Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon DeJardin.
When he was fourteen, he founded a clothing brand with his brother. They started by uploading scans of DeJardin’s work and selling it to friends, but eventually their clothes were selling in premium labels and stores in 16 countries. When he moved to Los Angeles for college, he focused on neither art nor fashion, instead spending his time studying world religions.
While this may seem like an odd path for an artist, these experiences ended up playing important roles in his art. His first series, entitled “Guardians,” sought to explore and depict the idea of a spiritual guardian without painting itself into a theological corner.
“I wanted to take what I’d learned and put it into art,” he says of his process for Guardians.
Has it been a smooth road?
Honestly, a big part of my story was, like when I was 16 or 17. I went through very intense counseling and therapy for anxiety & depression, I mean really, really intense – I’m talking 3 hours a day, three days a week, for maybe two and a half years.
During that time, it just – I mean you feel like the world is gone. Everything is… out, But that darkness is what forced me to spend the time talking it out, working through that rough period and pulling apart those emotions… and I think that, more than anything else, that’s what enabled me to put myself into the art and develop a voice that speaks to people.
Please tell us more about your art.
I am a self-taught painter and visual artist, my work for now, focuses on a series called Guardians – on entities and forces that protect us, guide us, and challenge us to grow. But often, our real-life ‘guardians’ come in forms we don’t recognize: challenges that force us to learn new skills, losses that teach us emotional resilience, crises that show us our inner strength.
I am most proud of my first solo show in Los Angeles that sold out completely.
I think what sets me apart from others is my narrative. I’m telling my life story through art and pulling on my own inner conflicts, confusions, etc. No one else can tell my story.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like Los Angeles is a great place for my business. I like the constant energy to make something of yourself here. It’s challenging and exciting. It always keeps me thinking. At some point, there will be a move to another city but for now this place is exactly where I need to be as I develop my voice.
I would tell someone starting out to focus on being genuine. It’s hard to be yourself these days and I feel that when you are not living a 100% authentic transparent life, that energy can be felt inside your work…it will turn people away. The world needs more people telling their personal story rather than a manufactured image of what they want their lives to look like.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.devondejardin.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: devondejardin
- Facebook: devondejardin
Image Credit:
Bianca Gerasia; Jason Landon Russ
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