Layers Upon Layers: Mixed Media Art

Artist Profile: Tejae Floyde

by Cyndi on September 20th, 2007

Perfect Love

Artist: Tejae Floyde
Business name: Tejae’s Art
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Website & Blog:
Tejae’s Art blog
Etsy shop

Inside Heart

How do you describe your work, Tejae?
Simply “Artful”. My work is a mixture of elegance with a funky explosion of color. I’m passionate about creating and my eclectic style shines through whether I’m working with silver, polymer clay or altered paper arts.

What is your creative process like?
A day in the life of me…ok, well first of all, I have a darling family, husband and son (18) and I work full time. My “art” time is anytime I’m not working or spending quality time with my family. A typical day is waking up around 4:30am with “art ideas”, I go down into the basement where my studio is, most often I answer emails, and work on art projects until 6am then I stop and get ready for work. After a full day of work at the office, I come home, spend time with my honey, he usually cooks dinner, we eat together and most nights I go back down to the studio. (We do have date nights, Tuesday and Friday, which I highly recommend.)

In my studio, I have a workbench with a lot of my art supplies within arms reach. I also have a desk with my pc, a bookcase and several storage towers. I usually work at my workbench. I create by instinct. I have a loose theme (a word or phrase) in my head of an idea, but once I start working, it’s a flow process. I don’t plan things out completely. I find the finished pieces have more energy if I work intuitively with them, instead of trying to stick to some preconceived plan.

As for music, sometimes I like the silence and sometimes I like background noise. If I have music playing I like listening to music I’m not familiar with, so that I don’t sing along. I like this for several reasons, first I’m not a very good singer (ha), also it throws me off a little creatively if I’m working and hear a old song from high school days, it takes my mind to a place in the past. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just prefer to listen to unfamiliar music because it takes my mind to a new place, new scenery, new landscapes.

Artist Trading Cards

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I grew up in an artistic family :) Self expression was totally acceptable and encouraged. Art was a daily part of my life. Once I became an adult, I started taking various art workshops, figure drawing, oil painting etc. This opened up my curiosity and I began to question myself on “why” I liked certain art. If you begin to ask yourself, “is it the colors? the composition? the textures?”, you can find out what inspires you at the basic level. Once you know what it is that appeals to you, you can start to create work that inspires other people based on those elements.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
I’m a tool junkie. I LOVE tools. I probably have more tools than my husband but really the thing I couldn’t imagine living without would be my hands. I use an Xacto knife for alot of projects but I use my hands, fingers, palms, knuckles, even my nails for a lot of my work.

Bowl of Hearts

What inspires you to create?
Texture! I love texture. It can be a raised surface or subtle layering of colors or patterns.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
When I get frustrated, I change mediums or I get out of the studio. First I put the project aside, and work on a different project. When I come back to the problem piece, I see something that I didn’t notice before. I usually see what’s bugging me right away and am able to change it OR I see something that propels me forward to alter the piece in a different way.

Loved

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Above all else, be true to yourself. Don’t settle for being a second rate artist (copying other artists), be a first rate YOU. Develop your own unique style and your own voice.
Blaze your own trail. Every artist has found a way to make things work for them in their own unique life circumstance. Don’t feel trapped by your circumstances, instead think outside the box, visualize where you want to be and the simpliest way to get there. Work towards it using your own set of unique gifts. Network, ask for help. You probably have at least 5 people in your life right now that can help you achieve any of your goals. You just have to ask. You don’t need a college degree to make art, you need passion and talent. If you have passion, you can learn technique. Talk to people who inspire you. Strive to be better by learning new things. Create work that makes you proud. Learn new things, meet new artists, and share your work with others.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
My full time job and then the internet. Answering emails, updating my blog, blog hopping. :)

Soul Heart

What’s your favorite pastime besides art?
Spending time with my husband, Tim. We’re very close and enjoy watching movies or just talking to each other. We have very engaging conversations. We don’t always agree but are free to share our ideas with each other. I admire him as a person. He makes me laugh and opens my mind up to alternative ways of viewing life. I also love spending time with my son, Timmy, but he’s 18 and not at home very often :)

Related Stories

What’s Pipyr up to now?
How to get your work featured on Layers Upon Layers
How to get your work featured on Layers Upon Layers
Introduction to basic stamping!
Joe Pogan’s new assemblage videos

POSTED IN: Artist Profiles, Bead Art & Jewelry, Business tips, Creativity, Mixed Media, Paper