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Hey, this is Ruben with the City of Stars podcast.

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Here I'm interviewing up and coming artists in the Las Vegas music scene. Let's get into today's episode.

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Hello, and welcome to another episode of CVS stores. Today I am joined by is Meo. How are you today? I'm good. All righty. Well, today we're going to have a very exciting episode, because we're talking about art, talking about someone who's pursuing art and aspiring authors. And I will give it to them. All right. So let's talk about what you've been working on. I've been working on class projects. Okay. While I started with this class projects, then I have

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two paintings coming up for Tim Bevington.

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I have two other printmaking

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prints to do. And I am so tired. Yeah, I had to make so many prints. And

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I had to figure out which

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fighter to draw for. My drawing, Professor. Yeah. Alright, so you are doing a lot of

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art projects. When you're

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drawing, right? What's your approach with?

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I have many approaches. But I've,

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I've been mainly just going at it just not thinking just

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going straight onto the page and not think about it. Because if I have a plan, if I try to make a structural,

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it's not going to work out. It's not going to look good.

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Because it's going to take so much time in planning. So I've just stopped doing that. And

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I just had to be brave and

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just start drawing. Start making something. Don't think about it. Yeah. So you kind of

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stop overthinking. Yes, I've stopped overthinking so much about my art. And it's been working so far. How's it been? Like,

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you know, having this new approach? It

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has gotten a lot of attention. My works. Really?

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Yeah, my professors really are.

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How do I say it? They love it, they like it. They use my work as an example. And I've never had that before. Never. But now it's different. Like a lot of things are different now.

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And I don't know how to feel about it. I like it's exciting. But it's it's a little bit like odd. Why is the odd people are like dig in. It's because

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I don't really get that much attention when it comes to my ARP now. Now it is like, just not overthinking it and just, you know, just do it. Just doing it. It's it changes really well made you change your mindset

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just not caring so much about how

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it's more. It's difficult to describe because this is so brand new.

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I guess not worrying about the outcome

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has made it easier. So you've been no longer stressing about how, like, well, people would react with it and stuff. Yes.

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That's nice, because

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I know all artists, they want to create art, but they cannot stop themselves like what do you what if people would not like, How will people react? Muslim like you can conquer that fear? You kinda like that's like one of the bigger fears and like a flaw of an artist. Especially aspiring, you want to create art, but then in the back of your head you're like, well, if people

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Don't like it? And then you just kind of don't do it. But sounds like you broke that curse almost. Yes. I wish I met. I guess I can give one advice to some artists because getting this much attention. It's given me good attention and bad attention. What do you mean by the envious people? Really? Yes. Like there's a lot of very supportive like art students. They're really sweet and stuff. I love it. But sometimes there are people who are. Well, jealous. I've never, I've never seen or encountered someone who is jealous of my art. I've always seen I've always heard

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artists who are somewhat better than me. Kind of criticize me. for

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no good reason really?

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Sound like haters? Pretty much. Yeah. So

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for those who are envious, I would have to say just, Oh, no.

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Focus on

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you know, your art. And just keep on making art. It'll improve, it will improve

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it.

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Practice doesn't make perfect. It makes improvements.

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So how long have you been drawing? Well, most of my life, really.

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I've always been more drawn

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to art than anything else. And I've I just stuck with it.

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I mean, I'm not good at math. So yeah, I might as well go for this. Yeah.

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So you have any inspirations? inspirations?

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That's a tough one. I don't have

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when I was younger, I didn't have anyone who I looked up to. There wasn't a single person who I'm like, Oh my gosh, I want to, you know, still do what they're doing. Or how did they do that? Let me mimic that. Or? No, it's always been like, huh, that looks interesting. Wow, look at that. Look, how, look how weird it looks. I like that. Let's see if I can do something similar to that.

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And then I forget it.

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But now like Professor, professors and strangers and friends are like, who are your inspirations? Unlike?

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I just got to give him like the masters like, oh, Rafael, Van Gogh,

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the VINCI but no, I don't really have any inspiration.

