral part of what it means to be a human being. It’s up for debate whether nature or nurture played a bigger role in my decision to become an artist, evidence abounds for both arguments. My mother was an art teacher for 30 years, my father was a shop teacher for 20. In fact, I had both as my teacher. However, I don’t believe my artistic success can be attributed solely to genetics. It was the character, ideals and passions I absorbed, as well as the encouragement that led me to where I am now.
They always found ways to aid my artistic interests. My mother rescued a lot of expired art supplies from the school dumpster and gifted them to me. My father used to bring home truck loads of construction debris from his second job as a general contractor, allowing me to build an ever growing sculptural monstrosity I named the ‘Patchwork Palace’ in the woods. There were many examples of this sort of support I was lucky enough to receive as a kid. They never guided my focus, they just allowed me to keep exploring, keep searching, until I found myself and found where I was going.

Eric, 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?

I am a professional artist and writer. I have a degree in creative writing, but live solely off of my art practice. I developed my style of ink illustrations over the course of 18 years and have carved out a tiny niche for myself due to my work’s originality. In addition to traditional gallery shows, I have also branched out as an installation artist, creating immersive art installations at a handful of galleries. I currently live and operate in NYC with my wife Jessica.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn was the notion that one needs to be an expert to begin. The art world is big, scary and opaque as an outsider looking in. I don’t have a degree in Art and much of the fine art industry is a mystery to those who haven’t been taught about it’s institutions and machinations. Having dove into this career path without a rigid understanding of what is allowed me to try and envision what could be. It was my creativity that guided the way. I utilized my greatest asset to solve one problem at a time, accomplishing one goal at a time. You don’t need to know everything. Just start, learn, and grow.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

To not skew the value of creativity by constantly viewing it through a monetary lens. Creativity brought us from stone tools to the international space station. Validating creative pursuits only on the basis of whether or not it will make money is a massive hinderance on the true enrichment of society. The truth is that the vast majority of creative people cannot dedicate themselves fully to what uplifts them and those around them and are instead sidelined into jobs that keep them from that passion. In addition to supporting artists financially, society itself should reflect on the value it has placed on the human super power that is creativity. Art guides society, do we want to live in a society shaped solely by algorithms and Ai? Or do we want to retain that that autonomy in what we pass down to the generations that come?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://erichaganart.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/eric_hagan_art