Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jasper Martin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jasper, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My education and practice as an artist has come from many sources over the years! I consider myself primarily a self-taught artist, as I spent most of my time while growing up drawing, sculpting, and creating with whatever means I could find while obsessing over art books, manga, video games, and cartoons. I learned a lot from trying to replicate things I saw, and trying to think of my own ideas. A lot of my work now asks me to illustrate or use my design skills, so it helps to have spent time observing the many ways others have utilized these skills in their own projects. I’d say observation has arguably been my most valuable skill in growing as an artist! I’ve also been blessed to have family that includes multiple other artists across different mediums… I definitely learned a lot from each of them over the years as well.

I also had some structured art education though, ranging from painting, drawing, and sculpting to graphic design, CAD programs, and photography classes and more. I’ve always prided myself on having an open perspective on other art and design fields adjacent to my own. You grow better when you’re willing to learn from more than just within your own niche, in my opinion! I only wish I would have thought to take better care of myself while I was student- a lot of artists let their mental and/or physical health fall by the wayside in favor of focusing entirely on creating, a mistake that was largely responsible for ending my more formal paths of education. Thankfully, with the resources available to the public today, I’ve found it’s easier than ever to continue learning on your own.

Jasper, 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?

I’m Jasper Martin, a nonbinary biracial person who has a massive love for art of all kinds! My queer identity and multicultural upbringing give me a unique perspective that I feel only adds to my art; I try to use my skills and this perspective to help reach out to others like myself and make art that affirms and uplifts them. I run Melty Peach, a business working to spotlight and collaborate with artists, organize local events, and help people with their art needs through freelance art & design help. I’m best known as a character illustrator, but my work has had me doing everything from live painting to logo design to zine layout to event planning…. and beyond! I always try to work with my clients and peers I’m collaborating with in a way that gets a result that fits what they’re looking for as best as possible, even if it means trying something new along the way.

I’m most proud of the event Akron Out Loud (which was organized with the help of my wife) and the zine “in search of Support & Healing”. My wife and I have also done several livestreamed painting and music sessions together, and are constantly brainstorming more ideas to bridge the gaps between artistic disciplines in the future. I also help out with the virtual event Queer Zest Zine Fest and do some graphic design and photography work for the band DreamStates, as well helping others with their projects when I can. I don’t think there’s ever a time when I’m not just thinking about what I could be making next.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m very driven by a desire to see more media that I can relate to. I know a lot of other folks that feel the same way, which is why a lot of my work as a whole is focused on creating things that are for people who don’t see themselves in media enough either. I also find myself incredibly driven by the work of my peers; I believe artists should spend less time looking at each other as competition and instead lift each other up, learn from one another, and create together. These ideas together make a larger goal of helping others in my communities, both virtually and locally, pursue their creative goals and ideas and keep the confidence to keep creating in their own ways.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I hate them. Not only have they been terrible for the environment, but they’ve proven to be a hotbed of scammers and people looking to take advantage of artists. This isn’t to say that’s everyone’s goal- but there’s enough people like that involved, and enough damage that’s been done, that no paycheck would be big enough for me to get involved.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://meltypeach.carrd.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meltypeach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meltypeachart