For how long have you been making art? And at what point did you realize you wanted to pursue it seriously?

I’ve been making art since I could remember. I used to draw my own made up characters as a child [as well as]  Yoda, Darth Vader and Spiderman. I made small projects from my room at my Dad’s house – just kid stuff, but art and creating things have always been a part of my life and something I love to do. It was always a childhood dream to be an artist but was told from everyone around me that it’s not realistic being from a small working class town in Scotland. I started to consider art more seriously when I left high school.  I initially wanted to delve into animation, but realized I don’t have the attention span and patience for it. I decided I wanted to do illustration and studied art and design for two years and got a diploma. After a couple failed attempts getting into art school, I finally settled on studying architecture and pursuing art alongside it. Hopefully combining the two in the future. That’s where I am today.

What has social media allowed you to accomplish / do as an artist that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to?

[It’s allowed me to] connect with so many other artists and creatives from around the world, really – specifically on Twitter and Instagram. I’ve formed friendships and I’ve been inspired by so much art I wouldn’t have seen if it wasn’t for social media.

Are there any specific themes / messages that you often try to relay through your work?

Each piece of work is pretty organic and almost makes itself. I’d say, from experience, my work tends to be about mental expression, the mind, [as well as] my thoughts and feelings. My art is my form of expression, so a piece could end up looking a certain way because of how I felt that day deep down, or how I chose to express myself depending on the energy I’m carrying. I may want to illustrate an idea or sometimes I just express myself with color and shapes. I very rarely plan out my pieces beforehand, almost never. When the ‘pencil’ touches the paper that’s when the creativity starts.

Where do you draw inspiration from most often?

I’d say music inspires me most, but my inspiration mostly comes from day-to-day life and various media I consume or have consumed around that time – nothing I can really pinpoint specifically.

Whats the end goal for you as an artist? How will you know that you ‘“made it?”

The end goal would be to show in galleries and to have the opportunity and tools to create anything I want with no worries or concerns financially. I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied. I just want to create and hopefully opportunities will reveal themselves. I’d love for people to see my art and know that it’s by Gambocean.