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

Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I used to wish that I had started sooner, that perhaps if I had, my ‘career’ would be further along than it is. Lately though, that thought has shifted, and seeing where I’m at now and the path I see before me, I realize that everything needs to just happen in it’s own time. I had always been drawn to art as a kid, and although it wasn’t something that I nurtured (at first), I realized one day that It was the one constant in my life – so for me it didn’t really matter ‘when’ I started, because it was the one thing I was going to do for the rest of my life anyway. In each phase of my art, and this is definitely true today, I was exactly where I needed to be, when I needed to be there.

Ryan, 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?

The best way to categorize myself, is to call myself a mixed media pop culture artist. Although I did not have a glamourous childhood, I was lucky enough to be immersed in a world of comics and pop culture. My dad would often buy me gas station comic books, and my stepfather was a connoisseur of great 80s films. That, combined with the blessing of being born in the 90’s, I was basically destined to become the artist I am today. Everything was an influence on me, and I never knew it. I think the genuine appreciation and love I have for the things I cherished as a child, that I now incorporate into my art, is the thing that most separates me from other artists. I get a sense that people can tell how much it means to me, and whether its a purchase they make from me or a conversation we have about a piece, we share thins brief connection over moments in our life that impacted us in a beautiful way. I am most proud of the consistency I’ve had. It is no easy task creating your own style, branding yourself, making connections or creating pieces that do more than just sell. I made a deal with myself when I first took art seriously, and that I would concentrate on 3 things – inspiring others, encouraging others and being able to provide for those closest to me. I do my best to stick to these principles, and so far it’s been the sail that guides the ship over the waves of my life.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Next to modern day politics, NFTs are probably the biggest scam of the century. I know many may disagree with me, but it is what it is. What may have started out as a unique idea, has now unfortunately been saturated by greed…it’s just the way it happens for somethings. In the end, nothing compares to a crisp, clean piece of paper with some gorgeous ink and color covering it from corner to corner. Support your local artists that way…have them sign it…frame it up and hang it. Nothing beats that.

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

I’m going to go against the norm here, and shoot straight – stop calling anything anyone does ”art”. While I understand the idea behind it, it has since been lost and categorizing whatever as ”art” takes away from the true value that creatives are trying to bring into the world. Any real artist, should be able to walk into any modern museum and see exactly what I’m talking about. A chair with a rotary phone glued to the seat is not art. I know there will be some that disagree, but I have seem some really great artists get overlooked because they dont fit the politics of the modern art scene. If you’re not really putting YOU into each piece of art, can you really call it art? Commissioning artists for work will also help them. If I had not had so many believers in my work commission me for some challenging pieces, I dont think I would have ever pushed myself to the next level and grown in my skill. Advertising for artists also helps. A social media shoutout could help them meet their next project or client and it costs you nothing to do it. The world needs them…lets keep them going.

Contact Info:

• Website: ryanbeserraart.com
• Instagram: ryandavidbeserra
• Other: instagram.com/bigdillstudios instagram.com/asteroidcoffeeco