Meet James Paris

For our first artist showcase and our Halloween special I wanted to showcase my good friend James Paris. And if you've seen some of our live sets on YouTube you've definitely seen some of his work in the background somewhere. So I took a bus by the new Hudson Yards thing, and after 4 hours of traffic I was finally in Philly ready to pee my pants with a couple of rolls of film ready to shoot. 

James is from Taylor Ham country (North Jersey), but took the trek down to Philly for school and hasn't left since. He has a keen eye for design where this gritty diy style is seamlessly intertwined with polish and restraint. Almost seems impossible but he's able to pull it off. Honestly you guys should just go out and check out his stuff, seeing it is better than reading about it. So let's just get to the interview.

Self-portrait by, James Paris

Would You Rather…

Would you rather shrink five times your actual size, or grow one hundred times your actual size? And what would you do?

Shrink Five Times my size. I would befriend squirrels and live amongst them. Eat nuts climb trees be free.

Some Questions with James Paris

How does your creative process start?

My creative process usually starts with a  singular image/idea. Whether it be a doodle, a photo or a piece of trash on the street, I like to start with one object and see how far it can be pushed and explored.

What is a word that does not get used enough?

howdy

Who is the one artist, in any period, you would want to collab with?

This one's tough! I would have to say Outkast I would have loved to design their outfits in the early 2000s

What are some visual artists that you think don’t get enough recognition?

Two of my favorite visual artists right now are Hunter Potter (@hunterbypotter)  and Gregory Coscia (@gregorycoscia). Both of them are New York based painters that really inspire me and make me want to create more.

If you could give one animal species (besides people) the ability to fly which would it be. Why?

Squirrels. While yes they have “flying” squirrels they can’t fly they glide. I would love to see a V formation of flying squirrels migrating south for the winter. They would fuck shit up!!

What are some guilty pleasure songs you’re listening to currently?

(album) Britney - Britney Spears

Pie or cake? Why?

Pie! Only with ice cream tho

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Time is running out do what makes you happy! Thank you for this interview :-)