The Harmony of Colors & Moods
Aaron Caycedo-Kimura
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Dear Aaron, Thank you for accepting our invitation for this interview. The life of an artist is … More about a way of being than it is about having an occupation. You’re always on. Seeing, experiencing, processing, dreaming. With a Master Degree from Juilliard, you still made the decision to switch your attention from music to painting for the simple reason that… |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
I needed to find my true passion. I love music, but performing music wasn’t something in my heart. It was more of a skill to me, like typing. After some post-graduate soul searching, I realized that I had always been more visually oriented than aurally.
What do you aim to achieve through painting?
My ambition is simply to make work that’s strong, poetic, and meaningful, but in a way that’s totally me.
Most recently, your illustrations have received considerable attention and you see that as a sign of…
People wanting to understand themselves and wanting to be understood. My cartoons are mostly about introversion and the Myers-Briggs INFJ personality type. Because extroverted traits are generally championed in our culture, introverts are often left feeling strange, odd, weird, abnormal, or even inadequate. People want to know that there’s nothing wrong with them and that they’re not alone.
Who are your favorite artists in music and visual arts?
For music, it really depends on what I’m in the mood for at a given moment, but I often play Joni Mitchell and, lately, Gary Burton when I paint.
I also like so many visual artists, but if I had to name a favorite, it would be Giorgio Morandi. He’s so incredibly sensitive—sensitive in regard to the relationships of tone, temperature, and intensity. I also love that his art is pared down, reaching for abstraction but yet grounded in realism.
The most impressive people you’ve met in your professional life are those who …
Do their own thing in spite of what others are doing. Those who are true to themselves no matter what.
What do you aim to achieve through painting?
My ambition is simply to make work that’s strong, poetic, and meaningful, but in a way that’s totally me.
Most recently, your illustrations have received considerable attention and you see that as a sign of…
People wanting to understand themselves and wanting to be understood. My cartoons are mostly about introversion and the Myers-Briggs INFJ personality type. Because extroverted traits are generally championed in our culture, introverts are often left feeling strange, odd, weird, abnormal, or even inadequate. People want to know that there’s nothing wrong with them and that they’re not alone.
Who are your favorite artists in music and visual arts?
For music, it really depends on what I’m in the mood for at a given moment, but I often play Joni Mitchell and, lately, Gary Burton when I paint.
I also like so many visual artists, but if I had to name a favorite, it would be Giorgio Morandi. He’s so incredibly sensitive—sensitive in regard to the relationships of tone, temperature, and intensity. I also love that his art is pared down, reaching for abstraction but yet grounded in realism.
The most impressive people you’ve met in your professional life are those who …
Do their own thing in spite of what others are doing. Those who are true to themselves no matter what.
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Was it a coincidence or did you intentionally start to illustrate and share your illustrations with the world?
It was intentional. Back in 2012, I found myself in a creative and emotional rut. I needed a new medium to explore, and at the same time, I just happened to be reflecting on how hard life was growing up as an introvert, and especially as an INFJ. I really wanted to help and encourage others by sharing my thoughts and experiences. Cartooning seemed like a great way to do that.
I created the online personality INFJoe and began posting cartoons in January 2013. Now I’m excited to say that I have a book, The Introvert Life: An Illustrated Guide, scheduled to come out Summer/Fall 2017 from TarcherPerigee.
What do you see as the role of artists in today’s world?
It’s all a big conversation out there, and artists are powerful contributors. They remind us what it is to be human.
What is the antidote for all the negativity and chaos that surround us?
We need to walk in our neighbor’s shoes. We need to see things from his/her point of view and experience.
We all need a little bit more of … in our lives.
Solitude and sober judgment of ourselves.
Any day is a good day when…
I can get lost in my creativity.
www.aaroncaycedokimura.com
It was intentional. Back in 2012, I found myself in a creative and emotional rut. I needed a new medium to explore, and at the same time, I just happened to be reflecting on how hard life was growing up as an introvert, and especially as an INFJ. I really wanted to help and encourage others by sharing my thoughts and experiences. Cartooning seemed like a great way to do that.
I created the online personality INFJoe and began posting cartoons in January 2013. Now I’m excited to say that I have a book, The Introvert Life: An Illustrated Guide, scheduled to come out Summer/Fall 2017 from TarcherPerigee.
What do you see as the role of artists in today’s world?
It’s all a big conversation out there, and artists are powerful contributors. They remind us what it is to be human.
What is the antidote for all the negativity and chaos that surround us?
We need to walk in our neighbor’s shoes. We need to see things from his/her point of view and experience.
We all need a little bit more of … in our lives.
Solitude and sober judgment of ourselves.
Any day is a good day when…
I can get lost in my creativity.
www.aaroncaycedokimura.com