Art & Life with Alex Diffin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Diffin.

Alex, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve always loved creating – when it came time to pick a college in high school, I had already had a great distaste for school and picked an art school as a compromise to the requirement for higher education and my need to be creative.

But even charcoal and art basics couldn’t make me love school. I like doing things on my own time and of my own volition.

So I quit.

I moved home.

I became a barista.

Making fancy coffee has been infinitely helpful to lay the foundation to my art career. I learned all about customer service through coffee. I learned how to talk to people, remember names. Up-sell, and be generally personable to a complete stranger.

Then, in 2014, my mom had a medical incident. A burst aneurysm and a very severe stroke following close on its heels. We use the terminology that she was “wiped clean” as she had to relearn most things after that. I was still living with her at the time and was the only family in close proximity by quite a distance. I was 22 and became the designated adult, inheriting responsibility for an adult human life and all the things that come with it. I had to make a lot of very scary decisions very quickly that changed me drastically.

It became apparent she wasn’t going to return to her old self, and if by a miracle she did, it wouldn’t be for a long time. I certainly wasn’t making enough as a part time barista to manage the astronomical rent where we were currently living.

So I buckled down a started my art career – I had dabbled in one art show before all this and I figured I could get something going by the time we were “out of money”; and I did. I kicked ass because I had to. And honestly, I don’t know if I would be where I am had I not had to jump in with both feet. When failure is not an option the approach is different.

She is ok now and things have balanced out. Things are steady, so I have the time to re-think my work structure, as working full speed and not thinking for so long had me at a wall. I couldn’t surpass a certain level of success. I’ve decided I want to change directions in art slightly, so using everything I know I’m trying to work smarter, not harder. Decrease the physical labor of shows and events so I can increase the quality of my work and grow a larger supportive base; reach more people.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I paint!

I paint people and places, and recently I’ve started returning to my surrealist roots. I frequent the imagery of eyes, mouths, birds and skulls.

I love spray paint and acrylic paint, they dry fast and allow for quick work. I’m not always ‘inspired’ when I paint; but if I am, I’m very impatient and need ideas out pronto. Sometimes working in a fugue state on multiple pieces at a time.

Each painting series is created with a different intention – so what the viewer takes away will be varied. Some of my favorite themes are freedom, femininity, emptiness, bliss, and ambivalence. I draw from my own emotions and relationships I have with others to make something hopefully relatable.

I paint because I love painting. And if I’m lucky, other people enjoy it too. There’s something beautiful about the symbiosis between a creator and people who enjoy the work.

Having a career that makes not only you, but other people happy is invaluable to me.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
– Failure is your friend –

I have made new goals for myself each year about what I want to accomplish in my career – and have met them all. Honestly even in meeting my goals – frequently the outcome fell flat from my expectations of what it would bring me. A success in eventual accomplishment and failure of outcome. With each successful tumble and misstep I’ve taken, I have changed course to something slightly better and closer to where I want to be. But, there is no way I would’ve known all that had I not racked up the experience and disappointment.

There isn’t a road map on the creative path, just a lot of hard work. What works for someone else may not work for you. You can read all the books and take all the classes, but until you start putting things into action, putting your work in front of people, experiencing it all first hand: there is no way to know what will work for you as an individual. A lot of finding out what works; unfortunately, is being fluent in what doesn’t work.

The only real failure is giving up entirely.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am pretty active on Instagram with work, progress images, and event info.

I also have a website with most of my big projects on it. If anyone wanted to purchase a piece I have a place for that on my website or they can contact me directly.

Occasionally I will do an art show and I’ll advertise that on my platforms so if you ever wanted to see me in person and say hello – that would be something to keep an eye out for!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alexdiffin.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: alex_diffin
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraDiffin/

Image Credit:
Chelsea Mayer, Alex Diffin

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