April 05, 2022Artists

Meet Encinitas based Artist Syd Perkins - Art of Anomie

EAST TO WEST COAST
I grew up in Boston, but Encinitas is definitely home now.

AN ARTISTIC JOURNEY
I’ve always had a love and appreciation for art and design. I grew up doodling on almost everything, and art was my favorite class in school, but I really didn’t dive into it until recently. In 2018 I left the States to travel and was on the road for about two years when the pandemic hit. I suddenly found myself back in my hometown with quite a bit of time on my hands and my mind still wandering on some faraway coast. Drawing is meditative for me, and staying creative really helped me get through quarantine. Creating art allowed my mind to stay in the flow state I enjoyed so much while traveling. I started with sketching, which turned to ink on paper, which turned to painting and eventually made its way into graphic illustration and design. I still enjoy working in all mediums. Although I do a lot of graphic art, my favorite is probably ink and watercolor.

Art of Anomie Her Waves featured artist Sydney Perkins SHAPING THE PATH
Traveling, experiencing different cultures, and surrounding myself with people who are vastly different from me has given me a lot of perspectives and influenced how I move through the world. I also studied criminology in college and spent a lot of time volunteering and working within social services, which definitely shaped who I am today.

Meeting people from all walks of life led me to not get too caught up in any one set of priorities or to feel the same pressure to join in on the rat race it feels we have going on over here. In some places, the most important thing is to get x office job, while in others it’s to catch x amount of fish by sunset. We all live in our own realities, and one isn’t more important than the other. I think keeping that in mind allowed me to feel comfortable taking a more creative path.

THE WORLD AROUND ME AND ART
I’m much more of a listener than a talker, and I love taking an observational seat and finding nuances in our interactions and in the natural world to weave into my work. I’m obsessed with shadows and reflections. I love the idea that humans are 60% water. I think the motif of “bodies of water” runs through most pieces I create. I also love anything that blurs the line between our bodies and the earth and the sea, and I focus a lot of my work at that intersection.

Her Waves artist interview with Sydney Perkins Art of Anomie
INSPIRATION IS ALL AROUND
So many things! My very first illustrations were female surfers though, and women in the water will always inspire me. I think the year I spent in Australia really grounded my love for the sea. It’s where I learned to surf, and living there was definitely what led to me eventually moving out to Encinitas. Both here and Australia are home to a lot of badass women on waves. All the strong feminine energy in the water has had a massive influence on my art. It’s something I’m continually humbled and inspired by. I remember the first time I saw a girl in the lineup cross-stepping up to the nose, and I was like, Woah…THAT is art. The surfers I draw are a sort of celebration of all the women in the water out there shredding in such a historically cis-male-dominated sport.

Stemming from that, women’s empowerment has been a consistent narrative in my artistic journey and definitely shows up in a lot of my work. I love celebrating bodies through art. I went to a live drawing session (where someone models nude for a class) around the beginning of my drawing career, and my art hasn’t been the same since. So I think we’re heading in a positive direction now. Still, I do feel that society raised us to either shame or sexualize female nudity. This led to a difficult relationship with my own body growing up, as it did for a lot of women in my generation. In this sense, drawing figures became a sort of therapy. Reframing my perspective to viewing bodies as art has been really powerful and creatively inspiring for me.

CHALLENGES AS AN ARTIST & ENTREPRENEUR
Wearing all the hats! I love drawing and creating full time, but ironically the creative part tends to take a backseat to all the administrative/marketing side of freelancing. It’s definitely a balance that I’m still trying to figure out.

BEST ADVICE I'VE RECEIVED
Do what you can, where you are, with what you’ve got.

Her Waves artist Interview with Encinitas based artist Sydney Perkins, Art Of Anomie
FAVORITE THINGS OUTSIDE OF CREATING
Surfing for sure, and really anything involving being outside. I have a ritual of going for a jog and jumping in the ocean every day. I love road trips out to the desert, checking out art galleries, catching live music with friends, and perusing book stores and thrift shops.

SUPPORT SYDNEY'S CREATIVE JOURNEY
You can find and support Sydney's creative journey by following her on Instagram: @art.of.anomie and many of her beautiful art works are available to purchase in her Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/artofanomie/

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS:
FAVORITE SURF SPOT
I learned to surf at the Pass when I lived in Byron Bay, so that wave will always hold a special place in my heart. At home here in Encinitas, though, I think Beacons is my favorite.

BEST PLACE ON EARTH
This is a tough one! Probably Byron Bay, all of my happiest memories are from living there. But, apart from that, I fell in love with Morocco. The culture, colors, and patterns there are beyond beautiful, and there’s a certain shade of blue found there that I think I’ll never get over.

LONGBOARD OR SHORTBOARD?
Longboard, for sure. I love just cruising, and to be honest, shortboarding stresses me out, haha. I’d love to get more comfortable with it one day, but for now, I’ll stick to a log.

YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?
Creativity will always be a better mirror than the one on the wall.
- (unknown, unfortunately)

ONE THING ON YOUR « BUCKET LIST »?
Hmm. I’ve done a lot of hiking, a lot of camping, and a lot of traveling with just a backpack, but I’ve never gone proper backpacking (combining the three). So for right now, that’s on the list!