We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jason Koharik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jason below.
Jason, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I have always been creating. A creator. A maker. An artist … it took me a very long time before I was comfortable saying that word about myself. “Artist” — I realized as I made my way along my path, I never had to quote “ Find myself” others around me would say those words as if they were searching for something. I am deeply grateful I recognized from as early as my hands followed my mind and hearts desires that was who I am, what I was meant to do. A passion and a drive to do it everyday, create, relentlessly. I think it was that recognition that I was never searching for purpose that allowed me to develop into who I am today. My twin brother reminded me of a memory— We were sitting on a pile of rocks along a freeway that ran behind our childhood home, probably 8years old, I said to him “One day I’ll have a giant room where I can make anything I want. Today at 46years, I have a 7500 square foot studio showroom. I am deeply grateful.
Jason, 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?
A life story.— Ohio and everything after. — I left Ohio when I was 18years old. Art school at Kent State University was not for me, so I drove a first love west to California, not a car, but a girl. And with that somehow immediately ended up working on commercial and music video film sets. Production assistant, art department, wardrobe stylist. Directors and producers fast became aware of my interest in design. I was always quietly painting and sculpting . Making furniture and lighting. They would “rope me in” to work on their homes. I would find and flip vintage furniture to them. They would offer me money for paintings they would see me working on. In some cases I would fully become their “interior designers” — remodeling their entire homes. Construction top to bottom. All the furnishings and art choices. It got to where I spent nearly no time on the film set and I was only working on houses. The transition to my own business just seemed to happen at some point. Specifically after the death of my father in 2010, I packed up his tools in Ohio and shipped them to my then garage studio.
I focused mainly on my lighting and furniture designs as well as what I was doing with vintage furniture at the time. I now very rarely deal with vintage.
I have, all of these years, remained by myself in the studio. I have one off site employee, Gina, who handles all things computer. She is my ground wire. Handling invoicing and client communications. I am hands on all work that leaves my studio. For that I feel I have been able to offer a unique experience for interior designers I work with. Often much of my work and design is existing in my endless sketch books. My finished designs I manipulate into bigger sculptural one of a kind ideas for clients. Very often I just stand in the job-site— No Pinterest “inspo” mood boards. “Let’s play.” I say. “Let’s stand in-between the framing of soon to be walls and look up and imagine.” —
I call it “Cloud Mapping” —daydreaming. Because I am most often there for lighting… I am always looking up. “Let’s fire from the hip.” “Dance”, “Bounce”. This creative play is what I believe I have to offer. More than just a product on a website page with finish, colour, and size options. I can create in real time from the inside out. Evoked in the moment applicable once. One client. One home. Something personal. Something special.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I have a fuel to burn. With a fury. A human gift I was given by something greater than me. I recognized it very young, this passion and drive to create, from the inside out. Honestly “inspiration” is a word I rarely use. Very honestly I would even say I don’t like that word. It has become something used, I feel, for the wrong reason in the context of creativity and art. I guess inspirational is someone or something that drives me to be a better person. And I suppose I save that word for those who do that.
In the context of creation I use the word “evoked”. I design from the inside-out. Very often I am telling a story, even if I’m the only one reading it. A love story, passion, anger. I usually write along side all of my work this evocation story. Writing is actually my favorite medium and most fulfilling. I suppose telling my story is the most rewarding aspect for me. The work itself is a journal entry.—
A physical marker I leave in the wake behind me as I move forward.
A conversation across a candlelit bistro table in an old French bar at closing time, a “faux” proposal for marriage—An attempt to keep the establishment open after hours. “They’ll open champagne” I said confidentiality’ “Offer us desert; white cake. They’ll probably take care of our bill.” “I’ll fashion a ring from this wine foil.” This back and forth wine fueled flirtation ultimately leading to the creation and design of a bistro table I titled “Darling, please.” Her only response to my reverie.
The conception is the most important part for me—the story. “Art first” something I quietly say often to myself . Art first. Even if what I am creating is intended to be a “product” of sorts, furniture or lighting . Everything is Art first… then the rest. Make it useful? Comfortable? Shippable?
How did you build your audience on social media?
Very honestly I do not have that large of a following or presence in comparison to contemporary makers and artist in my circle. I was resistant to instagram initially as a form of sharing my work. I relied I suppose on my website and nothing else. I am to say the very least as analog as can be. True Generation X. Mostly very private about my life in most aspects.
I work with a lot of different medium; metal, wood, stone, paint; all skills I developed with passion for process and material. Technology is not a skill I possess in anyway. I have piles of broken IPhones. Dropped of ladders and/or heaved across the studio in technical frustration and fury.
In fact I survived with a flip phone and no texting until what would be considered recently.
I was talked into Instagram (my only social medium) by an interior designer, and I am grateful for it.
I believe it to be a useful tool if not for anything else but to gift yourself a visual record of growth.
I from the very beginning of Instagram decided to make it a journal. A painting or sculpture in and of itself. I allowed it to grow only organically. On its own. I never looked to any sort of PR or creative representation agency in anyway. And while the growth and reach is certainly slower and probably limited, for me it has allowed for my voice to remain authentic. My single perspective, at my best and often enough at my worst. No direction given or perceived parameters.
No second guessing. Just from the heart and the gut and the hands and only in the present moment. My hope or intention I suppose is that ultimately it will be viewed as a whole— A future ancient scroll or tablet.— A leviathan made up of millions of tiny cells. Squares, 3x forever. Each a window into my timeline.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Jasonkoharik.com
- Instagram: @jasonjkoharik
Image Credits
Jason Koharik