Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Law Blank. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Law thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Happiness as an artist is one of the most dynamic and variable states of existence known to humans! It’s truly a moment-to-moment evaluation, at least until you hit a certain level of maturity. For me, I didn’t find that maturity as an artist until my early 40s.

The insidious reality of being an artist is that you’re only as good as your last painting, show, or sale. Then come the expectations to create something even more fantastic, profound, or commercially and artistically viable. It’s a lot of self-imposed pressure and a mountain of external pressures—real or imagined—that weigh heavily on every creative out there.

For me, finding balance through other interests has been essential for growth and managing my creative expectations. That balance has allowed me to settle into what I can only describe as a perpetual state of bliss as an artist. That’s not to say there aren’t challenges—they’re just more logistical or financial. But the creative drive and output? Pure magic… from this 56-year-old artist’s perspective.

The other interests I’ve pursued are related to art but not solely about creating it. Over the past decade, I’ve discovered a passion for woodworking. Mind you, I’m not particularly good at it—but I’m improving with every project. These skills have helped me remodel my home and studio, and woodworking has recently become a more central element of my artwork. My “shop time,” as I like to call it, creates a buffer that lets me step away from physically creating art and focus my thoughts on the what, when, and why of the art I want to make. That mental pullback is a necessary meditation that builds vision, purpose, and cohesive plans—things that would be harder to achieve in the beautiful grind of constant work.

Over the years, I’ve taken full-time jobs, started my own consulting business, and done contract work to pay the bills. Each of these opportunities has helped me refocus on my art and learn how to be more efficient and effective as an artist. When your time to create is limited, you approach it with a fervor and drive that can produce incredible volumes of work in short bursts.

The advice I give to younger artists is this: Find your happiness in the work itself. And if you have to take on other wage-earning activities, never see that as a failure. The artist who works 40 hours a week and still finds time to paint another 40 is fighting even harder and at a greater cost to create. That commitment is its own kind of success.

Law, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Law Blank. Law is short for Lawrence, which is infinitely too stuffy for what I do. I have been creating art for 39 years. My vast career has been a non-linear fever dream of starts and stops, all culminating into my current approach to art…create first, ask questions later. Not to sound flip, but I find such joy in the creating, experimenting, pondering, problem-solving, and submission, that I can’t help but think that it must be a crime that everyone doesn’t feel this way.

My process is very fluid and generally explores themes of identity, cultural investigations, and the migration of humans into the next phase of evolution presented in a contemporary/pop style. I utilize mixed-media and unconventional materials, such as glitter, resin, LED lights, to enhance the viewers experience. There are always layers, both physically and contextually. I aspire to infuse truth, irreverence, and humor into my work and make no apologies for the methods I must employ to manifest this.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Artists are always told to be consistent, create work that when someone looks at it, they know it is yours. I appreciate this from a business perspective, but learned, very quickly, it can potentially suck all the life and energy out of your work. For me, the process of moving from series to series can be fractured. Meaning, while producing one body of work there is a need to pivot, or create, a new series of work. Sure, this can be attributed to my ADHD, but it is actually a key method for both growth as an artist, but to continue to create new techniques, or utilize new materials. Ultimately, all these pivots weave their way back into previous series and make them stronger for the time apart and reflection. Never constrain your growth, even if it feels like you have abandoned some particular work, it all comes together in the end.

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

My short answer for this is to educate the public that social media and viewing art on devices is the absolute worst way to experience the work. Get out to galleries, events, studio tours, demonstrations. Art can be entertaining, but it is not entertainment. Trends on social media make it feel like if you don’t have a gimmick, or tons of followers, you are just not a good artist. Rubbish.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lawblank.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawblank/

Image Credits

Pat Graziosi, Photographer
Jim Barry, Photographer
Rachel Coleman, Collaborator