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

Hi Stijn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I always liked drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. When I was little I looked up to my dad because he had a big map with old drawings from when he was younger. They were really good. Unfortunately he stopped walking the creative path a long time ago but knowing what he was capable of motivated me a lot. So i have a pretty long history with art but making it a career and understanding what that meant started when I studied at the royal academy in Antwerp. I started exhibiting and selling when I was in my 3rd year and suddenly it became real in a way. I saved money to rent a studio for when I would graduate so I could continue painting.

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 always had a lot of imagination. I think that is why I liked drawing and painting when I was only a little boy. Being able to visualize what was in my head amuzed me more than anything else. I always liked to entertain my friends and family by making jokes or doing stupid senseless things and being an introvert makes art the perfect way to express myself.

My parents supported me from the start and so i began my education in visual arts when I was 13 in high school.

I had a really great teacher there that thought me a lot. He made us think about everything and thought us the basics of every art discipline to help decide wich road to take.

I graduated in painting at the royal academy of Antwerp in 2010 and developed my style trough the years. Humor and imagination are an important part of me and my work. Humor functions both as entertainment and therapy. Old nostalgic elements from comics and cartoons started to appear more and more and the past year I felt limited to tell a story in only 1 image. That is why I decided to experiment with multiple frames in 1 painting and thus expanding the story like in a comicbook.

A major factor in my career and life has been my wife. We met at the academy and our passion for painting is a big part of our lives. We share a studio for many years now and we rent each other’s eyes when needed. Talking about art and painting is almost an everyday thing for us. I am really happy and grateful for this ongoing journey.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Absolute freedom!

Each time I enter the studio I feel like a director in a timeless safe zone. I am in full controle to do whatever I want. Even the choice of adding coincidence during the process and allowing myself to make a lot of mistakes is part of the freedom.

I use humor as a source of inspiration, so that is how a wide variety of subject appear and because of that I experience a lot of freedom in my work.

I’m always hyper focused when i’m painting and in a way that makes me untouchable. No worries, no stress just pure focus. Even when I struggle sometimes, wich is part of the process, i always feel satisfied because I enjoy the neverending challenge. I feel like this is the essence of painting.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Well, I gratuated in 2010 and back then I didn’t even had a smartphone yet. The artscene in my experience was totally different at that time. I was never a fan of social media so I turned away from it until a friend of mine explained me about Instagram and how it could benefit my artwork and career. So after a while I did make a profile and started promoting my work. Now almost all of my highlights from the last few years are because of Instagram. So obviously I wish I started Instagram way earlier in my career instead of staying local in Antwerp.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stijnbastianen.be/
• Instagram: Stijnbastianen
• Other: https://www.artsy.net/artist/stijn-bastianen