Former software engineer John Houck is a multidisciplinary artist whose work examines human perception and memory. From subtly folded and rephotographed pieces of paper to paintings of psychological landscapes overlaid with personal objects, John explores how shadows can act as signatures of both the condition and the limits of our experience, playfully navigating the intersection between reality, memory, illusion, and imagination.
In today’s podcast episode, host and NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with John Houck to discuss the artist’s thought-provoking practice, which marries visual art with his background in technology. “I love thinking through code as a tool to work creatively and playfully,” he says. “Then I [also] get to be in my studio. It's the best of both worlds for me.” In our conversation, we also investigate John’s fascination with psychoanalysis and find out why he believes that therapy is more effective than grad school for artists who want to get in touch with themselves and their artwork. “Being in therapy did more for me than grad school ever did,” he says. “It was way more effective and helpful in terms of getting in touch with who I am [and] the art I want to make.”
Listeners will also learn time-management techniques for better focus and why truly great artists are constantly “emerging” as opposed to becoming firmly established, as the art world would have us believe. As John comments during our conversation, being alone in the studio is vital, but “at some point, you have to go out into the world and emerge.”
John Houck: Website | Instagram
All photos published with permission of the artist(s).
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