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Um, but if I do need help, or

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some guidance, I either look around look around my surroundings, or

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pretty much what has always worked best is always go back to nature. See what,

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what, where everything started.

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Because

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I was born and raised in Las Vegas, there's not much nature unless you want to go to Calico hills or Red Rock Canyon.

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So when I do have the opportunity to go to those places, or be around some kind of nature,

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it helps it just

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I guess grounds me or just puts me in a different

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environment, I guess. It was about nature that helps you

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dry with my drawings and nature.

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It

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it usually just put, you know, it usually makes me feel more relaxed and gives me space to just

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collect my thoughts and arrange them in a way I understand.

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Like, let's say

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I had a project that was due

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in two weeks,

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and I had no idea what I wanted to do. Okay, and so

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I had no way of going to the mountains but I remember I took many photos

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of nature.

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And so I was scrolling through my phone and I saw an old picture.

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And it was me and my friend in the mountains at night, thinking about we should go hiking. And we didn't hike, we realized it was a bad idea. We were not prepared. But we just sat there

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in the car

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in the dark.

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wondering, what do we wish? What should we do next? And I was like, let's take pictures. My friend is like, in the dark. I was like, yeah,

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so pretty much. My phone was shitty. It was complete crap. So I asked, Can I use your phone?

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He's like, why? Because you have a better camera. It's an iPhone. So pretty much I took pictures of the mountains.

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And I had that. And it helped.

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Because it was an enjoyable

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it was a very relaxing moment. With a friend. Of course. Yeah. It sounds like with the nature, when you refer to it while drawing it's much more than like, you know, you're referring to like the natural process of things, but more sounds like as well. Astrology. And you refer back to and that that the nostalgic feelings kick in. You're like, they and I helps you withdraw? It does. Yeah, that's what it sounds like. It's more personal. It is most of my art is personal.

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It's always funny to see

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what people think of it. Because they don't have that personal experience. Because of course, it's not theirs. Yeah. What do people say about your other than like, Oh, that's a great painting or drawing. You know me?

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They don't really say much, but

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yeah, they don't really say much. They're like, Oh, wow, that looks great. Good job. That looks nice. Or of course, they have little critiques. But they're not criticism. Or they don't criticize. Yeah.

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They just usually say good job and move on. Yeah. Which I don't mind. Because

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why would they ask me any more?

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When you're drawing,

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and

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you finish it? Do you feel

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attached to him? Is it hard for you to let go? of A? Definitely, definitely, of course. Absolutely.

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It

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I've traded shitty works. And I've thrown them away.

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And it always annoys me that I did that.

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Because those are proofs that

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there proves their work works of art that weren't good.

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But they were examples of me improving.

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Because when I was a kid, I guess mainly did sticks. And then as I got older,

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I got better. I mean, like, I didn't pop out of the womb, Picasso.

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Nah, like I missed them. And

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there are some works that I've made.

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That I absolutely hate, like with all of my being, because it either brings up bad memories

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or very

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embarrassing moments.

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I have a

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I have a painting

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that I made a couple of years ago for my old best friend

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for her anniversary gift.

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So this anniversary gift is a painting that my best friend wanted to give to a girlfriend. Okay, but the thing is

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her girlfriend didn't like me, because I was very close with my friend because obviously, to me, they were my best friend.

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So it's like, jealous.

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So, your best friend's girlfriend didn't like you? She doesn't trust you know, and it's like there's no reason like

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I guess

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Jealousy is blinding. They don't see it.

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So I gave, I help, I was helping my friend

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with their anniversary present. I was like, Oh, dude, let me help you. So I made a painting for them.

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But the thing is, my friend gave it back to me.

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Because

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their old girlfriend realize it was mine that I created in. So she didn't want it. She didn't want nothing to do with me.

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I mean,

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it was pretty messed up. Because for one thing, I helped her get with my bestie.

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Yeah, so I remember I was

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going through my, my, my moods. And I was like, Man, I'm gonna, I'm going to throw this painting away. I'm going to throw it away and forget about it. And I was looking at it. I was like, dang,

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I have so much feeling towards this painting. Because I made this out of love.

