Meet Courtney Cashon | Artist & Illustrator

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

Hi Courtney, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I would say I ultimately chose an art career because of my love of the process of creating art itself as well as the satisfaction I get from turning an abstract mental concept into something physical and tangible. There are career concerns with the introduction of AI, but that won’t stop me from creating art. AI replacing artists was never even on my radar when I was in art school (SCAD) from 2008-2012. I was leaning heavily into pursuing digital art because of the graphic bold colors, the popularity and demand, and the eco-friendly nature of using less art supplies, not knowing AI was just around the corner. I still think there is an emotional component that is missing from AI art that is only found in human made art, but AI has definitely made me rethink the direction of my career as an artist. I have recently gone back to experimenting with traditional mediums like gouache, acrylic, color pencils, and airbrush since it’s so hard to distinguish human made digital art from AI art now. I think this current moment in my career is a pivot back to traditional mediums, but my creative vision and my reasons for artistic pursuit are still the same.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art has evolved over the years and is still evolving now as I’m returning to traditional mediums in this current age of AI. I was proud of mastering digital art in college and after one year of intense practice and creating new digital works, one of my pieces was chosen to be awarded in NYC at the Society of Illustrators. I think that moment was very validating for me after all of the work I had put into learning a new medium. It showed me that I can learn new things, evolve, and grow as an artist. The irony of it all is that I’m now putting digital art aside and going back to more traditional art mediums. The confidence I gained from learning digital art that year showed me that I can learn anything if I set my mind to it. If there’s one thing I’d like to do before my time as an artist is over, it is to fully master oil painting. I think we’re all yearning for more personal, traditional, and physically tactile art now in the era of a mostly digital world. I’m still having fun on my artistic journey–there’s never an end to learning and implementing new ideas. I’m currently enjoying painting with gouache.

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 would ask my friend to put their tinfoil hat on with me and ride across America to mysterious places such as the Coral Castle in Florida, Skinwalker Ranch in Utah, or the mysterious Mt. Shasta in California. I had several paranormal experiences as a teenager, including a life changing UFO sighting, which has piqued my curiosity about the nature of reality itself and inspired ideas for my artwork. It’s the kind of thing that really fuels my imagination.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give credit my parents. Without their constant support and encouragement, I would not have taken certain chances and opportunities growing up that helped me along my creative journey. A lot of parents are not supportive of their children pursuing the arts because of financial concerns, but when I was growing up, they supplied me with everything I needed to learn, grow, and hone my skills as an artist…whether it was art supplies, art tutors, words of encouragement, or help with pursuing scholarships. My first school was also a Montessori school, which I believe was a great space for me to explore my creativity and the natural world through self-directed learning and hands-on experience at a young age.

Website: https://courtneycashon.com