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

Willie, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

In many ways, I regret that I did not begin pursuing an art career a lot sooner.

I’ve wanted to be a digital artist since my early teens. I enjoyed the freedom and felt kind of like I lived in a dream. There was so much inspiration in all forms of media and entertainment that it seemed to just be non-stop. Somehow it felt like the right moment for me to grow into a young adult and witness the brilliance.

Break-out moments I loved then were the Rhythm Nation album, The Arsenio Hall Show, Def Comedy Jam, Ninja Scroll, and much more on up to The Matrix, Scary Movie, Stankonia, Cowboy Bebop, etc. Some of the best times to come and go.

I also was big into escapism through video games and their evolution. There were so many great memories and experiences with many games. I was also heavily inspired by the branding and styles of a few noteworthy studios.

My outlet for my art came in the form of recording works mostly from Mario Paint and Fun ‘N Games, and I often tried to mimic pop culture ideas I loved so much.

Anyway, much of the inspirations felt like they weren’t poppin and had disappeared after a while. I also quit trying to do art as I really didn’t share much of my passion with anyone except people closest to me, I felt that the standards may be too high to pursue and I didn’t have the talent or will to invest in it.

Looking back now, that was probably the biggest letdown that I did to myself. It should have been a great time to learn,, adapt, improve, and grow. Computers and mobile devices made everything so accessible very fast and smart adapters were able to gain from the opportunities and have a rise of independence that seemed unheard of before. I think that I’d have loved to have been there then too.

Willie, 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 wish I could say that everything went to plan and I had professional training and experience in the field to help me along. I probably could have made some decisions that could have led me to be in a more ideal spot earlier, but sometimes you still have to learn to do what makes you happy and what gifts you may possess that leave you feeling empty when you hold back.

My inner voice was telling me to get back on the horse during the last decade. I finally decided to go with it when hitting an emotional low. I made up my mind that I would invest in tools and educate myself on what digital artists and content creators do to start a career and be successful in this age and I had the drive and support to go into it.

I strive to provide style and entertainment to people as I have always been most appreciative of. I share a lot of similar interests and find inspiration from many other artists, but we all have our personal styles and types of content we make. I hope to be a brand to make people feel welcome and taken in while bringing enjoyment when yearning for it.

I use the brand name Crude Arts and have a YouTube and an Instagram Channel with showcases of my work.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The mission is to tell stories and build a large portfolio of works that add to the brand while gaining brand and financial success which helps it to grow.

The way I want to achieve this is by developing various content which helps to build a reputation and base that contributes in return by encouraging me to create more and bigger projects.

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

NFTs seem very interesting and seem to have value if handled carefully. I like the idea that it can add more value to an item for someone who really values and has an interest in having exclusive rights to it. The verification of the ownership can be valuable as well.

However, I have not personally invested in any. Still, I may consider investing at some point and applying it to my business model.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.crudearts.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/crude.arts
• Facebook: facebook.com/crudearts
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/crudearts25
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6sZfUIiIMZ8RIeW7pdKU_g