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How to make time for it. And I did it.

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And I just just couldn't throw it away. As much as I didn't like seeing my friends his girlfriend.

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No, I couldn't throw it away.

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What did you do with instead? I shoved it in my locker. And it's still in my locker. But it's like in the back? Yeah, yeah, cuz I love it. I don't, I don't like looking at it.

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Understandable. Then I have another painting that I did during lockdown. And

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it was an embarrassing moment for myself. Why? Because I made that painting for my mom. And the thing is, before then, I've never heard my mother say I'm proud of you.

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Until I made this, I

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made this painting of another artist from I don't know what century.

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And the thing is, I have very mixed feelings about this painting that I made.

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Because I made it out of desperation. Because I wanted my mom's approval.

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Once in a while. I still do, but not as much as back then. Because it was during lockdown. I had nobody, just my family. So

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I see the painting is in the living room. And every time I pass it,

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I always cringe.

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And Sunday, I hope to God that someone wants to buy it.

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I don't know how cheap. And I don't care how much they want. If they want it for five bucks, they can have it. If they want it for like $1 they can have it. I don't want it. But I can't throw it away. There's no, there's no way because I cuz again, I did it out of

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Of course I did it out of desperation. But I still had love for it.

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Because

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it was like, I can't get rid of it. There's no way. Yeah, it's like a memory as much as you want to get rid of it. It's going to stay there.

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Well, that's it's a very

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complex duality of art here. I mean, it's

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a very powerful thing, right? You put your soul into it, you love the art. But then sometimes when you revisit it could bring back some bad stuff. Of course it could. Because in end of the day, maybe that's the reason why you made it. So we will always be a reminder. You know, you could look at everything. And you know, maybe a normal person walked by and I Oh, that's a beautiful painting and but for you, you always know, the deeper meaning behind it. You will never you will never forget that. Yeah, I mean it. You know, it's tough because sometimes you make great art and you're like, I love this, man. Why I did I don't like that. And that is hard to separate that, ya know, it's hard to separate them the meaning behind the art.

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Especially with you you're very personal with your art, you know, or like the nature. It's as much more than an experience that oh, yeah, I've experienced art. But it's a memory it's a very

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core moment in your life or you're sharing with people definitely are like that painting in the living room as much more than just like oh yeah, I just did a rendition of

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Like an Artist portrait, but very deep, it's very, I wanted my mother's approval. That's what this painting is screaming and people will never know unless you tell them, but as an artist, you will always know. Definitely. And yeah. And it's tough because you want to make more art like that, because it helps. It's very therapeutic. But then you revisit it, and almost like, it brings back old wounds, you know, definitely, like, so many of them have very upsetting or very uncomfortable memories.

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Yeah. And then, you know, as artists, there's this thing you constantly are learning and it's to let go at, and not just physically like, Alright, here's my painting, you buy it for $1 Enjoy it, but like emotionally letting letting you go. And just like moving on, you're like, all right off to the next project, you know, and it's hard. Because again, you get very, very connected, you get very like, attached to it. You're like, I love this thing, even if it's like bittersweet. It is.

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I have this gigantic painting in my room next to my bed. And

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I didn't want to look at it, because of how poorly I painted it. I shoved it in my closet to never look at it. But then I then a couple of years later,

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I pulled it out. And I felt bad. Because as much it wasn't as much as it wasn't the best. Even though it wasn't the best.

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It still needed appreciation. I didn't want to let it go to waste. Like because I always look at my drawings. I always like pull all my old sketchbooks, pull out my old paintings from wherever I shoved it in my room. And then I look at them. And I appreciate them. Except for that gigantic painting in the closet that's now laying on the side of my bed.

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Oh, why is that one? Hard to like, appreciate.

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It's so dark. Like, there's no highlights. There's no

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light coming from one direction. It's all dark muted in a way.

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And

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now that I've improved,

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I look back at it. And I'm like, I like it. It's not that bad. Yeah, that's.

