Meet John DeFazio | Mixed-media artist, cinematographer, film director

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

Hi John, why did you pursue a creative career?
I didn’t have a choice. I think you are born an artist, and you can never really choose to become one. Art has been a way of life for as long as I can remember and it informs most of my conscious decisions and thought processes.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
My artwork crosses multiple mediums—spoken word films, mixed-media sculpture, and most recently AI generated imagery, using non-traditional materials like organically grown rust, grease, resin, and grunge remnants mixed with more traditional materials such as photographs, glass, steel, plaster, and found metal objects. Most of my mixed media work is difficult to classify as it mixes disciplines of sculpture, printmaking, photography, and painting. All of my work, regardless of the medium, is generally about the same thing—the decay and rebirth of the human consciousness, the fragility of the human condition (love & loss) and ultimitely what it means to be human, mostly in terms of consciousness and its relationship to our bodies and our existence.

To somewhat answer your question—the most challenging aspect is balancing my professional career as a cinematographer and director with my art-making and spoken-word films, For me the two do not intersect. Although I’m currently directing and producing my first spoken-word feature which is completely self funded so I have more liberties and freedom than I otherwise wouldn’t have. So it’s a constant balancing act and struggle to stay true to your vision while trying to stay employed and pay the bills. The most important lesson I’ve learned along the way is to understand that it’s all about politics, it’s called “show business” for a reason, so try to “let go” and hopefully interject as much of your vision as possible while understanding that you work in an industry with other peoples motivations and careers at stake with a dollar amount attached to it. It’s all about staying employed to keep funding your own Art.

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.
Interesting you ask that because this is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. Like me, most of my friends and families are “foodies”. I’d probably start with a breakfast burrito and Burrito Bomba which operates out of a gas station parking lot in Noho. After breakfast maybe take a drive through the hills to the site of the infamous Wonderland murders and maybe the house of the Sharon Tate massacre. We’d do lunch at the Farmer’s market at the Grove, (which is my favorite afternoon spot in LA and has tons of options) and people watch at Bar 360 at the farmers market or that little outdoor gazebo-style bar near the fountain at the Grove. After lunch maybe check out some movie locations like the underpass in Macarthur Park from Falling Down and maybe Griffith Observatory from The Terminator. For dinner I’d suggest doing the whole Korea Town experience – pre-game with some drinks and a famous Kim-chi pancake from The Prince and then walk a couple blocks to Dan Sung Sa for some korean skewar appetizers, followed by Korean BBQ at Soot Bul Jip. Then maybe finish off the night at an old school Korean bar like Cafe Blue or Potions and Poisons for something more trendy,

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am very lucky that my closest friends are in all some way artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, and creators. When you have that kind of tight circle, the collective creativity and energy feeds off each other. It amplifies and propagates, I’m also lucky to have had a strong foundation – my parents were always supportive of my path in the Arts, and throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Art, Design and Film Production

Website: www.JohnPaulDeFazio.com, www.JDefDP.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/def_az_io_

Other: Latest spoken work piece: https://vimeo.com/730831920 Vimeo DP reel https://vimeo.com/297639013