Today we’d like to introduce you to Van Wilde.
Van, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve failed at almost everything I’ve started, and I’ve started a lot of things. I’ve been trained in drawing, painting, I have ten years of classical acting training, and I went to film school. This is all just background information, I guess. My real story, as the artist I am today, starts in 2016.
In 2016 I put a loaded gun up to my head and pulled the trigger. The gun misfired, and I didn’t die, but that day I became someone else entirely. I was at the bottom of a mountain of self-improvement, and with my second chance I decided to climb it instead of stay in the hole of depression and self-doubt. Now my life’s mission is to face fear and embrace pain. I think that’s how you conquer fear and pain; you embrace it and go through it.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Everything I make is rooted in dealing with pain or fear. As a writer, many of my stories are about times I failed, or times I was scared of something. I’m bipolar, so I feel that taking the irrational pains of my mental illness and putting them on their heads, on display for everyone, may help others face their own fears and overcome them. Most of my art revolves around writing, performing, or producing videos about overcoming suffering and fear. My motto is “better every day.”
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
Artists are the voice of the voiceless. So many artists can say what others don’t know how to say and put it on a platform so people everywhere can be heard.
Communities of artists are important to our society beyond anything I can express. Art captures the joy of creation and the despair of segregation, and artists put it all out there for people to empathize with. As a mentally ill artist, my personal calling is to show others who suffer how to fight their illness. I want to show people how they can find bliss in the darkness. I want to inspire others to create. If I can save just one life, if I can help just one person avoid trying to kill themselves like I did, I’ll be a success.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I write a lot for Grown Up Storytime. It’s a brilliant monthly storytelling show, and I recommend everyone go at least once. For the second year in a row, one of my stories is featured in their ‘Best of’ showcase.
Reach out to me on Instagram! Check out my website! Say hi to me in person! I’m not that hard to miss. I’ve got a big, red beard.
Contact Info:
- Website: vanwilde.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordwilde/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swordwilde
Image Credit:
All images belong to me.