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So now you're taking your time to do school projects, right? Yes, during the semester, it's just school projects. But during the summer, winter break, it's all art. Well tell me about that. The summer is coming up, you know, you got about a month left school finals are over where you plan to work on for the summer, I plan on working on finishing some can. I am thinking of working on some paintings that I've never even got to start on. And I'm thinking of making more clothes for myself. Because my closet looks really sad.

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And I am also thinking about

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either getting back into sculpture, really. They're not like gigantic,

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big pieces. It's just like wire stuff. I used to do a bunch of wire stuff back in high school, but I kind of lost interest back. I kind of started losing interest when I got into college.

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And busy.

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Being busy. doesn't leave any time

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to enjoy life. Yeah.

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Yeah. So I gotta get started on those old paintings again. Yeah.

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What do you do to our do? seller or do you just keep it for yourself right now or I've just been keeping it for myself. I tried selling it back in 2020. Yeah. But they never sold. None of them. Really. Maybe you could try selling them this year. Probably. I could try selling them. Maybe not on Etsy. That's why I tried to sell.

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But

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hopefully if I

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find a car

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I'll go down to the art district and sell. Yeah, there's the I like the first Friday that I've been there before and there's a lot of paintings because a lot of our people sell pre fire.

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I thought of probably going to festivals and asking if I can guess

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to place my table there, sell stuff.

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I still need to build up the confidence to do that. You got it. I know there's like a sign up sheet. But it's, it's still more like interacting with people because I'm a bit introverted. I'm not the most extroverted, but

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there's a little bit of in between. Yeah. Well, you, you could definitely

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shoot your shot with it. You never know, you might have people, potential customers be like, You know what I did this all by? And, you know, that's the first Friday, things I used to go to, I see a lot of paintings and stuff gets sold. Me. And,

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you know,

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you know, your goals as an artist, have re have changed over time?

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Not exactly. I don't really have a set goal.

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It's more like, I just need to experience certain things to get to a point where

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I can find satisfaction or content, whether it's for a little while, or hopefully the long term. No, but there's no goal that I have for myself yet. Okay. So you can do art right now. For yourself. And, you know,

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when you share it with people,

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it brings you a lot of joy. It does. I always try to show works to my, to my friends, or my professors.

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Or even my mom.

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They're like,

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what?

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Like, like, Okay, I see that you're making art. Why are you showing it to me? Because some of them of course, my professors are professors. They've seen so much art. Yeah, I think they're pretty sick of it. Yeah. And my friends, they're also artists. So they're like, oh, sweet, cool, dude. Yeah. So they're like,

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they're like, kind of what? I'm numb towards it, or yeah, you're like, Oh, sweet. Yeah. Was your was your mom thing about you're

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indifferent with her. She's not an artist. And she's told me before that she doesn't understand.

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So it's like, I had to explain it to her so she can understand.

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Well, how's that? How is that being like an artist in your family? It's not that difficult. Um,

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I'm an artist, as in a painter Adrar. But I also have

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an older brother, he's the oldest.

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And he's a musician, really.

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But he does it for himself.

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And

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there are more artists on the on my dad's side, the family.

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Or does run in your family, though. It does. But only on my dad's side. There's no artists in my mom's side at all. And I'm like,

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where are they? There has to be at least one.

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But no, there's none. They're just happy people. Yeah.

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And as you draw more,

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and you get better, right, you improve.

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Is there a point where you say, I've reached, like, I can't get better than this? Or is it I will always improve, I will always get better.

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I know if I keep making art. I know I'm going to improve. But there's so much that I still don't understand. Like, whenever I make art, it's always something to learn. And it's not exactly

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the improvement that I focus on. Exactly. It's part of it. But it's more

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like understanding it. Because if I keep learning more about art, the more it's going to help me understand it. Understand myself and the materials that I'm working with.

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Thanks for listening. Catch us again every Wednesday at 6pm on the rebel and I 1.5 HD

Transcribed by https://otter.ai