Daily Inspiration: Meet Isaac Secret

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Secret.

Hi Isaac, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story starts in Texas, where my parents met at a Bible school. Picture a young woman and a young man on campus, both holding their Bibles tight against their chests while running away from demons. They bump into each other, drop their Bibles, look into each other’s watery eyes, and helplessly fall in love — a classic meet-cute.
I mean, if you’re going to make running from demons your life’s work, the first step is find someone to run with. The second is to have a couple kids. Kids can run pretty fast…

I was born into poverty and Christian extremism, and honestly at the time, I loved it.
My childhood was divided between our little house in North St. Louis, my grandparents’ farm in Iowa, and my other grandparents’ ranch in Oklahoma. I felt like I lived multiple lives from the start — a trashy city kid when I was home in St. Louis, a trashy country boy when I was with my grandparents. So pretty trashy either way.

We didn’t have many toys, so we made things from whatever we could find — trash, discarded materials, whatever was around. I became obsessed with creating as a way to express myself and find an escape from it all.

Now that I’m older, I no longer use creating to escape. Running from demons feels like kid stuff.
The art that I’m making right now is my way of looking directly into their eyes so I can find out what they’re really made of.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was such a smooth road!
If you define “smooth” as extremely rough.

The struggle has always been trying to pay bills and balance relationships. Because my dad was awful to my mom, I grew up feeling I had to be “the best boyfriend on earth”—always putting someone else’s happiness above my own. So I spent years losing sight of myself in relationships. There are so many shitty, toxic men out there like my dad that I overcompensated in the other direction. I’m a little bitch, is what I’m saying—a kindhearted, supportive little bitch.

So a couple years ago, I shifted my focus entirely. No more relationships. I decided it was time to put myself and my art first, and I’ve been completely devoted to that ever since. There’s only so much time in a day. How can I sculpt an arm and also validate a woman’s workplace speculations at the same time?

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I bring energy into physical form.
Materials are very important to me. One of my new sculptural pieces is covered in charcoal I collected from trees burned in the Altadena fires. It’s a perfect material because it carries the same dark, spiritual energy that swept through my family’s home many times.

I work in 2D, 3D, or 4D — those are the only D’s I like.

Although I’m mostly known for making a stealthy exit from social gatherings, I’m also recognized as someone who can make almost anything out of anything. So when creating this collection, my goal is to do whatever it takes to draw the viewer completely into each piece — whether it’s a sculpture, the audio, or the fashion components. It should be a visceral experience.

This collection will be shown exclusively in a series of private viewings starting at the end of this year, with a large show slated for next spring or summer. Until then, I’m sharing process videos on social media to give a glimpse into the making of it.

What were you like growing up?
I was a chill little white dude attending a predominantly Black elementary school in Berkeley, St. Louis.
It was the best. I played a lot of kickball and spent a lot of time watching the girls absolutely annihilate those jump ropes with whatever elevated version of double dutch they were doing.
When you’re a kid, everything feels normal—until someone tells you otherwise. And when I visited my family in Oklahoma, they made sure to tell me “otherwise.”

But despite their racism, spending time at the ranch instilled in me a deep admiration and respect for nature. By the age of 9 I could fish, hunt, process the meat, build a fire, and set up camp on my own.

A lot of times, I would sit outside and carve wood or draw while sitting under a tree. I had a lot of time to reflect on how all the different people in my life were profoundly unique — each with their own strengths and flaws.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://isaacsecret.com
• Instagram: isaac_secret

Image Credits
My Portrait Photo Credit:
Nick Berardi