We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joe Ray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I’m very happy to be an artist now. I think the funny thing is that I made that part of me secondary for so long. For the past few decades I’ve focused on being a design/marketing creative and not an artist. I’m not sure if that makes sense but I think I was so focused on the commercial side of art that I didn’t see my personal artist side as being as important. I’ve had “regular” jobs, but I was also first and foremost a business owner, running a creative business. Now I’m focusing my job on me as an artist.

Since that has changed, I’ve made peace with it. I’ve gotten out of my own way. So, yeah, it feels damn good. I’m happy to be an artist.

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

I like to identify as a creative entrepreneur. I’m primarily a visual artist, I’m a painter, printmaker, and sculptor. I also enjoy the art of storytelling, it intersects nicely with my visuals.

My art has focused mainly on Corazones (hearts), Angels, Sirenas (Mermaids), and Masked Mexican Luchadores (Wrestlers). All are icons and elements I’m passionate about. Each of those are bold and vibrant, especially the Corazones. The Angels are healers, and my Sirenas are voluptuous desert creatures who love to drink wine, sing, and hold a man’s heart in one hand while they hold a glass of vino in the other hand. And the Luchadores are action oriented pounders who get physical but don’t take life too serious.

In addition to doing my art, I’ve recently began teaching. I see that as the next phase of my career as well. I’ve taught workshops before but now I’m pursuing it in a much more serious manner. I found that I gain inspiration from teaching art and I want to focus on teaching older adults in residential communities, and also teach therapeutic art. I know that I can inspire while teaching individuals who have a story and want to learn. I enjoy teaching Mano-A-Mono classes. This is where I teach monoprinting with the use of stencils and textures. I’m a non-traditionalist and those I teach enjoy it; it’s a good way for them to get out of their comfort zone. Plus, I learn as well as get inspired. It’s a win-win for all.

I think people who are interested in learning a new art form or want to incorporate art into what they practice can greatly benefit from a collaboration with me.

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

To me, it is about discussing a piece of work with someone when they’ve come over to me and state that certain pieces resonated with them on a visceral or intuitive level. It can be very immediate and emotional (visceral) or subconscious and subtle (intuitive). You can see that they’ve connected with the piece. I’ve connected with them through that piece. Sometimes it’s something that they can’t readily describe but they make their point. That is what I enjoy the most, I’ve connected with them on more than a surface level, we understand each other.

I think art does that very well. The art can be visual, music, written or spoken word, performance, or what may appear to be a mere object. Suddenly, there’s a backstory which has been revealed to the viewer, and they’ve become engaged.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think the bottom line for me is creating. The recently termed “creative economy” is something that I feel very much a part of. I’m not designing or creating a digital (or analog) solution for something. I’m creating. And that feels good. You could say that creating is my mission.

Right now, what’s driving my journey is teaching. I’m teaching art in a therapeutic manner to neurodiverse adults and older adults. I find this inspiring and eager to see where it will take my personal work (colors, imagery, concepts, etc.) in the next couple of years. With older adults, I want to inspire them to create by expressing themselves, this goes beyond the “arts and crafts” classes they may encounter during their weekly schedules. I want to inspire and be inspired, and I think teaching is a fantastic way to help by inspiring.

Contact Info:

• Website: joeray.com
• Instagram: @joeraycr8iv
• Facebook: Joe Ray
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/joeraycr8iv
• Twitter: @JoeRayCr8iv
• Youtube: @joeray2579