Ian Woods on Making Art & Not Drama
Art isn't dead in 2016. No matter what your relatives or Twitter timeline states, creativity is very much alive. Although the art scene and its mediums have changed tremendously over the past few years, and new content is debated every day (ahem that Kanye cover), countless individuals are still putting their viewpoints and visions into thought provoking material. Because of this I decided to ask Ian Woods, who's the topic of much discussion at the moment, a few questions about what it really means to be creating right now, enjoy:
In your own words, who are you:
Ian Woods and I draw on my i-pad.
Thugger at Yeezy Season 3 by Ian
Have you always been into creating art or has it been something you’ve discovered recently?
I've always been into creating ever since I was in kindergarten, but I got into soccer so I just did that till high school, and I got serious about it again when I was a freshman.
Are there any specific people, works, or maybe even places that you feel inspire you on the daily to make moves more than others?
Looking at other peoples art inspires me to work harder and create more. Also shoutout to AWGE, Isaiah, Kuest, Kourtland, Kolt, Nick, Crystalmeth, Craigxen, and Orhan!
Yamborghini High cover art
As a big fan of hip hop myself, its been amazing watching you work with these influencers. How has it been like working with the A$AP Mob & Ian, and how did that come about in the first place?
It's been surreal. I've been a fan of them since Rocky's first project and Ive always looked up to Ian. But I guess Ian or Carti showed Rocky my artwork and Rocky really liked it so he messaged me on Instagram saying he liked my aesthetic and within a week he flew me out and the rest is history.
Do you think cover art is as important now as it was before, since almost all music is digital (no vinyls, cd’s etc.)?
I think it's very important now and artists are getting more well known for it.
A$AP x Drake cover art
Also, with all the clutter and frankly haters of the internet, I think artists face more scrutiny than ever, as well as an urge from the public to explain their pieces and creative process. What do you think about ‘art’ in 2016 & what influence do you think social media and the internet in general has on it?
I think it's more of a competition now and it sucks. Instead of supporting each other they try to put each other down saying someone's art isn't art or it isn't good enough, its very sad to see.
'the life of pablo'
If you had the chance to collaborate with anyone right now who would you pick?
I wanna collab with Supreme. That's it.
Finally, what are your goals for the year, not in the sense of resolutions obviously, but what are you hoping to accomplish to feel content?
Have my first art show, work with bigger names in the industry, keep perfecting my craft and improve, and keep myself relevant.