Meet Sunny Strader | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sunny Strader and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sunny, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Pursuing a career in the arts has never been much of a choice for me — it has always been a calling. I have tried many times to pursue more “practical” paths, but art prevails every time. The more I’ve imagined a different life for myself, one in which I’m mostly driven by money and financial security, the more I want to grow and protect my own practice. Art is my life and my life is art.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I feel like I’m at a rather pivotal point in my career right now, sort of like a departure from a tired facade of who I thought I was, and an arrival at my authentic self. My artwork, which has traditionally been in the documentary tradition, has taken on new levels of consciousness and spirituality. In my first interview with Voyage LA, I was adamant about “photographing every day people in the every day world” but now, I’m much more interested in creating work that doesn’t merely reflect our material world. I want to explore painting, collage, beading, film, trauma, memory, set decorating, and imaginary spaces.
 An example of how my work has changed is my most recent project: Sunlight Oracle Deck. It’s a user-friendly deck of tarot-like cards, complete with a guidebook. The deck features 48 of my original artworks created during the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown. There are four cards for each sign of the zodiac. This work is the wildest and most interactive work I’ve made to date. The most important lesson I’ve learned is this: Success can not be measured by exhibitions, publications, social media metrics, or interviews. This has been a very difficult thing for me to unlearn, but I’ve gradually learned how to measure success by how much fun I’m having, how adequately I can solve problems, and how much what I make touches other humans. Looking at my life as it is, I can trace most of my successes to an intense curiosity, a radical self-acceptance, and my persistent drive to create.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite pastime in Los Angeles is going to the movies, and my favorite theater is the Los Feliz 3 ($6.50 bargain for a matinee). I like to visit the dozens of exotic birds at Pet Care Inc., a local pet store in Boyle Heights. My favorite place to shop is the Long Beach Flea market, the third Sunday of every month. Favorite food pick-ups include Âu Lạc Downtown LA, Masa in Echo Park, French Market in Venice, Andy’s Restaurant in North Hollywood, and Messob in Little Ethiopia. For art, I highly suggest The Underground Museum in Mid-City. For inspiration and dreaming, I suggest the Floral District and the Fabric District on a chaotic Saturday morning.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron has been an immense influence on my work in recent years. The book is a 12-step program for artists who’ve lost their mojo, confidence, etc. I refer to this book almost daily, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Website: www.sunnystrader.com
Instagram: @sunnystrader
Twitter: @sunnystrader
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunnystraderart

Image Credits
All images copyright Sunny Strader