We recently connected with Tanner Schmidt and have shared our conversation below.

Tanner, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Constantly learning & being able to express myself is what allows me to feel free and empowered. Although still working a “regular job” I always find time to satisfy my curiosity & explore new paths of creativity. I think that everyone should have creative outlets to let themselves free and explore skills they never knew they had. I’m still transitioning to a full-time creative artist I guess you could say and have become more and more motivated to move away from the conventional lifestyle of working a 9-5 and even living In one place. For me, the excitement and inspiration come from adventure to new places & people, which I intend to pursue after my lease here in San Diego ends. Without confinement & expenses, unlimited travel potential and creative pursuit come into the picture which is my ongoing pursuit at the moment!

Tanner, 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 was always into clothing and buying mostly second-hand pieces from thrift & consignment stores. With an overload of denim jeans of an assortment of sizes, I began experimenting with bleach and dye posting my creations on Depop & Instagram. Over time I built an organic following from people who were actually ordering these one of one-pieces from different parts of the world which was amazing to me at the time and still is to this day. I tampered with some hand-painted designs which have also become one of the brand’s staples and still turn heads wherever I go. I love reaching out to people who inspire me with their style and offering to make them a custom pair just for fun and hopefully others will take notice! I have worked with a few people for styling gigs & agency showrooms but I would love to do more popups around Europe and collab with people on new projects. Garment dying has always been fun from the get-go and I will likely continue to do it for the rest of my life! I also would love to expand and take on new ventures as well!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think the most important thing is to create spaces and resources for people to share and learn together. Many design schools are expensive and prohibit people from exploring their interests at a younger age. Also having creative electives in middle/high school is essential to keep people creating and focused on exploring themselves. With all of the social media today, it is so easy to learn and get inspiration on your own but also can be a bit overwhelming and hard to avoid comparison to others. But with Tiktok, Pinterest, Instagram and so on it has become a more decentralized industry for artists to emerge without an agency or corp backing them. I think that companies should keep collaborating with smaller artists to shine some light on them and throw events with workshops to keep people involved as much as possible.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Finding your niche within an industry or art form and developing inspiration within your own work. It gives a feeling of relief and after coming a long way it’s finally paying off. Being able to identify your work among the masses and stand out is special and gives you a sense of individuality. People who are able to identify and respect your art from different perspectives and places around the world is always a pleasing aspect especially when it comes from someone in a similar industry or medium. It instills fresh motivation and gratification to continue creating & indulge deeper into your practice. Having the privilege to connect with other like minded people in all different mediums is really the most reward aspect because you can bounce ideas off each other and develop inspiration so easily even if it’s between two separate industries.

Contact Info:

• Website: 1960Climax.com
• Instagram: @1960climax
• Other: pinterest: 1960climax