Meet Astor Bonder | Tattoo Artist, Illustrator & Bird Enthusiast

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

Hi Astor, is there something you believe many others might not?
I vividly remember meeting with an advisor at one point in art school, who asked me what kind of audience I was targeting with my work. At the time, I didn’t know how to answer that, but also my work at that time was much less public than it is now. I probably didn’t have a real ‘audience’ then, outside of my classmates. Now, though, ‘audience’ is a fairly significant part of my business. I do understand the impulse to make work targeting a specific audience, since so much of my industry is now driven by engagement on social media. However, I was not able to gain any traction with my art until I was able to fully internalize the idea that my taste is not actually unique, and that by making art that I care about, regardless of whether I believe it has broad market appeal, will allow the appropriate audience to find ME. I know this could SOUND like I’m saying ‘make art for yourself <3’, but that’s not quite right. What I’m saying is, the world is vast, and no matter how niche or esoteric you think your work may be, chances are pretty slim that in the many billions of humans out there, there aren’t at least a few who appreciate whatever strange specificities your work puts forward. And at the end of the day, I do believe people can tell when work is made just to get followers or clicks or a paycheck, so you really can’t phone it in.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Professionally, I’ve gotten to where I am now by making friends and connections, and making sure to just take the next step and the next step, even when things fall through. I have to keep going so the chasm of failure doesn’t swallow me up– thus far, that kind of forward momentum has carried me through. Artistically, there’s a phrase I read long ago in a biography of Tom of Finland which, heavily paraphrased, boils down to ‘draw with your dick’– if you’ll pardon the expression. That can be metaphorical, or you can call it your ‘heart’ instead, if you prefer, but the imperative is the same. If you’re not viscerally excited about the work, it won’t be good. Even the most cerebral art has to come from a place of excitation. That’s what’s driven me as an artist. That said, my dick has led me to places I wouldn’t go with a gun, but at least those places are always honest and interesting (artistically speaking).

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.
There’s a great sushi/ramen place in Ktown that I’m a big fan of. I think my ideal evening would be good food, followed by bingsoo, followed by the karaoke bar, then walking home because there’s no parking in Ktown. Do you want to hear me sing the greatest hits from your middle school dance? All arise for the national anthem as the first iconic note of Black Parade plays…

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To all the weirdos and perverts who never let me feel like an abandoned baby bird frying on the pavement.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astorbonder/