Trends
&
Experiences

I asked JJ if he followed trends when it comes to his work as this topic interests me a lot. Trend watching doesn’t necessarily mean keeping up with fashion statement but more so ways of life. For example a trend which has been ongoing forever but in many shapes and forms is Activism. In the interview JJ said that if he does follow trends it is not on purpose. “Even though I consider myself a more traditional artist I do take advantage of modern techniques. I scan and edit sketches made on paper so that I can try different colour schemes and variations on the computer before creating a final version on canvas.“

Now on the topic of experience I was very interested in knowing if JJ’s work-life affected or inspired his art. JJ works in a skateboarding store in the centre of Rotterdam. He tells me “Skateboard graphics can be a huge inspiration, I’ve bought multiple boards that I think are too pretty to skate. And because I’ve been working in the industry for quite a while now I’ve gotten to know some of the creatives behind my favourite brands. It’s really cool to see how they work and come up with new ideas for graphics.“ Even if these worlds can seem very different or intertwined to some, I was happy to hear JJ can manage to incorporate his work into his art.