We were lucky to catch up with Erik Jacobsen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Erik, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my “Food for Thought” series. It was the first series I worked on in the paper art medium, and the first series I shared publicly back in 2018. It was inspired by food and candy packaging I saw as discarded trash on the sidewalks of NYC. While walking to the subway for work, I would often find myself photographing various wrappers on the street and imagining how I could reinterpret the packaging to relate to my present day experiences. It felt like a tumultuous moment politically and socially, and also a time when I felt my rights as a gay person were again up for debate. This series was a therapeutic outlet for me to assert myself unapologetically and own who I am. The grit of NYC has always inspired me immensely and I was drawn to these torn up colorful wrappers (many of which were candies and treats I loved as a kid) within the context of my lost innocence. This inspiration felt like a nice metaphor for shedding some skin and coming into my own.
Prior to moving to NYC in 2016, I lived in Washington, DC for 10 years. This was the place that I moved to in 2006 to study graphic design at American University, and remained for 6 years after graduation. The pristine streets of the nation’s capital were in stark contrast to the grit that I was drawn to in NYC, and it felt full circle to show my first series, Food for Thought, in my old stomping grounds in DC. Part of being an artist is about putting yourself out there, and I was proud of the fact that I submitted work for consideration when I saw an open call posted on Instagram for a chance to have a month long show in Baked & Wired, a favorite local cafe in Georgetown. I was ecstatic to be selected. Many of my first pieces were inspired by sweet treats like York Peppermint Patty’s and Nerds, to name a couple, so it felt appropriate to showcase them in a cafe selling delectable cupcakes and coffee. Once the install was finally completed, it was wonderful to finally have family and friends attend my opening. It gave me a boost in confidence to take another step further and to continue pursuing my passion.
It’s also important to note that this love for art was something I pursued on the side of my day jobs within the field of graphic design. I started my career as an editorial designer for Washingtonian Magazine in DC, before transitioning to entertainment marketing design for the Travel Channel, followed by working as a book cover and interior designer for Callisto Media, Union Square & Co. (Barnes & Nobel’s publishing arm) and most recently, Hachette Book Group. There’s a lot of balancing and focus needed to supplement your income while in pursuit of your dream to work as a full-time artist. I’ve been fortunate to wear many hats within creative spaces to channel my creativity in fulfilling ways to pay the bills. But nothing has felt as meaningful as the shift that happens when you go from designing for a client to designing and creating for yourself.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m a paper artist currently living in Jersey City, NJ. I cut and tear paper to shreds as a therapeutic outlet to respond to the world around me. Collaging paper allows me to connect with my inner child by demonstrating nostalgia for early childhood methods to make sense of my current reality today. By reimagining omnipresent and banal imagery, I try to highlight a loss of innocence, bringing social and political issues to light. The moniker for my studio, Erik’s Paper Route, is a nod to newspaper delivery and a declaration of my chosen artistic path. I’m proudly a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
My studio, Erik’s Paper Route, was officially born in 2018 after a long day of endless scrolling on social media. After seeing so many perfectly filtered photos on Instagram, I dropped my phone and reached for a stack of red paper sitting on my desk. I ripped the paper to spell out the phrase “Stop Comparing Yourself To Everyone Else” as a reminder that what you see online is not always reality.
Since then, I’ve moved to Jersey City, NJ in 2022, where my work has continued to evolve, relating to decaying candy-coated values, American identity, love, and sexuality. I’m passionate about paper as a medium to express myself–it’s layered and imperfect like all of us.
In 2023, I participated in Art Fair 14C–my first art fair–which has led to commissions and opportunities to display work in two NORDSTROM locations in New York, Gallery 14c in Jersey City, NJ, CSM Art & Frame in Chatham, NJ, and AQUA Art Fair during Miami Art Week.
