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

Hi Johnathan, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Painting came out of a need for expression/exploration. At that point I felt stuck where I was and this was a way for me to break out a bit. Looking back it seems that it all just kind of happened and I went with it. The reality is that I learned through trial and error. Get an idea, try it, fail, and try again. The most beneficial part of this process was that I began to learn a lot about how I operate. How do I achieve that headspace again?

I don’t think that the process could have been sped up only because it was not a skill I was rushing to learn. Most of the time I didn’t have interest in learning traditional techniques and color theory. I just wanted to explore the seemingly random ideas. The “what if I did this instead?” process.

The most essential skill for me in this process was allowing myself to fail. The ability to quite the inner critic and go with whatever thought/feeling came next. The hard part was figuring out when to stop. When is the project done when there is no timeline or plan of what it is supposed to be?

Any obstacles in this process were my own doing. The one that comes to mind most is when I started to think about selling my work. I noticed after a year or so that the focus shifted and the creative process wasn’t the same. Right now I have taken a long break so that I can hopefully reset and return my focus to creating because I enjoy it.

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

I am an abstract painter. I use paint as a way to explore a feeling or a state of flow. My work is mostly in acrylic or oil on canvas but I have done other projects including tables, bike frames, bike parts, helmets, guitars, and other surfaces that can be painted. I really enjoy trying a new challenge…

This started as a hobby for me and then shifted into showing/selling my work. Currently I am in the process of trying to shift my focus again but remain open to opportunity.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

This is a great question but a little tricky in my experience so far. I don’t believe that I understand what my goal or mission in my creative journey is yet (if there is one). Honestly, the closest I can come to an explanation currently is that it is of selfish pursuit. I aim to learn more about myself through the process but there is also a deep desire to be recognized. The validation of others when they say “how did you do that?” is something I didn’t realize I sought after until recently. I am learning that I enjoy giving this feedback to others just as much as receiving it. I guess the goal would be to understand why I create things that have no practical use. Why do we create art?

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I understand the concept of this question but I chose it to point out something that I believe wholeheartedly. I don’t think there is such thing as a “non-creative” person. Everyone has the potential to create. The difference is in whether that creativity is stifled or let out. There is a constant fight between the analytical and creative sides of the brain. We all have that friend or family member that says they can’t draw or paint but there are infinitely many ways to be creative. As I mentioned earlier, a large hurdle in learning was getting past myself, judging my work as I did it (this never actually goes away). We all have the ability to create in our own way so don’t let others tell you if something is “art” or not.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jh-art.squarespace.com