Today we’d like to introduce you to Jalysa Leva.
Jalysa, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was actually grooming myself to go into engineering or music. I played cello for most of my life, was in my high school’s FIRST robotics team, and took engineering classes. Art was just what I did for fun. I’d draw on my arms, doodle in class, make little props at home…I was always trying to create. I went to Clemson University my freshman year of college for Computer Science, and it wasn’t until then that I realized art was a career option. So I transferred to SCAD Atlanta, got my animation degree, and did some freelance before I was picked up by Primal Screen full-time. I started Dinsky Doodles on the side as an alternate creative outlet.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
When I started working at Primal Screen, I would make drawings at home about my day and life in general. For days where I didn’t have much to report, I would default to something abstract. It was a calm and fun alternative that resonated with me. When I decided to add pop culture characters that I loved into the mix, that’s when Dinsky Doodles was born. I had always struggled with finding a look that felt like me, so stumbling on this was a huge a-ha moment. The style really is a summation of my interests. Other people were now able to connect to it, and I was able to introduce more abstract art into the geek community. I hope my work can be the gateway for people to explore abstract art and design by seeing it brought into today’s context. I’ve already had a couple of people tell me they were inspired and shared with me their take on the style. That’s been the most exciting thing.
How can artists connect with other artists?
Neither the quality nor quantity of work you produce has any bearing on your value as a person. You will always inherently matter. Only recently have I been able to come to terms with this and learn to give myself worth, regardless of how well I’m doing with my work. It’s a hard lesson to learn, and I hope for every artist to be able to truly internalize it.
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’m on Instagram @dinsky_doodles, and I have a website at http://dinskydoodles.com. My IG is where I post new content and updates, so that’s the ideal place to follow me if you’d like to see more. People can support my work by sharing it, buying prints/products, or just subscribing and giving it a like if you enjoy it! I’ll be at Momocon 2019 and other cons in the future, as well. So feel free to swing by and say hey. I love hearing back from my followers and connecting with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dinskydoodles.com/
- Email: contact@dinskydoodles.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinsky_doodles/
Image Credit:
Portrait by Alex Kelly
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