We were lucky to catch up with Jacob Phillips recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jacob, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Be fearless… Once you embrace that statement and pursue your goals, there is nothing that you can’t do. I chose my career path as an artist and in academia because i’m thinking nonstop about being creative. No matter where i’m at or what i’m doing, my brain is always working on a new sculpture or method. Teaching college level sculpture has allowed me to work with students from all different disciplines such as dentistry, biology, neuroscience, digital marketing, etc. Every time I step into the classroom or am at work on campus I get to interact with these wonderful individuals. To me, that’s success. The reason that I personally believe that is because I get to not only teach them but become inspired by them. I think we all have our own successes and simply listening, learning, and comprehending what each other has to say allows for success to take shape.

Jacob, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an interdisciplinary sculptor in Birmingham, Alabama whose work takes the viewer on a journey through an imaginary Southern landscape from the perspective of a gay man. My work takes on the inspiration of organic natural forms that come from the earth such as cypress knees meshed with queer culture and camp aesthetics. My personal journey of self-discovery as a gay man in the south informs my artistic research and practice. The work is a collective response to Queer pride, personal relationships, self-identity, and community. With these sculptural forms, I am thinking about a pursuit of hope and comfort. As I create, I want the work to immerse the viewer in an environment of self-reflection and wonder. I earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture at the University of North Texas in 2021, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2017. I am currently an Art Studio
Laboratory Supervisor and Adjunct Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

I have exhibited in galleries and museums such as the Cora Stafford Gallery at the University of north Texas,
Denton, Tx; the Dallas World Trade Center, Dallas, Tx; Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton, Tx; The Limner
Gallery in Hudson, N.Y.; Gallery Vox, Birmingham, Al; Space One Eleven in Birmingham, Al; the Wiregrass
Museum of Art in Dothan, Al; the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Al; Lowe Mill Arts and
Entertainment in Huntsville, Al; and the Abroms Engel Institute for the Visual Arts in Birmingham, Ala.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is actually getting to do what I love most. I set out with the mindset of staying active in the creative world when I started school because I knew I didn’t want to sit behind a desk for the rest of my life. That’s just not the kind of person I am. I also want to say that there’s nothing wrong with sitting behind a desk if that’s what you do for a living. I am just not that person and have always worked with my hand in creative ways. Once a piece is finished, there is a sense of calm that comes over me. It means that it’s time for the work to wake up and enter the world. Allowing my work to be explored by others give me great thrill because a lot of the work either has a mirror, some sort of reflective surface, light, sound, or another form that engages with the viewer in some way.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Working as an artist is not easy. BUT… Stay Active! I have had those moments in my career whether applying for jobs and/or exhibitions where rejections come. You’ll have more rejections than acceptances at first. When you do get accepted for whatever it is that you’ve applied for, that’s the real win. Be consistent and always on the path to better yourself in your career .

Contact Info:

• Website: jacobmphillips.com
• Instagram: j.m.phillips

Image Credits
Jacob Phillips