Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Esp.
Cody, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up with creative parents and friends, it was always a casual thing, something that I took for granted as part of living, but I didn’t practice much art myself until I started getting very depressed and anxious in my late teens. I had a dear friend who often painted and it seemed a good way to soothe my mind. I kept up the practice through college and eventually made it my major, even though I was a terrible. I thought the Art Major would be snooty and overly competitive space. I really wasn’t any good and didn’t have a specific focus, I did ceramics and printmaking, but mostly, I was figuring out how to be a functioning person in the world. After school, I worked as a waitress and still do, it’s taught me to be social and casual in public. I sometimes still get anxious around people but when I have a job to do, a role, it makes it easier. I love and am energized by society. For me, the more I’ve fallen in love with the world, the better my art becomes, because there are so many talented, innovative and kind people out there, with a great eye for design, I wanna absorb it all.
I heard this theory that black holes actually suck in all the atoms and energy then spit them out in a newly arranged more complex way, and that’s how the earth was created, an infinite rearranging then we got this masterpiece. That’s how I imagine being an artist, we take in all this information all day then scrabble it up into some new intriguing combination. I also feel that my anxiety acts as a fuel, so as long as I burn it, by constantly creating, I feel good and playful. When I stop making things and get really weird with this heavy energy.
Right now, I paint a lot of pets because it makes people happy and there’s a stream of demand. I’m working on a series of home goods with pretty inky plant drawings and also doing a zodiac series. These are personal projects that bring me a lot of joy and by keeping me learning.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, it hurt a lot sometimes. People thought I was dumb and would be broke by choosing an artistic path. Also sometimes, you make bad work, that can go on for a while, and that’s a terrible feeling. The thing is to keep going, by not giving up you are going to succeed. If I was at a point where I wasn’t selling stuff, I’ll do a personal project and share it, people always get excited when you re doing something. Also, having supportive friends and partner makes a huge difference. You wanna be around people who believe in you.
Also, do the motivation stuff, I heard somewhere that motivation is like showering, you need to do it frequently. The Artists Way is a great book, You’re a Badass book, Tim Ferris podcast, and Design Matters podcast always gets me amped.
Please tell us more about your artwork, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My work is a lot of pet portraits in watercolor with inky lines. I love the combo of soft atmospheric colors with dark painterly tracings. I don’t like things to look too sweet, I want a little darkness in there even if I’m drawing a cat or a Maltese. I’ll also do oil painting that is much funkier, inspired by Schielle and Klimt.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
Charmaine Olivia, Audrey Kawasaki, Sophia Roe, Debbie Millman, Suki Waterhouse, the whole IntotheGloss team. These are a bunch of ladies who have fun, are babes and work thoughtfully towards their goals.
Aesthetic is super important to me, I can’t think of things around me aren’t interesting and attractive. I admire these women because they have this weird elegance. I’d define weird elegance as curating a beautiful environment and self, but in the curation process, you have a sense of humor and this slightly detached grace.
Pricing:
- I charge 125 for 9 by 12 pet portrait
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.cody-huff.com
- Email: codycesp@gmail.com
- Instagram: @codychuff
- Facebook: Cody Esp
Image Credit:
My husband
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
