We were lucky to catch up with Justin Santora recently and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t have professional aspirations with art until the end of college. In high school and most of college, I was very pessimistic about the prospect of making a living from art. I basically viewed drawing as a party trick or a place to channel nervous energy in class, etc. I ultimately decided to study secondary education and studio art, but it wasn’t until I was student teaching and really not clicking with it that I started plotting an escape route.

When I was 24, I had met a couple of professional artists through a course I was taking during my last year of college, illustrators Jay Ryan and Diana Sudyka. Their work, lifestyles, autonomy, and self reliance really inspired me. They demonstrated a viable path forward as artists, and I wanted to see if I could do that too. Both were involved in making limited edition screen printed posters, and I was really interested in the medium, so I decided to cobble together an extremely modest screen printing setup and teach myself how to print.

Making my own screen prints made it possible to start bringing in a very tiny income from drawing, which pretty quickly snowballed into a full time job.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a degree in studio art and secondary education. Instead of pursuing a career as a teacher, I began working as a freelance illustrator and screen printer like the rich community of rock poster artists in Chicago at the time. I have been producing screen printed posters, art, paintings, and illustrations professionally since 2008.

Much of my work is focused around images of quiet rural or suburban settings, construction, decay, architecture, and large open spaces. My approach is also informed by an interest in environmentalism, animal rights, and a lifelong passion for skateboarding and punk rock. I have exhibited work in various cities in North America, Europe, and Asia and have produced commercial art for Goose Island, AMC, Elton John, Phish, Childish Gambino, Dead and Company, and many more. I currently live in Chicago where I continue to draw and paint in my home studio with my beloved cats Lola and Henry.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I’m really grateful for the autonomy this particular path has afforded me. I wake up every day, feed my cats, make coffee, and then sit down and get to work on any number of things; but perhaps most importantly, I’m completely self managed and get to come and go as I please. Deadlines are structure, as are revisions or client requests, but I have a lot of flexibility and I really appreciate that.

I also like relying on myself and my abilities, and self employment is one of the best arenas for that.

Lastly, when a particular image I made seems to resonate with an audience, it’s very rewarding. I know not everything I make will be an out-of-the-park home run, so it’s nice when I feel like I’ve hit on something.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I’m pretty used to navigating things the way they are, although it’s apparent that the landscape is changing quickly. I think with the rise of AI generated images, it’s important that the public understands the difference between AI imagery and art made by human hands, the way AI sources from existing working artists, and the impact this has on creatives of all kinds. I’m not particularly optimistic about most people making this distinction however.

AI, of course, will have more far reaching and insidious effects as it pertains to our already broken political system and the global rise of right-wing authoritarianism, but the arts are already being affected by it. In many ways, I’m just trying to stay the course and keeping doing what I do. I can’t be paralyzed by fear of the future or I’d never get anything done.

One huge thing people can do if they have the means is support the arts: buy an album, go to a show, buy a print/drawing/painting/sculpture, visit gallery openings, go to a craft fair or art convention, hire an artist or illustrator for your project, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.justinsantora.com
• Instagram: @justinsantora
• Other: https://www.justinsantora.substack.com