Rising Stars: Meet Viridian Van Buskirk of Los Angeles County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Viridian Van Buskirk.

Hi Viridian, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I always find the task of describing my story as a rather daunting one. I get a bit lost in explaining all the twists, turns, and crashes that my life has had thus far (who’s hasn’t?) that I struggle a bit to pinpoint exactly where it all truly “started.”

Essentially, I have always been an artist; a general creative, more broadly speaking. I had my head in the clouds quite often as a child due in equal parts to escape a rather stressful life as well as from a desire to better relate to and understand the world around me. In the confused, frustrated state that I found myself in, I turned to making my own little worlds that I could find solace in among the turbulence of day-to-day life. Every facet of my life became a canvas. Margins of notebooks, homework, walls, desks, textbooks; this was how I reclaimed the confusing world I found myself in.

As I got older, my form of escapism matured into a real passion for creating. It wasn’t just about me and how I expressed myself, but how I could reach other people as well. I found I got the best reactions from people by making them laugh, and so I continued to do so ! To this day I enjoy making comics, caricatures, and even little doodles of the people around me all in the hopes that I can at least get a little smile from them.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road has had more than its fair share of bumps and potholes to this point. Housing instability, financial issues, interpersonal struggles; these are all issues that affect me and countless other people from all walks of life all over the world. While I certainly wish my road had been easier, I recognize that it has made me into who I am today- for better or worse !

A major struggle in my life thus far has been that of mental health. Even as a small child I dealt with rather severe anxiety from both my surroundings as well as a history of such issues running in my family. At the age of fourteen, I was formally diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder following a rather harrowing mental health crisis that turned my life upside down for a few months. While I was glad to finally have a name for what I’d been going through, that was really only ever the tip of the iceberg.

I was, and still am, rarely ever fully relaxed. It’s taken having a wonderful support system of friends and family to help navigate through this rough terrain, and some days are still rather hard to get through. Still; I’ve gotten this far, I intend to keep going !

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a freelance illustrator at the moment. From comics to illustrations to clothing design, my job is to create visuals that not only catch the eye, but keep its attention.

My work focuses heavily on rather geometric shape language and vibrant colors that are inspired by folk and pop art. Having always been a chronic doodler, littering any and all surfaces with little illustrations, I carried this geometric, folksy style into my more professional work as well. I enjoy creating flat pieces that are given visual depth through colors and patterns, similar to cave paintings and other ancient arty styles.

I believe what sets me apart as an artist is, as mentioned before, my more “doodle-y” style. I rarely work in exact realism, choosing instead to invoke how a visual feels rather than how it looks one-for-one. As someone who often struggles with explaining myself, I let my art do a lot of the talking. As of now, it’s thankfully worked pretty well !

How do you think about happiness?
I am rather shy. It can be nerve-wracking for me to strike up conversations and I’m not one to speak up without a great amount of effort. Sometimes still, I founder in social situations just from the anxiety of talking to someone I don’t know.

That being said; people make me happy !

I have been very luck in my life to have found a tight-knit group of people who I can really be myself around without worry. I’m not the kind of person who can tolerate being alone all the time. I’m always on the phone with friends, joking around with my mom, or hyping myself up to reach out to peers and acquaintances. Even as an illustrator, a career that usually involves long stretches of working on a piece alone, my end goal is to create something that can reach other people.

Even though it still takes all of my courage, I can’t not love socializing. Though I may stutter through a hello, or panic through an awkward lull in conversation, I’m always beaming on the inside when I talk to anyone at all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://viribuskirk.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viribuskirk/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viridian-van-buskirk-9b96402b0/

Image Credits
Viridian Van Buskirk