Artist Spotlight - Binx
Artist Name: Binx, of Binx Designs
Artist IG: @binx_designs
Artist FB: Binx Designs
Artist Website: www.binxdesigns.com
Artist LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/binx
Artist location/country: Brunswick Heads, NSW Australia
When did you first know you were a creative person?
“So like many artists I was always making things from a very young age and have always felt like that was a part of the fabric of my life and who I was from day one. You could often find me sitting around the dinner table drawing as a child or collecting rocks and seashells to paint over school holidays and what not. However it wasn’t until I hit primary school and started getting feedback from many people around me about the things I was producing that I first realised I had ‘creativity’ as it were, in a conscious way. I didn’t make an effort or try to be creative per say, but everyone around me could see that I was a creative person – so that helped me to see that for myself eventually too. It was kind of one of those undeniable things.”
How did your creative journey start?
“Apart from what I mentioned above, my actual creative journey, in its earliest iteration of what you see today, started in my final years of schooling. Where people would bring me their white canvas style shoes and a list of things they were into – and I’d transform them into wearable works of art. It became quite the side hustle at the time and I was able to make and save a lot of money from painting them back then.
I was also allowed to paint a mural in my teenage bedroom! which I look back on now and realise that a) that was pretty cool of my mum to allow! And b) it was certainly a lot of foreshadowing of what lay ahead down the road for me in the future. People around me at that time also gave me the nickname ‘Binx’ which stuck like glue and became something that I adopted quite willingly, having always had a somewhat strained and uncomfortable relationship with my own given name. I knew it was something I wanted to start fashioning my business vision toward, and after I’d finished my Fine Arts degree in 2011 – Binx Designs was officially born!
But the artistic journey continues to grow and evolve and in the past 14 years of working as a creative I’ve made canvas art works, had exhibitions, taught work shops, painted murals, done markets, illustrated children’s books, made products, collaborated with brands, sold prints, dabbled in digital design, painted at festivals.. the list goes on! All with varying degrees of learning and success. I’m excited to see where the road leads from here though, I just love exploring creativity in all its many forms!”
Did you receive a formal art education, or are you self-taught?
“I am mmm, somewhat both! So I spent a lot of hours as a young person teaching myself drawing and sketching skills, so much so that by the time I finished school I had a decent portfolio to submit for formal training there after. From there I did 3 years of formal and technical training after that. One entry level Certificate IV, one Diploma and one Advanced Diploma – giving me a Fine Arts Degree at the end. I wouldn’t say you necessarily need it to be a successful artist by any means, but in my case having a taste of life drawing, photography, sculpture, print making, graphic design etc, it has definitely shaped me into the multidisciplinary artist I am today. I absorbed it like a sponge and loved every second.”
What is the most significant challenge you've faced as an artist to date?
Photo of my back yard when the floods hit!
“I would say loosing my entire art studio which contained about 10 years worth of work to the 2022 east coast floods here in Aus would be the most notable challenge by far! That was such a deeply exhausting time. I remember days and days of unrelenting rain, so noisy you could barely hear yourself talk. And waking up one morning to look out my window and see water lapping at my clothesline, fast approaching my actual house. In a blind panic I packed my bags and wrangled my dogs. You think you’re going to be prepared and somewhat logical in those moments and I was level headed enough to lift all my works up on top of tables and chairs but mostly I just panicked and got in the van as fast as possible. On my way out however, a couple of my artworks caught my eye, the canvas pieces that had been professionally framed in Blackwood Timber and Tasmanian oak, and I took two of them upstairs well out of the danger zone. Turns out I’m lucky I did, because on my return in 3 days time everything else was completely destroyed. And I got to see 10 years worth of hard work and effort – reduced to soggy piles of rubble out on the kerbside ready for council clean up collection. The trauma of that event has impacted my life significantly. However the silver lining of it all was that upon having my at home workspace completely washed away – I was forced to adapt and take myself to where the work was instead. It spring boarded me back into mural work once more and has really changed the course of my entire life in so many ways.”
