Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Larson.
Emily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My name is Emily Larson, I classify myself in the simplest terms, as a painter, illustrator, and sculptor who uses a variety of different materials, both conventional and unconventional in my work. I’m currently a Sophomore studying at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California working towards getting my Bachelor of Arts degree in Sculpture/New Genres.
Born and raised in Carlsbad, I went to Sage Creek High school and practically took every art class there twice each. I have always been into art-making and focuses on experimentation and exploring new mediums in my work. My favorite medium to use are found objects and trash materials because of the character an object can hold. I try to make works that hold this same character and life in them, even as inanimate forms and are able to hold their own individual presence in a space. I get so much satisfaction out of transforming a material, taking something and giving it a new life, giving it the love it needs.
The work that I do involves many different figures and made-up characters. I use the creation of these gender-neutral characters as a way of working around my own self-image and feelings as well as the ones of others. I hope to create a space where people who are “different” can feel safe and loved. An environment where gender/ orientation don’t matter as much as one’s character or personality. My inspirations are from my own life, traumas, and experiences. I use art as a form of therapy, a way to externalize something from inside. My whole life I felt like there wasn’t a community I belonged to or a place I felt I could be the most myself. I used art-making as a way to spend my spare time, making a community of different characters I could surround myself with that I knew wouldn’t leave me or judge me because they were unique too. I hope that from looking at my work, the viewer will feel a sense of peace, and happiness – that they will have more love for themselves as they are rather than how they’re told to be.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I feel that my greatest challenges have just been people; they were the ones that, granted, made me focus more on my work, and isolate myself which in the end I guess helped me learn more about myself as an artist. When people see my work they tell me that it is disturbing or the response I get a lot is that it is “interesting”. Since I use art as a way of therapy sometimes people either don’t get it or they take it the wrong way. I get nervous showing my work to people because of the judgement I may get from it. I know that this fear is only because of different perspectives of people and I understand that is just how it is sometimes. There have been people, however, who have really supported me unconditionally and I am so thankful for these people over the years for they have made me learn to be myself more and continue on doing what I do. This consistent pull between fear of judgement and acceptance/love is what makes being an artist, to me, so difficult but also so rewarding.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was very colorful, fearless, and curious. I was always wandering away from my parents and getting into stuff but in a way that, as a kid, I could always justify. I have always been very independent and it is one of my biggest sources of pride in myself. I would wear what I wanted and act how I wanted though as a kid this left me surprisingly with very few friends and a lot more bullies. I am not mad though because I learned to be closer to my family and focus time on learning to be myself. It is interesting to me how people talk all of the time about how much they value individuality and difference yet there seems to be a limit on their capacity for it.
As a kid, I got a lot of comments telling me that I was appreciated for being the weird one or that I “inspired them” yet I was avoided by people and laughed at (how does that work?). I was always interested in science when I was young because of all the experimenting and talk about life and theory. my biggest fascinations since I was young until today have been people and our world; our world has so much beauty and interesting things in it that I am constantly amazed and inspired by. I remember as a kid I was specifically very shy and timid around people (and still am today), but colorful and free on the outside.
Contact Info:
- Email: larson.a.emily@gmail.com
- Instagram: @abracademul
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