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

Garrett, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I always loved creating as a young kid, but it wasn’t until high school that I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path. I ended up taking a 9 or 10 art classes through out high school, but wasn’t sure what to do with once I got out. My senior year we got a new art teacher, Justin Bickus, after my long time art teacher retired. He really connected with the students by sharing his artwork and even knew of a few skateboard artists I was obsessed with at the time. I thought it was so cool he was an actual practicing artist and even brought in several printmakers he knew to our class to do demonstrations. That’s when the idea to pursue an art teaching degree came to me. What could be better then having a solid career in the arts while being able to work on my own artistic pursuits on the side.

Garrett, 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 college I knew I wanted to end up in Chicago, growing up in the suburbs just outside the city. I steadily developed my artistic practice, first messing around with lots of drawing, collage, and printmaking.

As I started my art teaching career, I wanted to make sure I maintained my personal art practice, often challenging myself to make at least one art piece everyday. I have played in bands ever since elementary school, so my first clients were often my own bands, designing album covers or t-shirts, printing things myself. Some of my first art connections in Chicago were through fellow bands I was playing shows with, designing flyers and merch for them.

I maintained this daily art practice for years, but it definitely expanded and grew once the pandemic started. I was teaching remotely from my classroom and stuck at home, so I started to really dive deep into painting and ceramics, which have become some of my main modes of creation these days. Also during the pandemic I made lots of connections with fellow Chicago artists, first via instagram, but now I call many of these great artists my friends. I am most proud of the evolution of my artwork, I am always trying to grow and expand and take my ideas further and further with each new piece.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

With my elementary art teaching, I love being able to share the joy that art brings with my students. The students are so creative and hilarious, their art making is a big inspiration to my own art making, especially their looseness and the bright colors.

I think with my own art making, the most rewarding aspect is that there is always room to grow and get better at your craft.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal or mission is to keep doing exactly what I am currently doing, having fun making the art I love to create.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.garrettluczak.com www.lofisupply.com
• Instagram: @garrettlawrence

Image Credits

All Photos taken by the artist.