I had the pleasure of interviewing 29-year-old Chicago artist Anthony Amos who was brave enough to share his love and passion for art and how he makes money out of it. "My family is known for music and sports, not art. I am the second artist in the family in nearly 100 years. As an African-American you are told to think about your education and that you can't make money out of art and I shouldn't have listened to the negative talk. I would have been way ahead if I didn't," he said.
The first time Anthony fell in love with drawing was when he was 4-years-old. It was his mom who introduced him to a pen and a piece of paper as it was her way of making him stay quiet. Little did she know, she was creating a true artist. Fast forward few years later, his grandmother took him to take art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. This was the beginning to a whole new career for Anthony and a life-changing experience.
"Art kept me off the streets," he says. "I thank my mother and grandmother for the support and introducing me to art."
Art kept Anthony occupied and happy through the years as he experienced tough upbringing. He started with crayons and slowly continued to using more advanced water colors. He even worked as a tattoo artist briefly but because of "a racist" experience he decided to quit and stay focused on his own art.
Anthony finds inspiration in people and animals. His theme is "realism. "My work reveals something about me personally. It represents a longing for connection, a truth about myself and other people," he said. "It reveals there is a desire to be a whole by people, to feel complete. I created my identity through my art," he said.
Anthony's most favorite thing to paint are stars like Mohamed Ali and Mike Tyson as they represent who he looks up to and strives to be, as well as super heroes. "They were people who didn't take shit from anybody and I like that," he said.
Anthony's view of the current state of the art scene is that Social Media is shifting the way art is being viewed. He says that art is being distorted by places like Instagram, etc where the market is over saturated with content and likes. "Artists have to shift from the traditional approach and try other avenues to be successful," he said. "Artists shouldn't assume that following the traditional route is the key to success but believing in yourself and becoming a business savvy artist is key.
He took private lessons and went to the Art Institute of Atlanta for college. But he didn't have enough money to finish so he had to drop out and start working. But even that didn't stop him from following his true passion - his art.
Believe it or not, Anthony wasn't always as confident in his art as he is now. He suffered a major depression after he dropped out of college, which made him question who he is and what he wants from life. What brought him back is his passion for art and the desire to make a change. This is his first year where he proved to himself and everyone else that he can make not just money as an artist but be remembered. "My goal is to be remembered and leave a legacy behind," he said.
His advice to other artists is: "Fight through it. Keep your head up. Get around some people who aren't talking to you in a negative way. That language is going to ruin you if you accept it and this is what I did."
You can check out Anthony's next exhibit at the Conception Art Show on Dec. 1 at Dovetail Brewery, 1800 W Belle Plaine Ave, Chicago, IL.
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