We were lucky to catch up with Terrance Ism recently and have shared our conversation below.
Terrance , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
You know, it’s interesting; early on I was a graffiti writer and used to sneak out to climb up buildings and paint on trains, but deep down I wanted to be a fine art painter. When it came to painting on canvas, I was pretty horrible at first, but I knew I wanted to be an artist, so I quit my job to dedicate most, if not all, my hours to painting. There were some weeks when I would paint 10 to 12 hours a day, if not more, to get ready for a show. My theory was that if I front-loaded all my hours in my 20s, I could potentially be a master by my 30s lol. A bit naive, but that approach absolutely sped up my progress compared to others I paid attention to but was grueling. The late nights, forgetting to eat, and an angry girlfriend (now wife) were all par for the course. The skills I found to be most essential actually came from my graffiti days, where you couldn’t be satisfied until you got it done right and just the tenacity to be fearless in your execution. My main obstacles were and continue to be finding the balance of what you want to do vs. what you can do in the moment. A new idea can pop into my head as loud as nails on a chalkboard, but that doesn’t always mean I can make it happen in reality, which is the hardest thing as an artist to grapple with. We only have 24 hours in a day, but sheesh, if I had 30, I would have probably changed this whole planet by now haha.
Terrance , 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 believe I’m one of those people who were born to make art or meant to create because I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be or want to practice art in some way. i went to a Performing art school from 6-12th grade where i actually played trombone initially (quite well actually ha) as my main concentration but i was always hanging out with the graffiti kids and skaters in the art room. So in 7th grade, I formally started my mission to become a graffiti writer, and it encompassed my life for a decade after that moment. I would sneak out at 2-3 am by myself in what was considered the most dangerous city in America at that time to climb buildings and sneak into train yards. I ended up getting arrested the summer of my 8th grade year for trespassing in a train yard and having to do 200 hours of community service, and even that didn’t stop me (though I got better at hiding it from my parents). I ended up starting my own graffiti crew and joining a separate, larger gang without anyone in my family knowing in my late teens and early 20s, but that is where I met some of the most creative and fearless artists there are out there.
During that experience, I was also going to school full-time in Philadelphia and waiting tables after having to drop out of The School of Visual Arts in New York City for financial reasons, which was tough because it is considered one of the best art schools in the nation. After some time, I ended up graduating and getting a degree in web design, which I put to use immediately (also won best portfolio and most outstanding achievement at graduation; just putting that out there too, hehe). The same week of graduation, I got my first job working for a large corporate company, which I will leave unnamed, but it was an entry directly into adult life at 22. The job was awesome at first but then became toxic because of a terrible commute and ever-changing conditions in the office, so I began drawing and painting again after quitting my practice to be a “regular guy.”.
Once I began to create again, essentially the whole office began to take notice, and my life changed after I had my first art show and invited the work crew and all my family. The show was a huge success and was surreal because a good Samaritan randomly bought me 10 canvases and brushes while I was at the art store, which even made the show possible in the first place. I knew in that moment that I could quit my job and pursue art as a career. That’s when I put my all into my paintings and basically even used all my time in the office to make ads and flyers, which my bosses actually supported. That year alone (2015), I did 10 art shows and ended up being able to quit my job! I even made it to Miami Art Basel the month after I quit and got the biggest opportunity I had received, which was to create multiple murals for the Philadelphia 76ers.
After all that happened that year, I came back renewed and focused (and needing money) and, in 2016, went on what could be described as a generational MVP NBA championship run, doing shows with colleges and art museums, completing a 60 sq. ft. mural, and my art going viral multiple times, where I began to have a following that was growing. I then started my own company, where I focused on creating murals for events/brands and teaching youth classes across my hometown. All of this was going on an upward trajectory, then the pandemic happened, and my partner (now wife) and I somewhat lost everything and moved to a new region. Since that time, I have had 2 children and returned to my practice with great success! Recently completing 2 of my biggest projects yet, though I am taking the winter to be with family, I look forward to crafting up new and invigorating pieces as I get myself back in shape creatively, so to speak. I want readers to know that anything great in your mind is possible through visualization, dedication, and hard work tailored to your vision! That the biggest piece to take out of this, I think, is that dreams can, in fact, be real.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Along my journey, I definitely had my fair share of obstacles, and as I plan to outline in the next question below, the journey of being an artist can be very draining at times, and there’s a lot of invisible forces in the world working against you. From the lack of resources to jealousy in the atmosphere of some of the people in your life and even my style being stolen. All types of things come up that you didn’t expect because you couldn’t have known stuff could and would affect people in different ways. Some stuff can change you and start to leave you saddened, but every person who has done something significant will most likely tell you the same thing. Still something that I have to be aware of, but the pressure of having to please everyone subsides with each passing minute, and with that, freedom can arise. The resilient part is to. wake up, take a deep breath, and get up, not having any idea where your life is going because the decision is solely yours. To continue to charter your course with nothing but your passion and character as your compass is what makes an entrepreneur or artist who they are.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
The weird thing I ran into was folks thinking I was happy, in a good mood, or accessible all the time. Before I moved, I was somewhat of a big organizer and resource creatively for my community, and the pressure to show up and provide inspiration for everyone at the cost of my own time and well-being began to wear on me. There was a point where I lost weight and started to actually represent what a starving artist looked like, and I had had enough. There are these misunderstandings and small spaces for people to process what you are when you’re an artist, and many times people revert to concepts they have seen in the media when interacting with artists. Some of this kind of thinking, akin to believing artists are aloof and unfocused or sage-like, can hinder business relationships even if it is strictly perception-based. You can quadruple this effect when being a Black artist, which just makes you want to pack it all up, throw it in a fire, and forget you ever created anything that took you on the journey in the first place. Sounds extreme, but I believe artists in this current society are fighting daily for their mental health and stability even after success and largely not speaking on it out of fear of what people will think.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vibepro.co
- Instagram: @terranceism
