Meet Joshua Strickland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Strickland.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I began drawing cartoons in elementary school. Naturally, I was told not to by all of my teachers. That followed me through into my high school years where I would draw my friends’ tattoo designs, grip tape designs for my skateboard and other random things that an art teacher requested I draw to test my skills. I have always been self-taught I never took art classes in school nor really studied art always came naturally to me in many forms as well. I taught myself guitar, and how to play the harmonica, I was a lead singer in my high school band. Basically, anything considered to be art to me was always something I found myself doing, freedom of expression is the way to the soul, and there we find intense beauty or darkness whether through music, drawing, painting, or photography. After high school I got into drawing tattoo designs like religiously Haha but I still didn’t find enough satisfaction as I wanted through the expressions I was creating. And then I bought my first camera, bringing one’s soul to image through natural landscape that mother nature produces was the definite way to Express myself. So I begin naturally learning everything I could through YouTube, and constant trial and error runs but never did I grow tired of this process, that feeling is what gave me the inclination that I knew what I wanted to be in my life a hard path it may be, but I truly knew at that point.

I was an artist, and through freedom of expression, I could doubt all of those educators in the past telling me to not bother with those stupid drawings they won’t do you any good in life. Little did they know a true artist was in their midst, one who finds solitude and peace delving into his mind to create what the soul sees wether it be painting, music, drawing, or photography and artist I myself found myself to be.

Please tell us about your art.
I create desert landscape paintings and desert landscape photography. With my art, I hope to bring realization to what mother earth has gifted us with and how much it needs to be looked after and kept sacred to all of mankind. A view of something can change the perspective of it, my photos and paintings draw in the eye giving the viewer a glimpse into what we take for granted each and every day.

Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Do not look towards popularity through social media platforms, rather look for approval from yourself, do art for you and your freedom of expression. When you admire yourself and give yourself credit for great work that each and every artist wether beginner or master creates you will begin to see people notice your work more and support you more because they have seen your soul the true you through your art and you are beautiful.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My Instagram page strickly_art.

And my paintings are hanging in local shops in Sedona.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Strickly_art

Image Credit:
Joshua Strickland

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