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

Logan , appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I personally believe that in order to be successful one must have grit. I believe we all come from different walks of life that set us further or closer to the start line in life. There are a number of factors that affect one’s starting position including privilege, talent etc. One thing that everyone individually is in control of though, is their work ethic and their belief in themselves. I had a teacher, Elana Hagler, once tell me, “The most important tool in becoming a successful artist is grit.” This really stuck with me and changed my perspective a lot because it truly opens up the world to all possibilities. Raw talent with no practice will never compare to the person who dedicates their life day in and day out to their craft. I firmly feel now that whatever challenge I want to take on in my life whether it be creatively or not, I will be capable of because I am driven and once my mind is set on doing something, I follow through with it. The most successful people I know in life for the most part have this same grit to them and I really respect hard work in others. Surrounding oneself with hard workers and constantly being open to learning from others are definitely other important things to keep in mind.

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 am a multidisciplinary artist in my senior year of my Studio Arts BA at Long Beach State University. Originally I worked primarily in painting on canvas, but since beginning my college journey I have ventured into three dimensional sculpture work. I enjoy creating systems in my work whether it be 2 or 3d using repeating forms, overlapping textures and colors and a lot of abstraction. I am often inspired by mycelium and fungus in the systems and I use natural, organic patterns to guide a lot of my work. I enjoy using a variety of materials including ceramic, wood, 3D printed filament, found object, oil paint and various goos and slimes. There is often a collage like element to my works through these explorations of texture and form.

I also work in the monster making world as an sfx artist and creature designer. I hope to make monsters of various sorts for movies, music videos, photosets and more. I have experience in prosthetic application as well as sculpting and casting my own prosthetics. I am fascinated in fantasy and sci fi and hope to make monsters that call upon creatures like zombies, aliens, robots and fairies. I am currently learning how to bring electronic and mechanical elements to my monsters.

I am very interested in the natural world and our perceptions of it. I enjoy the ways in which organic and inorganic materials interact with eachother and break down over time. I am also interested in the worlds we cannot see and how to bring them to life visually. I hope to develop artwork both digitally and through installation that allow people to be transported into a world in which they cannot currently comprehend. I also feel that it’s important to remain sustainable and ethical through my art practice and aim to use recycled materials in my physical work.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I feel like in our capitalistic society, everyone has this intense pressure to have a plan and find a job that makes a lot of money and has long term stability. For me I kind of have this understanding that my life probably won’t look like that. My goal is to build a number of skills that can be applied in various places in the art world and then apply myself. I don’t mind jumping from place to place or trying different jobs in the creative industry because I know that I will feel good getting to be working in a creative space of any kind. I have always bee told to “open as many doors for myself as possible” and one of them will lead to something that will work. For all my non creative friends out there or even people just without a plan, I would say to find some things you actually enjoy doing and look into jobs surrounding that. As long as you are constantly taking positive steps forward in one way or another I think things tend to work out.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

This sounds silly but asking questions. Any relationship you have with someone who knows more than you is an opportunity to learn and grow. Whether it’s a boss, a teacher, a peer, a neighbor or just someone on the street, ASK QUESTIONS. Pick people’s brains and let them know you care about hearing what they have to say. Calling upon your surrounding community members is always a great resource. There is always someone who knows more than you and it’s important to be open to learning and listening. Another important one is looking into public studios, makers spaces, college campuses, Facebook Market place, Offer UP and local library resources in your area. These are all great places to start when looking for accessible tools, information or materials. There are so many ways to get access to affordable tools and materials it just takes a little searching.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/logannwiggins/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/llogannwigginss