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CREATIVE NATIVE Q & A: YJAN WEER By: Marina Jimenez Q: What is your name and hometown? A: My name is Yjan Weer, but I prefer to go by AJ, and I am currently based in Riverbank, CA. Q: How were you first introduced to art? A: I found my way to creation at a very early age, my father was an artist himself so I credit him for really planting that drive to create things. It originally started as just simple drawings but that eventually evolved into different mediums such as sculpting, music, 3D modeling, and more recently, writing. Q: Is creating art your full time career? If not, is that your goal? A: In a way, yes, I'm constantly creating things but it's not my main form of income. When I was younger that was definitely the dream, to sustain myself from the things created by my hands alone, but as I've grown I've come to learn that you shouldn't come into creation for the money. You really have to be on this path for the love of the game and any monetary gain from it pales in comparison to the emotional connection I make with my art and through the connection my art makes with others. That's really what I make my art for, the human connection. Q: What is your favorite medium to work with and why? A: Pencil on paper will always and forever be my favorite medium. There's something so beautiful to me about someone just picking up a pencil and drawing what they feel. With a pencil and paper you're not hindered by financial restrictions like the right gear or expensive paints; it's just a drawing utensil and a surface. All great works started with a pencil in some way and the purity of that is what makes my love for it so strong. Anyone can draw, you just have to pick up the pencil. Q: What do you believe is the most prominent or most recurring theme in your drawings? A: I feel like I'm a creature driven by observation and feelings. To watch and experience something, whether it be mundane or awe inspiring, it always brings me somewhere in the end. I think, or at least I hope, that's what I achieve with my art. Even if it's just a passing feeling, it's a feeling nonetheless. So if I were to choose an overarching theme to my art it would have to be 'capturing moments.' The moment could be something super random or unimportant to other people but if it makes me feel a type of way, I want to immortalize it so I can feel that way again another time. Q: Where do you find inspiration? A: I'll find inspiration in anything. Movies, books, a simple picture, or from life. Lately, I've enjoyed drawing things I feel like embrace my identity. As a queer artist, you don't get to see a lot of queer love or existence in the arts as much as heterosexual couples, so I've been pulling a lot of inspiration from non-queer sources and making something out of that. Pictures and media can go a long way for those with eyes to see it. Q: Do you have any advice for youth that are interested in pursuing a career in the arts but may be anxious to start? A: I feel like this will sound cliche but, you have to be kind to yourself. You can't push yourself too hard to improve all the time or else you'll burn out. You're always going to be your biggest critic, there's going to be days, weeks, sometimes maybe months where you can't bring yourself to create anything because your mind feels like you're not growing but you have to learn to work through that kind of thinking. I've taken months off of drawing anything and felt guilty for doing so, but in that self-imposed exile I still felt the need to create something and that's truly all that I think you as an artist need. As long as you're still doing the act, the skills will blossom naturally and once you allow yourself to look back, you'll see how far you've gotten. Q: Where can people view or purchase your art? A: Currently I'm in a bit of a weird transitional period with my art so I really have no complete body of works I want to sell. However, I do post some of my creations on my instagram @weerdwurld and I'm always open to doing commissions. Just shoot me a DM and I'll gladly respond!
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