BUT ALSO, DON’T BE AN A**HOLE WITH E$

Painter, illustrator, animator, and muralist E$ is all about good vibes. He achieved tremendous success in D.C., but with success comes the challenge of maintaining momentum. We met him at Alethia Tanner Park to learn how he uses humor, the joy of creating art, and humility to combat the stress and chaos of the creative life.

Bespoke Notes: Describe your art in three words.

E$: Feel good art. That's how I've been explaining it recently when going after bids and mural opportunities. Sometimes, it’s hard to explain to “suits” what you do; I try to explain my art so they can grasp it and [message it to] the public.

I’ve always liked having humor in my art. I want people to enjoy it. I took a cartooning class at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) as a young kid. I remember the teacher saying, “Get in the emotion of the character you're drawing. If you're drawing somebody sad, think about being sad. If you're drawing a happy person, smile.” You can transmit emotion into whatever you're drawing.

As I developed my craft, I always gravitated toward the feel-good component. It's fun when people see your stuff and smile and when they get the joke. It's nice to bring humor to people through art.

Bespoke Notes: What’s your advice for anyone pursuing a career as an artist?

E$: You must develop your style because [this space is] so competitive. Try to figure out what makes what you do special and how you can make that in a way that is digestible to whoever is going to be taking in your art. When artists get good, people behind them try to copy that style because it's an easy route to travel. You gotta figure out your style and how you can make that style stay ahead of whoever might be trying to catch up to you.

Bespoke Notes: Is there still a stigma around people becoming full-time creatives? Is that negative perception changing?

E$: It's not changing; the game is changing. I have a background in IT sales. [In that industry], you're just a number on a spreadsheet. You can have the best month of your life. Then, you have a terrible month, or the company does poorly, and they fire you. We've seen so many layoffs since Covid. We're getting to a place where people are starting to realize these companies don't care about you. You can't make money when you work for other people. There's a shift in mindset. Some people are getting hip to the fact that if I put the amount of effort that I was putting into that company into my own [business], I could be way more successful and probably way more profitable. But it's the easier path to travel. [These companies] set you up with money every two weeks, health insurance, and vacation days. It’s stable. The creative life is not stable. It fluctuates so much; it’s chaos. 

Bespoke Notes: How do you find joy in the chaos, especially when art is your lifeblood?

E$: I often talk to other artists, and getting [different] perspectives is fun. For some people, art has become more of a job, and for other people, there's still a love of the craft. I love planning a concept. I love spending days with my iPad on my couch, figuring out an idea, and getting into a flow state. I love painting, even if it's a long day. I still find intrinsic value in it. I find joy in the craft. It’s a lot of stress finding new opportunities. The business side of it will always be stressful, but [making] art, man, it brings me so much happiness.

Bespoke Notes: What do you feel goes wrong when people lose their way in their art?

E$: Thinking too much about the [audience] can be a problem.  You should always do the art for you. Sometimes, you have to cater to an audience, but when you get distracted by that audience, you lose what you're doing it for in the first place. Also, it's naive to think you will be a creative professional and not think about the money; keep it from running everything you do. Some of the cash-grab jobs I've done are the things I'm the least proud of. They’re the things that are the first to come off my Instagram page. 

Bespoke Notes: How often do you create art just for E$?

E$: Before this year, I did art for myself a few times a week. In 2024, I have no time to do art for me. 

Bespoke Notes: How do you feel about having less time to create for yourself?

E$: I feel good because I can still create. I like a prompt. Going after these opportunities is fun because it's a problem to solve. “We have this wall, concept, and idea. You figure out what it should look like.” I enjoy that. I know I can still create for myself when the right idea appears. I also think it's a seasonal thing. I think you have to be conscious of it. You don't want to lose that. [Creating for yourself], that's part of the practice. You don't evolve unless you do art for yourself. 

Bespoke Notes: When we were scheduling this interview. You were very honest about your mental state. You had just finished submitting a significant proposal and needed to reschedule to have time to decompress. How are you managing that stress?

E$: I don't have a good answer for that. I don't have a good balance right now. I don't sleep. I often stay up until four in the morning. I was working on a different project. I have a reusable bag releasing with Giant and was working on the concept. It took me a week to finish all the drawings. One night, I was working on the couch, going through this concept, and I heard birds chirping. I looked behind me, and the sun had come up. I thought, “Oh my God, I need to go to bed. It's 5:30 in the morning.”

I get into the flow sometimes and stay up all hours. I also don't eat like I'm supposed to. The one thing that I'm really good at is keeping time for the gym. You got to have something like that [to maintain your] health. I've been doing that and trying to eat healthier. If I'm not going to sleep the way I'm supposed to, then at least I need to make sure my diet's on point. There are little tricks I'm learning along the way. I'm realistic; if it’s an opportunity that I'm interested in, it will probably consume me until the finish line. And you know, you'll probably get better at handling those things over time. But right now, I'm all in. I'm going to sacrifice the sleep, I'm going to be cranky, I'm going to be tired, and then, over time, it'll sort itself out.

Bespoke Notes: We love that answer because it’s realistic. You can't lie to people or lie to yourself.

Bespoke Notes: How do you find new inspiration?

E$: When I start a new project, I'll look at old cartoons, famous pop art, and pop culture paintings to see if they spark something. I like going to museums; I'll go to the Hirshhorn and the Rubell Museum. [At museums], you'll see something, a brushstroke, a concept, and think, “I want to try this.” Sometimes, it hits you when you’re [out and about]. Two years ago, I was hanging out one day with my buddy, and instead of saying Jesus Louise, he said “Jesus Louisus.” I thought that was hilarious. But then, at that moment, I got an idea for Jesus in Marilyn Monroe's hair from the Andy Warhol painting, and I painted that the next day because I was so excited. You have to be open to the world and let inspiration hit you. I read Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act, and he said, “The Muse will bring you an idea.” Sometimes, you don't like that idea, and another artist does it first. Well, the Muse gave you your opportunity. Sometimes, when it hits you, you gotta know, “I gotta do this right now because this is a great idea, and I want to be the first person to the table.

Bespoke Notes: Why is being kind to yourself as an artist vital?

E$: As an artist, your internal dialog is meaner than what anybody else could say to you. We are our harshest critics. You have to go easy on yourself and be realistic. You have goals you want to accomplish. You know what you're trying to do as a creative and where you're trying to get to. You're on this path; you're there for a reason—believe in yourself. Also, you have to surround yourself with good people. Sometimes, when that self-doubt comes in, you don't want yes men; I want friends who talk honestly to me. If I do some shit that sucks, I'd rather them tell me that shit sucks. It’s also good to have people remind you that you're killing it when they hear you doubting yourself. Creatives deal with more rejection than anybody. You gotta have thick skin, but you also gotta remind yourself, “I am good at what I do; I'm only getting better at what I do. And if I stay the course, this will get to where it needs to be.”

Bespoke Notes: How do you stay mindful and grounded as you find success?

E$ It’s all temporary. You get projects that the public gets excited about, and it gasses you up for a little bit. But, it's also a “what have you done for me lately” [culture]? I don't respect people who take themselves too seriously. I don't appreciate artists with that ego, where you meet them and think, I can't be friends with this guy. I'm not attracted to that kind of personality. I like people for people. I don't like big egos. I tend to revolt against people with big egos. I have a great appreciation for the success that I’ve found so far in my career. I'm glad that I worked hard and made something happen. No matter my success, I will never have a big ego. Enjoy that you get to do this. Not everybody gets to do what they love for a living—don't take that for granted. But also, don't be an asshole. 

Follow E$ on Instagram @theedollarsign.