Meet William Bigby | Visual Artist

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

Hi William, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Giving up is a term I like to keep out of my vocabulary. I think as a mindset, it prevents you from achieving. Yes, sometimes it may seem ideal to give up and move on but any time you feed into that mindset, you close yourself off to potential opportunities. At the same time, there are times when I think that continuing is unnecessary. Instead of giving up, I think it is important to say you gave it your best, but the time wasn’t right. For me, I pursue something until I feel I am not getting anything out of it anymore. The right time to drop something after you’ve given your time to it, is when you feel that it does make you ecstatic to continue working on it. I think that what you do should bring you joy, and if what you’re doing starts to feel like job rather than a fun passing of time, then it might be time to put it down and try something new. The main reason why I think quitting isn’t the way to go, is because quitting is definite. If you don’t quit, and put down whatever you’re working on or pursuing; you can revisit it whenever you feel the time is right to do so. Don’t sell yourself short, when maybe the time just isn’t right.

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 parents got me my first camera for Christmas in 2020, and I immediately began
photographing. I became obsessed with framing, and capturing my two little sisters, my
mom and my dad, but I was most intrigued by capturing the emotions that I was feeling.
My strong suit is portraiture, as I began my photography journey shooting self portraits. I
was determined to express how I was feeling during the pandemic, yet I never had the
words to express myself. Being the ambitious and curious person that I am, I began to
play with colorful lighting, and makeshift backdrops to produce portraits that depicted the
emotions I was feeling. Photography became by therapy, as the images I was producing were direct visual
representations of my emotions. As time passed, and the pandemic died down,
photography became my means of communicating with the outside world. I forced
myself to go out and take pictures of other people with the hopes of regaining my social
skills back, and luckily I did. My sophomore year in high school I took photography at
my school to fulfill my art requirement, and I fell in love with the medium even more.
This class helped me to deepen my conceptualization skills, and better craft my eye. The
more I put into the art, the more I got out of it. Today I still focus deeply on portraiture,
but thematically, my work centers around self-expression, and freedom of the body and
the mind.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I stay in the Pasadena/Highland park area, and spend most of my time around there. If I could plan out a perfect day I would start at Cindy’s Diner. I love the Noah’s Arc which consists of 3 pancakes, two eggs of your choosing, and bacon, a traditional breakfast that gets the job done. After that, I would take a shopping stop in Old Town, because 2nd Street is there and (sorry to everyone else) the Pasadena 2nd Street trumps all. I get tired easily, and need breaks throughout the day so I’d take the drive down to Brookside park near the Rose Bowl because it is peaceful and shaded. One of my new favorite spots to stop at is Octavia’s Bookshelf, even if you don’t need a book, Octavia is knowledgeable, and fun to talk to while you browse the shelves. For lunch, we’d have to go back to Highland Park to go to Gold Burger. Smash burgers are my favorite and they have some of the best ones. After lunch, Huntington Gardens is a safe bet. It’s a place with beautiful scenery and a vibrant environment. The place is huge and you could spend a whole day in there but dinner is soon. For dinner, I would go to Guisado’s, one of the best Mexican restaurant’s In the area. They make their tortillas with fresh masa, and their horchata is top tier. Finally, to end the night a movie would be the cherry on top. Regency Academy 6 is the best theater to go to especially if you don’t feel like paying 20 dollars for a ticket. With cheap tickets, and cheap snacks, Regency is the best place to see a late night movie. And that would conclude my perfect day!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My grandmother, Barbra Bigby passed away this July. I owe her a great thanks, and want to dedicate this shoutout to her. My has played a big role in shaping me to be the person that I am today. A selfless, loving, and caring person, she would always put others before herself. She taught me to love, and taught me how to accept love. She accepted me for who I was, as she did everyone else. The most supportive soul, she would travel near and far for my art competitions, would send me weekly messages letting me know she was proud of me, and she would cheer on anyone, no matter the circumstance. She brought influence to my life, telling me stories of my family that has influenced a lot of my work, and storytelling. She brought peace to our lives, with love and care. This shoutout is for you grandma! Thank you for everything.

Website: https://williambigby.com

Instagram: @william.bigby