We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacob Wiant and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, why did you pursue a creative career?
A creative career is critical to my life because at the core of creativity there is storytelling. With a creative career you have to tell a story. Storytelling is a unifier among all people. Since the beginning of humanity, people have been telling stories. For me a story comes as one with creativity, so sustaining a creative career connects me with the creatives/storytellers who came before and who cleared a path for my work now. Furthermore, stories can change people’s minds about anything. The ability to change someone’s mind is a superpower. I feel that through my career, I create things to challenge people and their perspectives through a story.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I began my career traditionally, the usual drawing and painting. Soon I got bored and experimented with different media. Through creating a range of designs, sculptures, films, and writings, I expanded my understanding of what art is and can be. I realized that what I had fallen in love within the creation of “art” is the story it contains. Storytelling is at the heart of all of my work. It was and still is a difficult journey creating art in the messy chaotic hurricane that is life. Things will inevitably go wrong; that is when the best art is made. Right now I’m studying to become a full time Production designer for film and television, in addition to this I continue to produce works relevant to the stories that are somewhere within me, yet to be uncovered. There will continue to be plenty of drawings and painting but more excitingly I am about to release my first book this May. Overall I want to connect and inspire others through my work and stories. I’m continuing to break into foreign creative spaces for the sake of story, and I wont stop anytime soon.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I always go where the local coffee is. The most interesting people flock to coffee joints. Also Art museums, DFW has great museum. My favorite is the DMA. Lastly everyone must go visit the Welman Project in Fort Worth. They are a non-profit that takes donations of “waste” and gives them away to educators for free (“Fill a classroom, not a landfill”). Unfortunately when I lived in DFW long term the majority of my time was spent at school or creating work. There was little opportunity for me to explore the city/cities to the full extent, so my knowledge is limited.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my cousins for being my, source of support, enthusiastic collaborators, harshest critics, and the best friends.

Website: wiantworks.com

Instagram: @wiant.works

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-wiant-64b65422b/

Image Credits
All images are property of WIANT WORKS created an owned by myself

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