Meet Evenstarr Long of Los Alamitos High School in Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Evenstarr Long.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Evenstarr. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I guess my love for the arts started in my mom’s sewing room with an Ed Emberley drawing book, kind encouragement, a thousand doodles and the sound of my mom’s sewing machine. In so many little ways, it never really stopped from there. I halfway joke with my students that I always took six periods of art when I was in school because I drew in every period I had.

Often, would draw some more once I got home. For me, making good art is mostly about hours and hours of work. If you’re lucky, like I was, there are people that encourage you along the way.

When I was in high school, I don’t remember having very inspiring art teachers. They didn’t really challenge me, nor did they ever seem to make anything. As far as I was concerned they just were just babysitters with art supplies; the few supplies they gave us. I’m probably not giving them enough credit for their craft, teen angst and all that, but I wasn’t the only one that felt it. While my love of making never died, I watched as many of my friends’ passion for the arts withered under these teachers. It was like watching them die a little.

It really wasn’t until college did I realize what had happened. The reason was that I finally had teachers that cared about teaching but also cared about their craft. All of them were artist first and teachers second. With that amount of passion, I couldn’t help but feel invigorated and a little cheated. That’s when I really decided to become an art teacher. I realized that I wanted to help all the young artist that were exactly like my friends. I didn’t want to watch the love of making wither up in anyone else.

Currently, I work at Los Alamitos High School, where I teach Digital Art, Drawing & Painting, AP Studio, AP Art History and run the Art Club. People are usually surprised to see how quiet and focused my classroom is, yet buzzing with life during lunch. That’s how I like it. A quiet, burning passion to create lovely art and then a safe environment to be a weirdo. Every year I choose a couple of art events like Inktober or MerMay to participate in with my students, and then I print their artworks into books or teach them how to bind their own books. I want them to see that creating is not just a talent that people have or a job that you show up for. Creating is a thousand, thousand little moments of love for what you do. Something you do for yourself, and for others.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Yes and no. I wouldn’t say that I had a hard time of it, but my life wouldn’t be as interesting if I left the hard bits out. I think I really enjoy balance, so I tend to see most things as amusing and lovely in some way without losing sight of their ability to teach us a lesson. For example, some of my very favorite memories come from when I was homeless.

When all you have is a duffle bag of clothes, a sketchbook and a good book you start to realize what things you need in your life, what things you want in your life, and the person you want to be. Sitting in a cafe for hours with a cup of tea just so I can have enough light to draw is not a reminder of any sort of disparity, it is a reminder of what I love. One of my favorite memories is of cuddling up in my sleeping bag with my few belongings and listening to the rain pour down on the tarp I cocooned myself in.

Though, I would say that most people do not realize what it takes to be balanced. Finding something you love is one thing, but when the sun would rise in whatever unholy time it decided to I would rise and work out in the park I lived in. I kept a part-time job so that I could still go to school. I would spend much of my time on campus in the open studios work on my art or in the library reading and doodling. I kept in touch with my family and friends, who graciously allowed me to use their showers. My burdens are mine to carry, but they are not really burdens if you have a smile and a creative mind.

Please tell us more about being a teacher and an artist.
As a high school teacher, I love helping students to realize that their dumb ideas are lovely ideas that just need polishing and a steady hand to make them. It is a good day for me when I get to help one student figure out how best to use Caravaggisti chiaroscuro to show off their OC and then help another try to use it to depict the light through water droplets on a beetle’s shell. It’s my very favorite when students just want to talk to me about art they are creating just for the fun of it. There are about six other art teachers at Los Alamitos High School, but I am to become the face of the arts at my school. I’m the teacher that make art with them, opens my room for them to hang out, hangs out in the school art gallery, and consults with them on their artworks. Though I might be boasting just a bit, I’m surprised by how often I am sought out by students that are not my own, parents and even other teachers who need someone to consult with about art. Even though I am one of the newer teachers, and most likely because of it, I know that they are responding to my passion as an artist.

As an artist, I currently just make art for myself. Mostly because I like to redesign my entire curriculum every year. It also doesn’t help that California requires a lot of extra schooling to confirm a Teaching Credential. But I still find time to make art for myself. I have a special love for watercolors and digital painting. My favored subjects tend to bounce between illustrative figures and abstract patterns. Usually, because I need a break from one or the other. Lines make me very happy. Mostly because it creates movement and takes you on a little journey. So many of my works are about that sense of movement. Though not all movement needs to be energetic. Sometimes slow, thoughtful movement is enough for me. Like the pattering of rain or a subtle smile from across the room.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could live a second life, I would probably try to follow my martial career further just so that I could experience a different way of life. Maybe see if I could leave the country, become a monk and just spend my days finding physical and mental balance. My period of homelessness allowed me to appreciate an ascetic life and I think it could have been fulfilling strip away more articles from my life. Maybe it would be fun to share some happy violence in the ring or octagon. There is something lovely about feeling the immediate success or failure of ones hard work as one does when they step in the ring. A couple of times in my life I taught martial arts classes, though I was always afraid of the instability of such a career. It is nice to help people find their balance through honing themselves, and I’m sure if I networked a bit better and won some prestige, I could have made it work. Even though I try and keep up with my training, it’s only for health and hobby nowadays. Too few hours in the day, and sadly, it is easier to paint at the end of a long day instead of do push-ups.

Pricing:

• Currently, I am not taking commissions. Though, if you would like to buy a print of any of my work on Instagram they range from $40 to $60 depending on the size you want them printed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @evenstarrlong

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