We recently connected with Jimmy Houston and have shared our conversation below.

Jimmy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

As a child, I would lie on the travertine tile in the hall and draw enormous worlds with crayons on butcher paper. I scribbled out epic stories of my imagination, making little wax marks until the paper was filled. I never thought I’d be creating art as a living. I didn’t know that was something attainable. By the time I was in high school I was devouring anything art or film related. I was making stop-motion videos with clay. I was creating with any medium I could get my hands on in art class. I was drawing all over my school notes. I was invited once into the principal’s office for something strange I had doodled on a less-than-satisfactory chemistry exam.

​Artists were inaccessible myths whose work hung in museums and whose personal lives seemed exciting and tumultuous. Being an artist for a living was never presented as a reality. It wasn’t on my radar. Although I’ve always had a deep need to create images, making a career of it was neither an epiphany nor stroke of luck. I enjoyed film making and animation just as much as creating fine art. By the time college presented itself, I chose film as the more reasonable pursuit. Film school was incredible. My storytelling and creativity thrived. Realities of the film industry outside my education were a different story. All the while, I made art. I made art for myself. My style began to emerge and my skills improved.

​My career as an artist started by taking small risks, leaps of faith, putting one foot in front of the other. I made early attempts at entrepreneurship. I worked for several years for a company that specialized in murals for high-end homes. Meanwhile, I kept developing my own artistic style. Just like bands often start by playing gigs in honky-tonks and bars, I pursued my share of “pay-for-a-wall” art shows. They helped me develop the skills I needed to speak about my art and hone my craft. They introduced me to several galleries with whom I learned more about the business of art promotion. Momentum built. Eventually, I decided to to quit the paint-for-hire mural business and depend on others to market my pieces. Uncharted waters for me. No guarantees and a bit scary.

​My creative career has been an exciting, challenging ebb and flow of adaptation and re-creation. Once I noticed my work was making connections with an audience, with people besides my friends and family, I began to realize my calling. It was something inside me, a God-given purpose that had always been there. I can’t help but create. Given more support than I can express thanksgiving for, to lasting lessons from the business school of hard-knocks, to a relentless drive to “make this work,” and to providence, I remain on an amazing journey of growth and adventure.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a husband, a father, a native Houstonian, a storyteller and an artist. Over the last decade, I’ve developed a painted menagerié of retro-animation characters. My twin ape brothers, Rig and Rex, the tin man, Apollos, and the tough girl, East, may each reflect an endless range of human emotions. Although the characters are often the focus, the backgrounds I create play significant roles. Multiple layers of visual mystery are hidden in each background and tell their own stories. I use a myriad of materials to create my works, typically on canvas, commonly overlain with acrylics, fabric, found newspaper or magazine images, graphite and oil pastels to name a few. Each cut of fabric, every brushstroke and carefully chosen image embellish the message. I’ve had clients return years later, still discovering special visual clues tucked into the backgrounds. My characters and my stories are both personal and universal. It means so much to me when my work connects to viewers and stirs deep feelings. It drives my passion to create new images. They reflect old memories and elicit new perspectives.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

​I am immensely grateful to be able to create art for a living. As I’ve followed the twists and turns of my pursuit, I’ve learned that my greatest reward comes from emotional resonance. I am not only able to portray emotions in a visual and poetic way, I am also taking my viewers on their own personal journeys. This is by far the most challenging and rewarding part of what I do. It is a true joy when a piece of mine speaks to someone’s soul. My work is bold, colorful, meaningful and fun; the very things we all need and appreciate these days.

​I enjoy opportunities to paint commissioned works. It’s an invitation into a personal and often sacred space. Not only are my skills as a fine artist called upon, but often discernment into special, vulnerable, poetic and spiritual places. An important part of my job is to coax, decipher and interpret the hearts, minds and memories of my clients. I am humbled when the use of my characters and the carefully-layered themes in my work lead viewers to laughter or tears. I am grateful when a piece resonates emotionally with a client. I’m encouraged that the creations I bring to the world may serve a greater purpose.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

One book that truly presented an enlightened perspective on what it means to live a purposeful life as a creative is “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. I highly recommend reading and employing the philosophies and daily practices she details. It destroys the stereotypes of what being an artist means and defines very practical and real-life applications. It’s been a resource I return to again and again.

Contact Info:

• Website: jimmyhoustonart.com
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/jimmyhoustonart
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/user/JimmyHoustonArt
• Instagram: https://m.instagram.com/jimmyhoustonart

Image Credits
Jimmy Houston