I’m most proud of how I’ve turned a passion for art into something that brings me joy every day. Lots of small actionable steps can make nothing into something. It only took a little bit of grit and grime for me to realize my potential to create more, and I’m grateful to have found something that gives me direction and purpose. For anyone interested in my work or style, I’m available for commissions. I love working with clients to customize one-of-a-kind pieces for their homes or office.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I love to work with my hands. It’s very satisfying to get my hands dirty and actualize something based off an idea that popped into my head. Inspiration is everywhere–if you allow yourself to look up and observe your surroundings. Creativity has been humbling, because the opportunities are limitless but your execution or abilities may not be like everyone else’s, and you need to be okay with that. Being creative is about finding your own way of executing that idea within your abilities and in a style that is uniquely your own. Don’t worry if you don’t think you’re as talented as someone else–everyone is on their own journey. We are all more capable than we give ourselves credit for, if you have the confidence, motivation and spark to keep going despite life’s challenges, limitations and obstacles. It’s been imperative for me to scratch the itch of an idea, because it will continue to nag on me for month’s or years until it’s realized. It’s very satisfying to finally cross something off a long list of ideas I keep and push myself when inspiration strikes. On the flip side, creativity is work, and it really requires time and attention. You can’t half ass it. I love the satisfaction of framing a finished piece when it’s complete, knowing it was hard work, but I powered through.
The ability to connect with people about my work also drives me forward. Many of my pieces have an LGBTQ+ slant where I’m reacting to the world around me from my own experiences as a gay man. When I was younger, I didn’t quite have the confidence to pursue a creative career so authentically, so I am proud to now say I do without any hesitation or regrets. The conversations I’ve had with collectors, other artists or anyone just walking by have been so rewarding, and ultimately help the world feel a little smaller and less scary.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
After moving from Brooklyn to Jersey City, NJ in early 2022, I’ve been inspired by my new surroundings to document my favorite places in the neighborhood I live. I’m originally from the New Jersey suburbs, so something about crossing 2 rivers (East River and Hudson River) to get back to the state where I’m from, after living in DC and Brooklyn, felt like coming home. I didn’t have to go far, but in doing so, I’ve loved being able to connect with my roots. I’ve met many wonderful people including life long residents and transplants to JC like myself. There’s so many businesses and institutions within Jersey City that I’ve discovered, and I’ve made it a personal goal to pay homage to them in my work.
One of my favorite pieces depicts a local diner on the West Side of Jersey City, named the Miss America Diner. In my art, I like to mix materials like various papers and foils, and recreating the chrome facade of an iconic NJ diner with a storied 85 year old history was exciting to me. In October 2023, when I participated in my first art fair in Jersey City, called Art Fair 14c, it was the first time showcasing the Miss America Diner piece. Through my participation in the fair (which was another brave step forward for me to share my work publicly) I was able to connect with so many locals who shared their own personal histories with the same diner I had only recently discovered. It was so unexpected to hear so many wonderful memories of their time in the diner with family and friends, and it brought me a lot of joy. It gave me a lightbulb moment of wanting to continue with the series and depict other mom and pop shops that are integral to the neighborhoods they serve. There has been a lot of development in the city, and with rising rents and cost of goods, it has been a fun way to spotlight local institutions for others to hopefully discover and check out for themselves.
As for other personal goals, I want to continue documenting the people and things I see on the sidewalk. It started with trash and candy wrappers, but there are so many interesting people and banal signs I’ve seen, to name a couple, that inspire me. As a queer artist, I want to continue exploring new themes in my work as it relates to candy coated values, sexuality and identity. Pairing my chosen medium of paper and collage with the subjects I’ve depicted creates a timeless quality that is appealing to me in the inescapable world of social media and AI. Making art will always be a healthy escape for me, and it’s what continues to drive me forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.EriksPaperRoute.com
- Instagram: @EriksPaperRoute @ErikJacobsen
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-jacobsen-ab055419
Image Credits
Studio Portrait: Photograph by Megan Maloy