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

Hi Angela, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
People tell you that if you work hard, eventually you will succeed. I think that’s really a matter of perspective and based on your own measurement of success. You can work as hard as you want but if you don’t have a community of people around you helping you grow and build, there’s a really good chance the kind of success you want won’t happen. You can work really hard but the difference between a bedroom/garage artist and an artist selling out stadiums and showing in galleries is the network of people around you. And ultimately it’s about your own passion and obsession for your craft.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work is, in a lot of ways, about my obsession with the future. The disconnect from the past, obsoleteness, and the future of us where maybe we are all these sort of androgynous beings in obscured landscapes. I should say that I’m still not where I want to be, I have so much more to learn, I’ve experimented a TON and tried everything I was ever interested in when it came to painting. Overcoming challenges requires asking for help, leaning on others, and that’s really uncomfortable for me. But I wouldn’t have survived without the people that are around me and even the people that are no longer around me. But you have to keep going. The real failure is stagnation and complicity.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, if we weren’t on lockdown, I’d say visiting the Bradbury building downtown for some cool architecture. Getting food and drinks at Grand Central Market. Heading to the Arts District for some craft beers and art galleries. I love to go gallery hopping on a Thursday or Saturday night. Going to the beach but not Santa Monica or Venice, maybe Huntington and have a bonfire. Hiking up in the foothills or going to the Griffith Observatory. Highland park or echo park for drinks. Silverlake or Echo Park for a show.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This shoutout is specifically for my friends who financially support my work and the people that share my work even if they don’t buy it or can’t buy it. The folks who believe in what I do, encourage what I do and enable me to continue to do it.

Website: www.doomngroom.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dagpaints

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