Meet Bad Talents | Artist & Designer

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

Hi Bad Talents, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
The core of my identity has always been tangled up in art for as long as I can remember: my mom gave me my first miniature play easel when I was three years old, and she says she watched me contemplatively stand back to observe the first painting I was “working on” before making my next brushstroke—according to her, that’s when she knew I was an artist.

It feels like I’ve spent the majority of my life convincing myself that the world wouldn’t come to a crashing halt if I didn’t pursue art professionally. I was raised by a banker father and a brother that was reading the Wall Street Journal for leisure at age nine, so I always felt this self-inflicted pressure to pursue something more “practical” while keeping art on the back-burner. I studied in the Mendoza College of Business for three years at the University of Notre Dame before realizing that, if the classes felt like nothing short of inhumane punishment, I probably wasn’t cut out for that career path. It took a few more years of me trying to (unsuccessfully) squeeze myself into the traditional American mold of 9-5 non-creative office jobs until I finally got out of my own way and decided I needed to live a more purposeful life—and by that I mean, feeling as if what I’m doing is coming from my heart as opposed to my (very neurotic) head. It’s funny how it took me over two decades to finally just give in to the thing that I’ve wanted to do since age four.

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.
My mixed-media work expands contemporary concepts of drawing & painting by uniquely combining figurative works on paper with textile backgrounds. These backgrounds are exclusively composed of repurposed vintage textiles and secondhand clothing, much of which I source from my own closet or those of my friends and family. Did you know that one garbage truck’s worth of textiles is dumped in a landfill or burned every second? My work references the pollution of the fast fashion industry and highlights the tension between the modern experience of beauty and consumption. With the urgency of the global climate crisis, I’m trying to do my small part of living a more conscientious life of anti-consumption, and my art practice helps to keep me honest and accountable.

After honing my professional art practice for about five years under my personal name (Shelby Alexander), I recently decided to rebrand my creative identity to Bad Talents® as a means of creating a larger brand umbrella to work under. I now exclusively operate under this new pseudonym, which feels a bit like an alter ego – it’s been a thrilling experience to build this new brand ethos from scratch. I’m also incredibly excited to extend the Bad Talents name into new creative fields (i.e., hand-crafted clothing!) in the near future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I get most excited about all of the beautiful, unexpected pockets of nature in the area. The James Irvine Japanese Garden is a hidden downtown gem, tucked away in Little Tokyo on top of the Doubletree by Hilton; it’s such a peaceful reprieve from the speed of every day life. Big Bear is a great spot for a weekend trip not too far from the city – there is something so majestic and surreal about being on a massive lake that high up in the mountains. And no trip to LA is complete without a stop at Monty’s Good Burger for the absolute best vegan burgers and shakes!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my grandmother, Lorelei, in any story relating to my creative success: she was a painter herself, and without her, I don’t think I’d be pursuing art as I do today. Being raised by a single father in a conservative, midwest household meant that I was rarely exposed to creatives when I was younger; however, I was lucky enough to have my grandmother as a role model for a confident, independent woman who lived through her art. Aside from her, I have to thank my painting professor, Father Martin Nguyen, for pushing me through my dark days of college when I didn’t believe in myself or my talent. He’s the type of professor that makes a college experience truly meaningful. When I landed my first solo exhibition in 2019, five years after graduation, Father Martin sent me the most touching card to congratulate me; I will forever be grateful for his encouragement throughout the years.

Website: www.badtalents.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelbyalexander1/

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bad_talents

Image Credits
Emma Lou Photo and LorealMade Photography