Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Short.
Tim, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Well, I’ve been drawing most of my conscious life. In my younger years, my biggest inspirations were my older brother, Steve – he’s an artist as well, and anime. We would all (my younger brother, Justin too), come home from school and be glued to the tv for the entirety of the Toonami segment. I would print off pictures of my favorite shows like DBZ and Gundam Wing and try to draw them as best as I could. I’d keep all the drawings in a binder and take them to school and just give them away – I’ve never been much of a business-savvy person.
In fifth grade, I met my longtime best friend and creative conduit, Aaron. We both shared a love for video games – mostly RPGs, anime and manga, comic books, and music. We both evolved with each other and wrote and drew entire narrative arcs for characters when we probably should have been paying attention in class. That’s really when my love for narrative and storytelling set in – that and my Bible Belt, church-going upbringing. My father is a minister and reading and listening to so much biblical literature and pondering its imaginative, narrative elements really influenced my work.
In middle and high school I thought I was this knucklehead jock but I juggled that performance with drawing. I tore my ACLs (one in 10th and the other in 12th grade) so that really took an emotional toll on my mind back then as I didn’t really know who I was or could be. I turned to art as an identity and really delved deep into it and I haven’t looked back since. I took advanced painting classes and excelled and enrolled at Georgia State in 2011. I got my BFA in Painting and Drawing and a minor in African American Studies in 2015 and I’ve been trying to build a steady studio practice and career ever since.
Has it been a smooth road?
When I was younger, I’d say my biggest opposition was my own close-mindedness and naivety when it came to my capabilities as a visual artist. Growing up Black in the small city of Columbus, GA, I wasn’t really exposed to Black creatives in a way to look at art as a viable career path. I never really was career-focused either so I felt that the idea of being an artist was just a natural decision based on my desire for creative output.
As of now, money is definitely an issue. You need it for materials, responding to most artist calls, transporting your artwork, etc. It’s really impossible to pursue the career without a type of steady sponsorship or job. Balancing my “real” part-time job and creating art when I’m not working can be exhausting. I also try to do cheaper commissioned works for customers but those can become a chore when I really want to create my own work.
Overall, staying focused and devoted to something that may never take off for you can really bring on a crippling anxiety. That has definitely affected my practice and brought on mental blocks before. I really try to listen to the positive, reinforcing voices of folks who enjoy my work and stay positive in my feelings and ambitions related to my artwork.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m primarily an oil painter although I’ve studied many different visual arts media. I’d consider myself an Afrofuturist, narrative artist meaning I focus on letting my pieces tell larger stories centering Black persons. My work mostly delves into Black emotionality and expression by exploring imaginative scenes of Black persons experiencing metaphysical or surreal occurrences.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think there is plenty of room for Black visual artists in the Atlanta area. A lot of more well-known artists have blazed the trail and opened venues for emerging artists to get their work out in the public eye. Creatives like Miya Bailey, Charly Palmer, Tiffany Latrice, and more have been so good to me here and the connections I’ve made because of them have launched me to a greater notoriety around the city. There are a lot of emerging spaces and curators looking to feature younger artists as well, and I believe this type of coalition to be good for generating creative energy. There is an arts-centered zeitgeist here in the city and I think something is bound to happen if one continuously creates more work and shows it often.
Contact Info:
- Website: timshortart.com
- Phone: 7063582615
- Email: trshort93@gmail.com
- Instagram: @culturedstruggle
Getting in touch: VoyageATL 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.