10 years of my artwork, home and belongings were taken by the floods
One worry or wobble you still have about being an artist?
“The biggest worry I have, the one that simultaneously drives me forward *and* keeps me up at night is – getting to the end of my life and not truly living up to my fullest creative potential. And I think that many artists probably have this. Where, there’s something beautiful, iridescent, truthful and clear at the core of who they are – and they’d love nothing more than to be able to tap into this rich creative vein that just expresses that in the most succinct and perfect way *but* they just haven’t found it yet! And that’s a good problem to have because it’s a lifetime pursuit and a very worthy one at that. But there’s always the worry there for me that, although every work I do brings me closer to touching on that ever unknowable and illusive ‘thing’, I may also get to the end of my life STILL never having found nor expressed it either. And that’s a real head scratcher in so many ways!”
Do you feel you have a distinct style to your art?
“Haha I find this question really tricky to answer because it requires somewhat of a birds-eye view at times but - It wasn’t until very recently that I decided I have somewhat of a style emerging yes. However its still absolutely a work in progress and nowhere near where I’d like it to be of course. I have many types of artistic genres I like exploring, abstract, realism, illustration and graphic work, but a common thread that runs through many of them is, a limited and economical use of colour, a stylised line, a nod to the nostalgic and a witty consideration paid to composition also. So I feel like all cobbled together those are enough to be able to call it a style finally haha!”
How has your style evolved over time?
“I think my style has mostly adapted out of financial necessity if I’m very honest. When I was first going through art school I was much freer and looser. I had a lot of fun making a mess and weaving it all back together again and ultimately I’d like to get back there someday too. But as time went on I got more commercial work, more jobs that required precision, clean lines and graphic elements, so I adapted my style to get the work so I could quite literally get paid. *I could, so I did*. Which by the way is a bit of a double edged sword and not my recommendation for other artists at all if they can possibly avoid it. I think staying true to your own style and methods is much more fun and far more rewarding because then you know people truly want your work for ‘you’ as opposed to just being another chameleon ‘artist for hire’ type of creative. But anyway now I’m at a point where I’m returning back to a happy medium, where fulfilling briefs in a way that lets my artistic talents have more room to shine is the main priority, and so far so good on that front.”
Who or What are your biggest artistic influences?
“Ohhh ok so I have a lot! Firstly, pattern in all its forms influences me massively! I have always been insanely attracted to wallpaper and fabric prints – particularly those of the 60s and 70s. I remember staying up late googling wallpapers in high school and collecting vinyl record covers from the tip shop that had certain colours and styles of cover art on them so I could make giant collages on my bedroom walls. I love the old band and festival posters from that era also, the limited use of colour palettes and the groovy fonts are all so inspired! Those cats really knew how to do *more* with *less* and it’s a personal mantra I always try to follow in my design work too. I also feel influenced by random somewhat juvenile things like Garfield comics, lava lamps, the muppets and all the works of the late great Jim Henson, vintage video games (I have a rather large collection!), cartoons and comedy in general.”
Can you describe your typical creative process from concept to completion?
“Hmmm, ok sooo.. so to start with - ideas happen for me very differently each time depending on what I’m working on. Sometimes I’ll splice together a bunch of concepts till something feels visually fulfilling enough to expand on. Other times ideas are just so obvious and perfect – like how I imagine a group of comedy writers would sit around a table and pluck the most golden content seemingly out of thin air with razor sharp precision. And then I hold onto those like shiny coins in my pocket waiting for the right time to become actualised because they feel too special to just use for just anything. Other times, like with client work, I’ll either walk into the space and see on the walls exactly what the space needs or they’ll give me a brief and something will spark from there. But once I have something I feel I can sink my teeth into, I’ll usually get to work on composing the image and selecting the colour palettes.”
