Today we’d like to introduce you to Wolfe Erikson.
Wolfe, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Hey, sure thing, and thanks for asking me to be apart of this. My name is Wolfe, and I’m a queer artist living in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Art has always been a need for me. It’s like a lifeline. I grew up in a very repressed and part of the country, so I used art as an escape, and to connect with who I really was. I’m also sober, which has largely shaped me as a person and my experience with sobriety and substance are common themes in my art.
Now, as an adult, I’m able to create and show work that is as authentically me as I am capable of making at the time.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I’m primarily a visual artist using illustration, photography, and poetry as my mediums. I don’t really want to tell people what to take away when they see my work. Hopefully, they’ll take away what they need. But my main inspiration for creating currently is the idea of addiction. I believe every person alive is an addict coping with life in whatever way they know how: work, sex, drugs, religion, food, exercise, anything can become your drug.
The other piece to my art is identity. I’m just trying to explore what feels most truly authentically me.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
That’s a hard question, and the art puritan in me wants to say a successful artist is someone who can resonate with an audience and challenge thought. But the bills I have stacked on my desk say, go out and get that money.
Right now, I think my idea of a successful artist is someone who is financially thriving making the art they love to make. There’s this creative genius stereotype that in order to make great work you need to be starving or damaged, and asking for money when you deserve it makes you a sellout and cheapens the art. Which is dumb.
For me, the best way to make sure I create successful work is to make sure I’m taking care of myself. Blocks happen when I’m stressed about money, in a downturn with my physical or mental health, or burnt-out. So take care of you first, the art will happen.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I’m on instagram @boy.cried.wolfe
or my website wolfe-erikson.design
Best way to support my work is to connect with me, I’m always looking for creative collaboration and really love meeting new people, so say hey 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: wolfe-erikson.design
- Email: wolfe@wolfe-erikson.design
- Instagram: boy.cried.wolfe
Image Credit:
My personal photo was taken by Frances Florence Tomei and I have permission to use it. All other content is by me.
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
