We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Harrison Linden. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Harrison below.

Harrison, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of the most meaningful projects I have worked on so far has been a piece I created called “The Desert Took Over, and I Can No Longer Hold Onto the Memory of Your Once Bright Face”. Admittedly, I tend to just shorten the title to “The Desert Took Over” for the sake of convenience when explaining my piece to strangers. But this very long title has a very intentional meaning behind it. It was a piece I created sometime after I ended a relationship with somebody with whom I was sort of romantically involved at the time. “Sort of” because it was more of a situationship than a relationship, but the feelings were there. However, time did its thing, and things couldn’t make it past that ambiguous relationship stage. In the aftermath of that situation, I found myself feeling incredibly lonely and sad. I didn’t have anybody to be with again, but also, because this person, who I found myself finding much joy in, was no longer a relevant part of my life. This is where this piece came to life. It came from this idea I had of a statue that was in the desert. But it was slowly eroding due to the harsh conditions of the desert. From this, I came up with the idea of a figure who is slowly becoming one with the desert. It’s a meditation on the nature of loss. But it’s more about the loss of memory; what happens when you have to let go of those memories you once had of somebody to create a new life. The piece is perhaps one of my most meaningful because it served as a wakeup call that I really had the power to create something genuinely heartfelt and sincere. My whole life I often created art for the sake of art. It is not a bad approach at all. But I really felt like I communicated something truly real with this piece. It’s served as a reference for what I currently want to achieve as an artist, art that speaks to the experience and nature of being while also being quite surreal and abstract.

Harrison, 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?

Yes, my name is Harrison but online I go by Diasporium. I am a digital/physical artist specializing in mixed media collages, drawing, and photography and my work explores macabre themes and philosophical concepts of life on Earth. I currently showcase some of my art at local art events, and I sell prints of my work along with t-shirts that are custom-designed by me.
As far as how I got into the industry, art is quite honestly an integral part of who I am and I don’t think I could live without being a part of the art community in some capacity. So getting into it was just a matter of tinkering with different mediums and meeting others who also shared my passion for this. But it really started when I went to school for graphic design. Since it’s a part of the art building, I was able to further integrate myself into the art world and meet people who are also involved and know somebody. And that’s kind of where it started. People share events that are going on and I jump at the opportunity to be a part of them. I am slowly etching my way into the industry here in Chicago. I have only done a handful of events at this time. But this has only emboldened the love I hold for art. Making art truly has the power to really shape the world we share.

I think one of the things that makes me stand out as an artist is kind of where I draw inspiration from and what I like to focus on thematically. I love things that are dark yet also thoughtful. I love atmospheric pieces that have a narrative and a setting. I love classical art like Goya. I am still slowly getting a better sense of what makes me who I am day by day but I don’t see a lot of work that combines these all together. Especially how I tap into the art of the old. That is something I want to keep honing in on and improving upon. I feel like people don’t often pay enough attention to the art of old, but that’s where a lot of really valuable insight is and a lot of beautiful inspiration.

I think one of the main things I want people to know about my work and my brand at large is that my work is going to keep transforming. I don’t want to be the kind of artist who makes the same product or thing for millennia. I want to be able to breathe my life into the work I do. My work is currently deeply rooted in philosophical ideas, phrases, and concepts I encounter daily. But tomorrow it could be something else that pulls me forward. At the core, what makes the art the way it is is my passion for focusing on revealing the dark and strange soul of humanity.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Truthfully, this is such a great question and one that I could probably rant about for ages. To me, there are so many benefits to being an artist. But to keep it relatively succinct, I think one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is how it improves my relationship with myself and the world around me. As I have gotten more involved in my craft, I discovered that I feel like I know myself better. There’s always the unconscious aspect that I will never understand but I feel as if I am more cognizant of my emotions. You know, I feel like I can recognize my emotions clearly and then give some kind of life to them. And most importantly, I can see the world around me in artistic ways. Like, for example, I recently saw the sky at night and then looked at the surface of an asphalt road with street lamps. For some reason, It reminded me of caviar and vanilla. It made me realize how beautiful the scene was. This is a totally unrelated comparison by all means, and yet I found some beauty in it because I’ve been involved in creative thinking for so long now. We are sensitive creatures who have to feel things to come up with the art. It’s not the only way to discover this, but, for me, being an artist has really developed this aspect of my being in very meaningful ways.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Yes. I think one of the biggest misconceptions many non-creatives I have met have about all artists/creatives is that they aren’t capable of the same feats. It was as if we were specially crafted and no one else could ever be like that. That’s the biggest lie that anybody could ever believe. The truth is, we are all born as artists and creatives. Creativity is just a fundamental aspect of life. It’s as fundamental as the elements. To me, artists/creatives are not “different” nor are their abilities a result of some kind of magic that non-creatives don’t understand. The only reason I am here, and many other artists as well, is because I have spent almost a decade of my life in this. When I started, I sucked! And I could not think of an idea for a piece if my life depended on it. All artists suck when they start, just like the people who aren’t creative or aren’t artists. The only difference is that artists/creatives have the drive to keep on creating and learning despite the perceived lack of talent. The only thing I can agree with is that some people have more of a natural affinity towards the arts than others. I come from a line of creative people who were creatively involved in something, so the predisposition to create was there from the start. But my talent, my skills, and even my vision are literally a result of years of experience, both lived and developed. So, at the end of the day, if you love art but don’t have the talent you think is necessary, just keep on creating! Even if it’s just for fun. Its more important that you create than have it be good. Everytime you create is another avenue for your brain to learn more about creative thinking. It’s bit by bit but we all have the capacity.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diasporium/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrison-linden/

Image Credits

Headshot photo – Quaran Ahmad