The powerful art of Jason Naylor
Today we are talking about a great artist. His words and his opinions instill such a big positivity. His art is an explosion of colors and creativity, a pleasure for your eyes and for your soul. “I come from a creative family. Artists and Musicians. My Mom is an artist (and musician) and she does amazing portraits and more traditional paintings, drawings, and is very creative. I get it from her. My Dad is pretty creative as well but he is the business side of things. He taught me to run my business and essentially how to be an entrepreneur. I feel like the two sides of my influence blend well to help me in finding success as an artist and designer. Regarding creativity in general, I mean, everyone has it. I think creativity is really a skill that one can learn to hone, refine, and call upon. It takes practice and focus. I went to school for design, and I learned how to identify creative solutions and communicate them effectively, but I continue practicing it and learning always. It’s non-stop.”
Is your art affected by the place you live in? How?
Oh yes. Of course! I am constantly ingesting visual stimulation in my neighborhood, and everywhere around me. NY is so saturated with color. It never is boring for the eyes. I also am surrounded by art and design – on the walls on my street, advertising on the subways, on IG, online… I mean our world is so rich with visuals that you can’t escape it. I think its important to soak it in but also to be able to decipher what is good and what is not. Curate your own experience as you go through life, if you will…
What do you try to express through your art?
Positivity. I think optimism is such a powerful thing, and I think it should be used and celebrated in my art. Art is so subjective and everyone is entitled to experience how they choose. Especially visual art. You can see something and decide you like the way it looks or hate it or whatever, but if the message embedded in the artwork resonates with you, you might just realize that you like the way it looks visually without having even made a deliberate decision about what its aesthetic. Communication is such a powerful tool as well. Like, if the message rings true to you, you likely won’t care as much if red is your least favorite color but its written in red. And I like to use messaging and typography in my art to relay the messages more directly. Be happy, be positive, be yourself. These are all messages that you can find in my work… and visually I use a lot of color to support those themes.
What do you think is the future of art and advertising?
I think that augmented reality is about to take the world by storm, and everyone has a device in their pocket. So I think art is going to quickly find its place in these virtual realities and advertising will quickly pick up on the trend. Immediate, digital gratification is what the future consumer will respond to. Artists always have had the ability to grab attention… the future really just offers more applications and venues for us to do just that. And advertising industries will continue to desire us and hire us!
What inspires you the most?
Well there is not one particular thing that gets that prize… as I find inspiration everywhere and anywhere. But what I like to credit is my subconscious, because really, it holds onto little things that pop up when they are needed and they may have come from a magazine, a billboard, a building, a persons outfit… the list goes on. They key is to recognize that the subconscious has some power, – some good things to say, and give it the floor here and there. You’d be surprised at what’s hidden in there!
What is “art”?
Art is the process of communicating something intangible. A feeling, idea, or moment. A memory. A smell. And craft is the ability to get that message onto a page or wall or canvas. The creation or invention portion of it… well that’s the art. The physical process of getting onto the surface or application where it will be experienced…. thats the craft. Art is the brains. Craft is the brawn. And the reason I bring up craft is to make the distinction… the most photorealistic painting could be celebrated for its craft… but without the former, it remains just craft. In order for it to be art, it must have the power to move the viewer into the moment, the feeling or idea that its attached to. Does this make sense? LOL. At the end of the day, its just another way to share a part of myself with you.
