Today we’d like to introduce you to Destin Cramer.
Hi Destin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I was a kid, I was sent to therapy for a traumatic situation that occurred and deeply affected me, I struggled a lot with anxiety, depression, and ptsd throughout my childhood and didn’t know how to verbalize what I was experiencing. The first therapist that I really connected with was an Art Therapist, and she taught me how to utilize my passion for drawing to express the big scary feelings that I was attempting to hide from.
I began doing check ins with her where I would draw how I’m feeling, and she’d interpret it and then we’d talk about it. It was incredibly helpful and helped me gain a better understanding of myself and my emotions at such a young age. She also helped me by getting me way more into art to the point that I started bringing my sketchbook to school with me every single day and drawing as much as I could whenever, and wherever I could find the time to do so.
Make art gave me a place to express all the emotional turmoil that I was going through as an adopted child, as a survivor of online child exploitation, and as a young lgbtq kid coming to terms with their identity in a unsupportive household.
This passion for drawing during school hours blossomed into a professional love for fine art, where I have taught myself how to paint with a variety of different mediums like gouache, watercolor, acrylic, and oil, and even digital illustration. I am constantly surrounded by art and things that inspire my creativity and still utilize art to this day to process complex emotions and intense life experiences.
I’ve now been selling paintings, illustrations, and crocheted goods for over 1o years professionally, and can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s absolutely been my dream since I was a kid to be a professional artist that’s recognized for their body of work, and I believe I’m slowly getting there. In fact, I found out that if you google my name that I pop up with an Ai overview of my career and artist statement, which has truly given me a bit of a boost when it comes to celebrating how far that I’ve come.
I started out as a traumatized low income kid that used cruddy crayola pencils to draw their feelings for a therapist, but now, I am working to become a shop owner where I can sell and present my own art, as well as other artists works so I can give back to the art community that has given so much to me over the years. I eventually want to be able to have a store front where I can show multiple different young artists works, and sell my own paintings, as well as art supplies and gifts, to the community, but for now the majority of my clients order their artwork through my website or instagram, and I have an online storefront on Etsy that sells painting and crochet commissions.
Unfortunately I am moving from San Diego, to Corvallis, Oregon, but I still have plenty of clients and customers in the so cal area and hope to be back someday soon. I hope that my art extends throughout the west coast, and touches as many hearts as it possibly can.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road- my life is a bit of a chaotic rollercoaster, and I’m not sure if it’s because I am god’s toughest soldier, or If I’m just lucky- but being an artist is never an easy life path, and being a disabled, lgbtq+, mixed indigenous, and mentally ill artist comes with a huge bucket of obstacles that I’ve had to overcome or accommodate in order to continue working and living.
I’ve survived DV, severe chronic pain and illness, poverty, and homelessness, and while it’s been a hard road, I feel that everything I’ve learned about myself and the friends I’ve made along the way bring a silver lining, and I always try to acknowledge the bright side to even the worst things because staying positive is the only way to get through the day.
All of these experiences have prevented me in some way or another from making the art that I want to make, or even preventing me from even leaving the house at all. Due to my chronic illnesses, I was bed bound for a few years and was struggling to paint or draw because of the severe amount of pain that I was in. This is when I stopped painting big canvases and switched to mostly digital art, or crochet, that I could continue to do in bed with minimal pain.
I had a surgery for my back and it’s better than it was, but still causes me quite a bit of pain if I am not careful, so I have to pace myself when it comes to painting and I can’t paint for hours at a time anymore, but I still am able to draw, paint, and create, and that’s really all that matters. Accommodating my chronic pain is sometimes exhausting and infuriating, because all I want to do is push through and continue working- but I have learned that I have to listen to my body and take breaks often or I’ll be unable to do anything at all for days afterwards.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in vivid landscapes, and illustrative portraits- but I believe that I am most known for my bright, large landscape paintings.
I am most proud of my ability to push through the obstacles that life has given me, and continue to carve out a path for myself because I’m determined to make my dreams come true. I may be a bit delusional to believe that I can be a successful, wealthy artist in this economy, but I am going to do it. I’m going to continue pushing and problem solving and figuring things out and above all creating, until I am recognized for my efforts and creations.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
If you’re just starting out as an artist, one of the most important things you can do is to just draw. Don’t worry about not getting sales, not getting views, etc. Draw as much as you possibly can, whatever you see, all the time and your skills will develop quickly and people will be interested in watching your artistic journey as your drawing or painting skills develop. Eventually the commissions will follow, but your main priority should always be “how can I learn from this/what can I do better next time?” because there is always room for growth, and being an artist is a perpetual transformative experience as your style develops overtime with an accumulation of life experiences, style studies, and more. Stop comparing your artistic style to other people, and instead, focus on developing your personal artistic voice and making it loud enough for people to stop and listen,.
Pricing:
- Digital Illustrative Portraits – 60$+
- Acrylic Paintings – 100$+
- Crochet Commissions – 30$+
- Icons + PFPs – 40$
- Emotes – 5$
Contact Info:
- Website: https://destincramer.carrd.co
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cryptid.inks
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/cryptidinks
- Other: https://cryptidink.bsky.social
