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

JEREMY, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

It was right after graduating college that I realized I absolutely had to pursue a creative career. I’d studied development economics at university because growing up in the UK we were made to specialize quite early at school. At age 14 we were basically having to think about what we wanted to do at university and choose the appropriate subjects to study, in preparation, during the next four years. It was the late 1980s/early 1990s and my high school had very few computers and certainly no graphic design classes. I didn’t have fine art or illustration skills and didn’t see art as a realistic profession, so I chose to focus on geography, history and economics.

After university I had to do some real soul searching because I just wasn’t turned on by the typical job opportunities available for economics graduates. I realized that I was most passionate about a side hustle that had grown out of my teenage hobby of drawing surf logos and skate graphics and creating collage-style Xerox flyers. On my own initiative and just for kicks I had developed a collection of graphics for Surfival™, my own surf brand which I operated for a few years post-high school, designing all the apparel art as well as marketing assets, product sourcing, sales, etc. I hadn’t realized it at the time but I was basically my own creative director! Now a young 20-something college graduate, it was clear to me that if I wanted to find satisfaction in my job there was no alternative but to follow a career path that would lead to creating graphics professionally. This was the late 1990s so I bought myself a copy of Illustrator 8 and Photoshop 5.5 and took a new-fangled ‘online’ course to learn basic HTML. Since then, I’ve been largely self-taught, learning on-the-job and gleaning art and business-related insight wherever possible.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Operating under the studio moniker Beast Syndicate, I work in various roles depending on the project at hand: graphic designer, visual artist, print maker, and street artist. As a graphic designer specializing in brand development I have over two decades of international design and marketing experience, working with a diverse collection of brands including Amazon, the NBA Charlotte Hornets, Jordan sneakers, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Saturday Skateboards, and Time Warner Cable Arena. Over the years, my favorite projects have been related to surf/skate, hip hop and other independent, non-conformist lifestyles.

Over the last 5-8 years I’ve gradually been able to move away from client-based projects and pursue more self-directed art. As a means of creating something non-digital (and therefore unique) I have embraced printmaking as my medium of choice. I began to screen print in 2015 and then in 2016-17 spent an instructive year at the infamous Burning Bones print shop in Houston. I continue to screen print in my studio occasionally though for practical purposes, I’ve been developing an alternative congé print process that uses very little water and minimal equipment.

Creating in the spirit of appropriation and customization popularized by the handmade zines of punk and other counter-culture movements, I draw inspiration from street art, skateboard graphics, post-war pop culture, and political propaganda.

Born and raised in England, my work blends familiar visual references with subversive undertones, employing the distressed textures of print-making and everyday detritus as a metaphor for the decay of the so-called American dream.

Throughout my professional life as a visual artist I have sought out all kinds of opportunities to grow my audience and master my creative skills. As a result I’ve been involved in a diverse selection of art shows and events in Australia and Canada, and across Europe and the USA, in a variety of mediums and themes, including street art, character design, skateboards, graphic design, and T shirts.

Austin, TX – Austin Art Garage
Bryan, TX – The Frame Gallery
Bryan, TX – Vortex
College Station, TX – What’s The Buzz
Waco, TX – Cultivate 7Twelve
Southsea, UK – Corner Collective

Website: BeastSyndicate.com

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

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to create on a daily basis. There are so many rewarding aspects of being an artist, one of the greatest simply being the mental therapy that creativity engenders. Personally, the act of pure creation – when not confined by client or project expectations and obligations – is an incredible process through which to explore my thoughts and emotions, fears and desires.

There’s a sense of well-being that comes from following one’s muse and just seeing where the ‘creation train’ takes you. Maybe it’s because, when immersed in the process, anything’s possible and you’re free from the limitations and stress of everyday life. It may sound silly but I can tell when I’ve not had much opportunity to create freely – often I’ll be feeling a bit cranky and then realize that, over the preceding few days, all my time has been taken up with client projects and/or the minutia of running the studio. Most crankiness and lack of perspective is often remedied by spending a few carefree hours making art in the studio.

Another extremely rewarding aspect of being an artist is the connection other people make with your work. I often use various layers of symbolism and metaphor in my art, and each piece may also have an over-arching theme or message. It’s always intriguing to hear what different people derive from something I’ve created, and also what specifically attracts them to a piece. Sometimes they even see additional narratives that I hadn’t conceived of – I find this fascinating and get to see my work from a whole new perspective.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Most of my work has at least some level of messaging within it. Often I’ll hide small so-called Easter eggs in my art as a method of adding deeper meaning to a piece. A founding principle of Beast Syndicate has always been to abandon stereotypes, question authority, and respond critically to the culture around us. Recently we encapsulated this ethos in brand mantra: Whoever you are, whatever you do, Be a Serious Threat! (BE A S. T.) It’s not about being contrarian, nor is it a call to be violent. Simply, now, more than ever, we all need to ask questions and challenge the status quo. Fake news, prejudice, climate change, inequality…. there is a growing list of important issues I believe we need to address as a society.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.BeastSyndicate.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beastsyndicate
• Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/beastsyndicate
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beastsyndicate
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/beastsyndicate
• Other: Austin Art Garage: https://austinartgarage.com What’s The Buzz: https://www.whatsthebuzzcoffee.com Corner Collective: https://thecornercollective.com

Image Credits
Photo captions and credits Bright Future (Bear) HTX mural, downtown Houston, TX Photo Credit: Morris Malakoff / WindowWorks Live Paste Up for Amazon Prime Air, downtown Bryan, TX Photo Credit: Alex Garza / Amazon Prime Air Better Betty congé prints Photo Credit: Alex Garza / Garza Photo+Design What’s The Buzz Coffee mural, College Station, TX Photo Credit: Alex Garza / Garza Photo+Design Death & Texas limited edition screen print Photo Credit: Beast Syndicate