“When you’re in that flow, it’s the most magical feeling ever,” reflects the noted fine artist and graphic designer Jay Alders. “It feels like the colors are shooting out of my palette, it’s just right there, and all I have to do is scoop up a glob of light that’s emerging from my palette. If I can have someone look at my paintings and feel some of that, to me that’s success.”

Jay joins us on the podcast to discuss the collaborative nature of his work, which in addition to his own disarmingly original paintings also includes concert posters and album covers designed for artists such as Slightly Stoopid, 311, Donavon Frankenreiter, Citizen Cope, the Dirty Heads and Echo Movement. He has become well-known throughout the surfing community for his original surf art paintings, as well as for his “live art” performance displays at concerts and music festivals. His work—a blend of “surrealism, cartoon art and surrealism,” according to Forbes—has been presented in galleries across the United States and in Europe and featured at surf exhibitions from the North Shore of Oahu to the Jersey Shore, and he has lately emerged as a pioneer in the digital art space, with a series of dynamic, ocean-inspired NFTs.

We’re trading in our pens for our paintbrushes with this episode, but Jay’s insights into the creative process, and the story of how he’s turned his singular gifts into a successful freelance career, offer important takeaways for artists and writers alike.

Learn more about Jay Alders:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Shifting Perceptions podcast

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