Meet August Myers | UNCO Art Guild Founder, Illustrator, Aspiring Tattoo Artist

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

Hi August, what matters most to you?
Community is easily one of the most important values I hold. In the beginning of 2022 myself and three other students at the University of Northern Colorado founded the UNCO Art Guild, a club dedicated to empowering young artists through education, opportunity and community. The 2022 fall semester was our first time back in person after two years of online classes during the pandemic. Many students expressed the lack of connections and community within the School of Art and Design, and Art Guild was founded through open and honest conversations with students who wanted to better their school and get the most out of their education. As artists, community is essential to all of our growth and survival. Supporting one another is key to keeping an artistic community alive and that is the main goal of Art Guild and my personal art practice. Outside of the club, pursuing tattooing also allows me a connection with my community and this is something I am excited to explore.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work explores themes of nature, introspection and personal journeys primarily through illustration. Within the last few years my work has changed dramatically. Originally pursuing concept art for film and games, I switched over to illustration and tattoo designs after struggling with mental health and considering dropping art completely. I found freedom, creativity and the ability to play and explore through illustrative work. Finding tattooing gave me a sense of purpose in my work, allowing me to create and grow with a solid goal in mind. Much of my work is a mix of personal and universal. I create out of intuition and draw on nature for inspiration: building symbols and a visual language to represent my own thoughts and emotions, while making these concepts universal through tattoo design. Although I am not tattooing yet, being open about my interest in it has already sparked connections and conversations I otherwise wouldn’t have. As a transgender person, giving fellow queer/ lgbt+ people a safe space to get tattooed and have a good experience is part of what drives my ambition to tattoo. Despite doing art all my life it took a long time to find a path in it that was right for me, but I’m excited to pursue tattooing and the challenges it will bring!

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 love all the local businesses that Greeley has to offer! For a bite to eat or a place to hang I might take someone to one of our local coffee shops like John Galt or Margie’s Java Joint and to Luna’s Tacos or Sherpa Grill for food. I also love being outside and Greeley has some nice parks. Glenmere and Bittersweet are my go to, but a walk or bike ride down the Poudre trail is also really nice. Something I also appreciate about Greeley is the dedication to its history. The historic Centennial Park Village has some really cool Greeley history in it and the Colorado Model Railroad Museum is a must see. Greeley has a good art scene as well, with galleries like the Tointon and Madison and Maine with great local artwork on display. The art alley downtown and various public art are always fun to tour.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a big shoutout to my mom: Sandy Shakti! Sandy is a yoga and bellydance teacher and a member/ founder of Troupe sidysaan (a local Greeley bellydance group). She is creative, dedicated and loved by her students and community. Her troupe is very active in the local bellydance scene, often seen performing at locations like the Arts Picnic, Renaissance Festival and yearly shows hosted by the troupe. Her creativity goes beyond bellydance. Aside from hand making all of her dance costumes, Sandy works in a variety of mediums and is always experimenting and creating and has been a big supporter of and inspiration for my art. Her hard work and commitment to creativity has allowed me to be where I am in my art journey today and I am deeply grateful for her support.

Website: https://augustmyers.wixsite.com/portfolio

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