“I tend to like compositions that flow, that are humorous or clever in some way and that make use of / highlight the natural architecture – also bonus points if I can include abstract elements, font, portraiture, animals and pattern all in one! I am also big on using ‘visual vehicles’ throughout my works too – where one thing becomes a housing for another. Eg – images on vases, rugs, clothing, furniture etc. it’s a good way of both fulfilling a client brief and touching on something your interested in adding to your portfolio also! And as for colour palettes, if nothing immediately jumps out to me i’ll often look through my massive folder of fabric and wallpaper images and sample colours straight from there. If it’s a mural I’ll make mock ups, if it’s a canvas I’ll work straight onto the surface. But the main thing for me is immediacy – once the ball starts rolling it’s hard to stop the momentum, so I can’t have any barriers to getting started and seeing the entire thing through. ‘Cause throughout the process it can feel a little tension filled also, like popping a pimple, so ive just got to get it done and it has to be finished at all costs otherwise it’s like it physically hurts me. Haha creating is so wild!”
What is your favourite part of the creative process?
“Oh my gosh I have so many favourite parts! But I think my number one most favourite thing – no matter what medium I’m working in is – the conversational aspect. Where you reach some kind of point of departure from where you first started, and the work begins to speak to you. You don’t call the shots anymore. *it* tells *you* what it needs, and it’s your job to really listen. I love that. Because you might have some ideas about where you want it to go, but when you’ve thrown everything at it and find all your usual ‘go to’s’ no longer work, you’ve got to stand back and engage in this unwritten dialogue.. and that puts you in a place where really exciting things can unfold. I almost feel like I’m communing with something divine when that happens.”
One piece of advice that's really helped you in your career, that you can pass on?
“Back in my uni days I had this really eccentric teacher, who was either loved or hated among many of us students. At the time I didn’t really understand him as he was on a whole other wavelength and had a very sort of manic, scattered, nervous energy to him also. Anyway, he set us this assignment one year where we had to make a timeline. And it didn’t matter what of, but that was the brief - timeline. And me being like 19 and a bit self centred at the time I took that very literally and decided to make a timeline of my own life and experiences. And I put so much effort into each stage too, I made 4 panels, used mixed media, textures and printing techniques, scoured back through old photos and even went back to my old primary school to get reference material for the first piece in the series also. I went all out. But what I realised is I didn’t enjoy the process and I didn’t enjoy the result either. It felt forced, it felt laboured and if I’d stopped to think it through a bit I probably would’ve chosen a much simpler and more impactful subject matter also. But that’s hindsight I guess.”
“Anyway, when it came time to marking and receiving our final results I opened up my visual diary to find I had only just scraped through with a pass mark. I saw it and I remember being really annoyed and frustrated with the entire thing. I didn’t feel the mark was reflective of all my effort, grit and research. And then I saw, at the bottom of the page, chicken scratched in red pen this teacher had written – ‘1 hour of inspiration is equal to 1 week of perspiration’. And that has stuck with me ever since and has actually gone on to help me a lot.”
“Anytime something feels forced and isn’t working, I step away and readjust and usually it flows much better on the other side, or I sometimes find that it wants to unfold in an entirely different direction in general and that’s ok too. But if I force it into being, there’s a really high chance I’ll stifle it before it’s even had a chance to shine and neither me nor my client will be particularly happy with the end result either. So that’s something that really stands out to me in my mind funnily enough.”
One mural design you want to manifest to paint in 2025?
“I am currently trying to get five rather substantial school murals off the ground that I’m pretty excited about painting so I’m manifesting for those to eventuate hard! But really, I’d like to either paint something internationally OR do a music festival set. Which is something I know I talk about all the time – which makes me think I’d better stop talking and really start doing before 2025 gets away from me completely! But those are my main goals as well as manifesting opportunities where I can have a little more creative control also! I think it’s going to be a pretty good year though!”
Binx - the artist