We’re happy to feature, Joel Beard (@j.elbeard), a 24 year old artist from England that has some very unique pieces of art and has an excellent use of color throughout his Instagram wall, no doubt something you need to see.
Find Joel: Instagram – @j.elbeard – jelbeard.com
How old are you?
Currently 24 years old
Where are you from?
Born and studying in England but living back and forth between the UK and The Bahamas as I’ve lived there for the greater part of my childhood to adulthood.
How long have you been an artist? What is your specialty?
Like I’m sure the vast majority of all other artists out there, I started with doodles and drawing in my spare time from around the age of 8 or 9. But I later discovered Photoshop at 16 and for whatever reason it seems to be the way my brain is wired to best collage my ideas onto a canvas exactly as I want it, I just love seeing images come together and blend. I have been using Photoshop and other Adobe products for roughly 8 years now, but I feel my style has only started to concrete itself over the past year. I specialize particularly in Photomanipulation as I’m definitely more comfortable giving life to my ideas in Photoshop!
Where do u find inspiration?
Style wise I would say I look up to @maysgrfx and other instagram artists the most. I love the feel of his work, it’s quite dreamlike and colourful similar to my own. But the content of my work is inspired by my upbringing in the Bahamas. While none of it is specifically Bahamian imagery, living there inspired a lot of the aquatic imagery and blues and pinks used in the architecture and local art. The tone and voice of my work is inspired by how I felt about that period of my life and the transitional journey of leaving.
Do you have a job in the art industry? If So, what’s one thing you don’t like about it? If no, where would your dream job be?
I’m right now working part time for a local electronics and club supplies manufacturer doing mundane day to day graphic design tasks (catalogues,flyers,etc.) alongside my BA Graphic Design course in Hertfordshire. My dream is to join a creative firm in Colorado that shares a compatible approach to a creative brief and exercise my creative freedom for making beautiful things for something a little more meaningful.
Do you have a favorite Artist?
I do actually, I love the work of James Neilson, although he’s not specific to my specialty he achieves exactly what I would love to communicate in my work. I love the idea of embodying an emotion and a tone and communicating it so well it’s immediately received by the viewer, leaves no question that this is what the artist wants you to feel, and I think James does that very well. The message isn’t as important to me so long as the feeling and voice is communicated. Alternatively, in my own field @shorsh also does exactly that.
What is one accomplishment you’ve had in your life? Does not need to be art related.
No particular accomplishments or awards as yet to speak of but I was ecstatic when approached to produce some design some artwork used in a Bahamian political campaign,I consider that a personal achievement/milestone.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?
In 5 years hopefully settled in Colorado and making a name for myself at a design firm, undecided which one yet. But 10 years and 20 years on is a mystery and I would actually hope it stays like that, I love not knowing what to expect!
If you could meet and talk to any person in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?
Difficult question, but one person that’s caught my attention lately is the controversial clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson. I love anything to do with psychology and he presents his topics and outlooks on things in such a way that people that both agree and disagree with him can’t help but react very strongly to what he says and I’d love to know how he manages to do this/cope with it while continuing to educate on his not so controversial lectures. Very interesting guy.
How is one way you make money with your art?
I get approached quite often through Instagram for music related promotional stuff. Album covers, DJ set visuals, etc. Absolutely worth pushing Instagram as a platform for your work, someone will always view it with potential you may not have thought about yourself when you put it out there.
If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be and why?
To live, probably California or Vancouver/Canada, two very different places but I think they both contain some of my favourite aspects of every place I’ve lived so far and I think I’d really thrive in those environments. But to visit, probably anywhere in Asia, would love the fact that every little detail of life is different to anything I’ve been exposed to so far.
What is your favorite brand of art supply? Whether it’s a brand of pencils or brand of camera or software
I mentioned Photoshop being my “go-to” software earlier but I’ve recently picked up Maxon Cinema 4D and maybe it’s because I don’t fully understand it yet, but I honestly don’t know what I’m going to end up with every time I open that program. It encourages so much spontaneity and creativity it’s almost stress relieving.
Any advice for young artists?
Only the most cliched advice ever: just create and make stuff. You hear it all the time and there’s definitely a reason for it. The more you create the more you grow and create opportunities for yourself.
Thank-you Joel! It was nice getting to know the artist behind this beautiful art!