Greetings :)
I'm Joey Ok, an Artist who is a blend of self teaching, and classical art training. I'm 24 years old, and live in Seattle, WA. I'm excited to get to know the steem community, and share what I've learned during this long strange trip we call life.
Inner & Outer Space, 2017
These past few years have been a wild ride for me, and I'm looking forward to sharing the different corridors I found myself in during my art journey. From the deep unconscious corners of my mind, awoken through psychedelic experiences, to painfully striving for perfection, from a place of fear and hatred, and finally finding direction through love and growth.
I started drawing in high school, back when video games and anime were the closest thing that I could call a muse. I used to spend countless hours, flooding my life into RuneScape, World of Warcraft, Starcraft and countless others. Using them as a wonderfully imaginative escape from the loneliness and isolation I felt in my younger years. I grew up on an island in the northwest, my nearest neighbor was miles away, and an old reclusive farmer at that. My family, fragmented and torn through financial troubles, alcoholism, and drug abuse. Then there was I, laying low, trying to avoid any conflict that might come my way, through the portal of the internet. My young mind venturing down countless corridors, opening doors of wisdom, fun, and some darker than I could have possibly imagined. It provided guidance, and wisdom, through avenues I count myself lucky to have found.
Fade Out, 2010, High School
I found discipline, and the value of practice, through an odd route, Starcraft 2. Where I was able to reach the rank of Master. Through that avenue, I saw what hard work, and true focus could do for you. Also, how mastery in one thing, transcends into another. I understood the mechanics of improvement, and began to love to ethic of self growth that was so lacking in my life. Still I neglected the call of the pencil, as my family had grown to resent the art world. My sister, who's venture into a private art school had plunged our family into debt. My own artistic abilities then discouraged, and my direction made unclear.
I think the piece above is a good reflection of the misery I was experiencing then.
Time passed, and I convinced myself that I would be a history teacher, though deep down I knew it wasn't what I wanted to do. That there was more for me to share. So I reflected, and began to truly contemplate what I wanted to do with my time on this planet. Did I want to live a life where I let my passions slip through my fingers? Where I let my potential wither and mold, for a safer, and easier route through life. The answer, was a resolute no. I had a fire in me, and I intended to let it burn.
I decided I would self teach, using my one true sensei, the internet. I watched countless youtube videos, devoured the art tome gold mine that is the work of Andrew Loomis, and kept a persistent work ethic. I began to see steady improvement, though I still had so much to learn.
Flicker, Digital, 2016
I later would pursue an Atelier for schooling. An Atelier is a classical art training system, where students work intimately with a master for years perfecting their craft. I chose an atelier, because it seemed like the clearest way to focus my craft, with traditional private art schools, you generally find little learning, and massive debt. It was a fraction of the price of almost any private art school in the states. Which allowed me to try my hand at a real art education.
This was another massive area of learning for me, where I left home, and the psychological demons of my past came to hunt for my soul. It was a terribly turbulent year, where I battled my own spout of drug addiction, depression, anxiety, and a death in the family, eventually leading to the dramatic exit from the Atelier. I felt broken, alone, and crushed by the circumstance of my life and the world.
Astonishment, Digitial, 2017
But I never let the flame burn out. I have kept moving forward, believing in myself, and believing in the sustaining presence of art. Remembering my younger self, and the hot determination that started this journey.
I am now working as a freelance digital artist, and study every day, in a desperate attempt to scratch the divine from within my strokes.
I am determined to master myself, and rise above the darkness. I cant wait to share my journey with the community here on steemit.
A Parting, Mixed Media, 2017
Thanks for taking the time to read this, see you around. :)