Gimiks Born
Featured Artist
Recently we caught up with the Gimiks Born who is a artist, muralist, illustrator and a tattooist out of Brisbane Australia.
Where & how did you grow up and how do you think this affected you on your journey towards being an artist?
I spent the first seven years of my life in New Zealand, my parents worked on a dairy farm so I kept busy tending to my various pets, which included a calf and a goat . Then my family made the move to Brisbane, Australia. At first, I hated it. I had no friends and spent most of time on my own drawing and reading comics in the school library. By the time I got to high school we had moved again (locally) but I was lucky enough to meet a few locals who were keen on skateboarding. Once I started skateboarding, I began making life-long friends, my confidence grew and so to did my creativity. The enjoyment of skateboarding really highlighted my need to pursue the other enjoyable outlets in my life, at the top of this list was art. After I left high school the world changed – the internet began, computers advanced and a program called Photoshop was fuelling the need for Graphic Design courses. I signed up, determined to make a living of my art, I wanted to work doing what I love and what I know how to do – create. The world has really affected my journey towards being an artist, technology, the appreciation of creative expression and social media. It is an exciting time for art and creatively, I feel very lucky to be a part of what I think is a creative revolution.
When/How did you know you wanted to be an artist/graffiti writer?
I knew from an early age that I was an artist, drawing epic characters on the school chalk board was a give-away. A career in any other field other than art would have been bitterly unfulfilling, not being an artist wasn’t an option. I had a lot of knocks and blows along the way, moments of self doubt, I devalued my art and struggled to keep going but I’m so grateful I pushed through. Graffiti was introduced to me by my homie Mystik, he encouraged me to give it a go, my first pieces were terrible, but I didn’t let that stop me. Again, it was timely that graffiti art was becoming appreciated around the world and was growing in popularity as I was growing my skills. As my confidence grew I wanted to do murals that were bigger and better, fortunately for me opportunities were growing and there was and still an appreciation for that type of art.
How did you learn to do what you do?
My artistic ability is a natural talent but it came with a lot of practice, dedication and hard work. When starting doing big murals, I was lucky enough to be able to paint alongside heads that had been doing it for a while, people who were keen to share some knowledge. Again, learning to do murals came down to practice and confidence, which come hand-in-hand.
How long have you been a professional artist?
It wasn’t until about three years ago that I began to class myself as a “professional artist”. Being a professional artist comes with a bit of business know-how, the confidence to take chances and the ability to say no. This takes practice. You also need a lot of patience.
What/Who are some of the inspirations for you and your art? Did this help guide you to where you are today?
A love of comics and illustrative story telling have influenced my art a lot. Since having my children my art and my artistic perspective has changed greatly, they are a huge inspiration for me.
What are your specialty skills in the field(s) of work you are in? Why do you enjoy them the most?
I’m a Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Muralist and I recently got my Diploma of Interactive Design, majoring in gaming – this will allow me to turn characters into animations and 3D models. My specialty is that I have developed a range of skills that I can use interchangeably. I enjoy the fact that I can create, design and take my art to another dimension.
What are your personal goals now and in the future as an artist?
My personal goals are to keep to learning and adapt with changes in technology. I would like to paint progressively bigger murals with more of a narrative impact. I want to collaborate on projects with some insanely creative people. One day I would like to turn some of my concepts into a playable games.
What’s the biggest misconception other people have of artists in your field(s) of expertise?
That we aren’t professional business people who are effectively managing functional business operations. Or, the style of art is borderline vandalism. The latter is changing, more people of all ages and backgrounds are embracing street art.
Tell us a little about how you like to work. (Alone, with others, in phases, details, etc…)
At the moment I work alone, not as a preference but out of necessity. Once I have a brief I will mock up a concept in photoshop, to scale – using the dimensions of the wall. If the client is happy I will create a more detailed design – this helps with my paint order. Once I start the mural I will sketch the whole design on the wall – using my conceptual as reference. Then I fill with colour and detail.
Why is it important for you to be a freelance artist other than a commercial artist?
For me personally, I need creative leverage. I desire some influence over a design as I like to incorporate narratives, my own style and colour palette. I’ve had experience working under restricted creative direction and I can’t say I enjoyed it in comparison to freelance. I like working on projects where the client trusts my ability and gives me flexibility. With art, everyone has an opinion but sometimes it’s best to let the experts do their thing.
What software / equipment do you work with and for how long have you used it?
I predominantly use the Adobe Creative Suite, and Photoshop is the tool I use most. I have about 12 years under my belt with it now. After completing my gaming course I’m getting into Zbrush, 3DS Max and Unity Game engine. Theres just way too much to learn and not enough time!
What do you hope to achieve with your art form other than just making income?
I want to pass on the skills that I’ve learnt to the generations that follow. I want my children to be proud.
Why are you better suited to work with (a particular client) rather than someone else of the same field of expertise?
Every client is different with different needs, outcomes and expectations. Some might require an artist with more experience, others have a particular style they are looking for. Art is very personal and everyone has a preference, the same conditions apply when employing an artist to work on a project. My art might be better suited as a matter of preference or experience.
Thank you very much for your time and we look forward to seeing more of your amazing work.
You can find more of Gimiks Born work of his work at @gimiksborn
