We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Teague Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Teague thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

My interest in practical effects at a very young age sparked my interest in the possibility of having a professional career in the arts. Inspired by the magic of movies, specifically horror movies like “The Toxic Avenger”, “The Fly”, “The Thing” and also my other favorites “RoboCop” and “2001: A Space Odyssey”, made me feel excited that someone MADE this surreal unreal vision, a reality, and I wanted to be a part of it.

Teague, 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?

Craft
If I had to pick a favorite part of my artistic journey it would have to be the freedom of the act of painting – moving color and line across a plane just seems to be so much fun. Moving paint and lines around to form a functional work that translates into action upon the reader.

Business
I have found myself having a lot of fun going around the world to different art fairs, selling my work. I have shown in Sydney, Australia, Paris, France, Jersey City, N.Y.C, Dallas, Savannah, and other cool places. Art fairs are fun, and challenging. I usually can fit my entire booth into a large suitcase. to travel with a small body of work to set up a booth can be a gamble and i dont always win, but art fairs are a great way to network and connect new emerging artists, peers!

Work I provide

it took me a while to define what i was trying to accomplish, but at this point, i feel like i have developed a way to communicate to unwanted, unfavored weary souls. I have always wanted to reach out to people who might have grown up as a misfit like myself. there is something beautiful about being inspirational. i try to find humer in the macabre. sometimes the scariest thing you have ever seen could be the funniest thing that has ever happened to you.

What do I want people to know about my work.

I want my work to provide an outlet for the participant. May it make them happy, sad, or angry. I don’t always work with paint. I also create objects, relics, a set a earings, a ring made of bone, or some sort of cat jungle gym. I am a painter, but i feel like I am a jack of all trades. A painter, poet, jeweler, musician, builder, art handler, craftsman.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I knew I could draw paint, build, and make objects, but I always had trouble with my “voice.” I could understand the technique but I had trouble making it my own, or at least coming to terms with my own pitfalls. Recently i feel like i have put together a recipe. It melds my love of the macabre a passion for color and an overuse of aggressive linework. with this recipe i have been able to forget to remember and only work the way that i feel is necessary to accomplish my goals. i feel like i have found a way to communicate in my own language.

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

sometimes its hard to understand how much failure goes into success. in my work i struggle with the concept of “perfect”. I have done it over, and over ,gone over ,done it again, than did it two more times. then i might be close to perfect. I let my mistakes shine proudly in my work. its fun to work with the concept of “How’d they do that?”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Teagueteague.com
• Instagram: @TEAGUETEAGUE
• Youtube: @teaguestomp
• Soundcloud: @Teague-Smith

Image Credits

Megan Maloy