ART + ILLUSTRATION
Tell us a little about yourself, please. I am the founder and managing director of creative agency The Jacky Winter Group and all our associated ventures.
What’s the most exciting thing happening in illustration right now? Regardless of your opinion on NFTS and the metaverse, there’s no denying that they've had a significant impact on art, especially digital illustration. It’s a very volatile period, but there are some exciting ideas coming out of this process, and it’s making room for many artists who have been underrepresented and overlooked.
How do you find inspiration in a world of inspiration overload? There’s so much content out there that it can be easy to overdo it. It’s like eating – there’s only so much your body can process. I try to take a similar approach to content I consume: be a good gatekeeper of what comes in, know where it comes from. Rather than go and seek inspiration, I find it helpful to simply follow your innate curiosity and see where that leads. For me, that means trying to take regular breaks from sensory input, so that when I go back to seek it, I’m a bit more sensitised to what really moves me.
Any tips for artists trying to find their style? I think it’s superimportant to have a clear idea of the landscape out there. Who are the other artists working in your aesthetic? Where are the untapped themes or mediums to explore? Trends are coming and going so quickly that style is not the static thing it once was – there’s more room to continually reinvent yourself. At the same time, there is a case for specialising in a certain niche. It’s a very individual process, though.
What would you tell this year’s Good Stuff entrants? Throw your hat in the ring! Each year I’ve been so impressed by the quality of the submissions, often from artists whom I have never come across before, who might be early on in their career, or in some cases, very late. It’s a real delight.