Artist Feature - Tyler
What led you to BTS?
I think BTS make their way into army's lives when they need them most. For me that was 2017. I was still in secondary school which was quite a rough era of my life. I was struggling with expressing myself and accepting who I am. One night I was scrolling through pinterest and saw this wallpaper with these 7 guys. I remember saving the photo because of “the guy with the mint hair”. From there everything spiraled. Now in 2022, I’m in such a good place. Bts helped me understand that not only is it okay to be myself but also that I should be proud of who I am too.
Who or what sparked your interest in art?
I'm going to have to be that annoying person and say I've always been interested in art. My dad tried hard when I was younger to make me this tiny art loving hippie child and it worked. We went to lots of art galleries, drew together, danced together, the whole lot. I still have my diary from when i was 8 proclaiming i wanted to be a “grathfix desiner”.
I would always have this obsession with keeping tickets, wrappers, boxes, basically anything I found interesting; I refused to throw it away. I never really understood why I took an interest in all these different designs until I was older and my dad a (freelance photographer) started to walk with me and our family dog up to a local design agency to drop off his images. This memory is so important to me. The buzz around that workplace has been what's kept me inspired today.
Looking back, I think this is where my decision to study graphic design is rooted. Realising all these tickets, posters, whatever I'd been saving had been designed by someone, made me strive to become that person. I started journaling because I wanted a place to stick in all the cool wrappers and stuff I collect. However, my journal account rarely features any graphic design work because I like having a hobby that is not directly linked to my work but is still art related. Journaling is my way of relieving stress and expressing myself.
What advice would you give those who are interested in art but are hesitant to try it?
Simply just go for it.
Art can be as meaningless or meaningful as you want it to be. It can be abstract or realistic, it's all up to you. Art is everything and is everywhere, it has no bounds. You don't need to stick to one style, I am constantly going through different media phases! Most of which I never even share, that's the fun of art, doing something that makes you feel good.
I think we forget about how much art surrounds us. It's on the signs you see in the shops, the clothes you see people wearing, the covers of books, packaging on foods, everywhere. You have inspiration all around you so it's up to you to use it. <3
