It's hard to remember the positive aspects of Instagram when you’re inundated with pictures of avocados and selfies, even if they are #artselfies. During a period where originality online seems to be lacking, one man has given a new meaning to social media: WATTS.
As one of the masterminds behind the lifestyle brand LVRS (Theophilus London's brainchild brought to fame through awesome collabs), WATTS has been flexing his creative muscles for a while now, but his new project takes a different route. With the help of artists, he has single-handedly made it easier for us to want to love Instagram again. Acting as a curator on the social media platform, WATTS posts artwork by both seasoned vets in the art world and new, ambitious artists.
WATTS began this project on Instagram and has since exported it to Twitter and Tumblr, resulting in a triple-threat art sharing system. The project stemmed from WATTS’ discontentment with the monotonous attributes of Instagram paired with his inherent love for art. Artists can email their work to WATTS, and he posts his favorite pieces, a simple yet very effective method that allows almost any artist to have his or her work viewed by WATTS’ 75.5k+ followers.
We caught up with WATTS, and he shared with us the origins of his Instagram project, some of his favorite artists, and what he has in store for us next.
Interview: LVRS Co-Creator WATTS Talks About Curating Art on Instagram
1.
What inspired you to dedicate Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter accounts to sharing artists’ work?
I guess I was tired of seeing just selfies on Instagram, and I was bored with Instagram, but I saw the popularity in it, and I was always into different textures and different images. There was always Tumblr as a platform to put your art our there, and I saw Instagram as being a similar platform. I figured that people would want to see these images on their Instagram feed pop up, and it would perhaps inspire some new artists out there.
I think I’ve had some psychedelic experiences that definitely triggered another form of loving art.
When did you start this project?
I started Instagram whenever Instagram first started, and I was one of those people in the beginning who just posted random pictures of my friends or maybe a foreign place that I visited. I started posting just pictures of textures, not really art pieces. It might’ve been glitter or gravel or just dirt, just different textures that I thought were interesting. From there it evolved into different artists, real artists.
Can you pinpoint where this love of textures and art in general came from?
I think I was just born with a love for art. I think I’ve had some psychedelic experiences that definitely triggered another form of loving art. These psychedelic experiences triggered a deeper meaning to colors and shapes; they started being more than just colors and shapes. There was a separation of objects that I’ve never seen before, different dimensions that I’ve never seen before, different shading and pattern. Through these experiences certain artists that I see now trigger those very extreme psychedelic experiences that I’ve had.
2.
What has been the most rewarding part of creating these social media accounts?
I love when an artist is like, “Thanks so much, you’re helping me out with my career.” But more important than that, I love the daily note that I get when people across the world tell me how inspired they are, that they wake up every morning to my feed, my feed gets them going through the day, and my feed is what inspires their new piece of work.
I posted this Islamic piece the other day, and somebody hit back in Arabic. I asked if someone could translate, and then somebody else hit back and said, “What this person and I feel is we feel like you touch us.” That meant a lot to me because I’m halfway around the world, and you don’t see a lot of Arabic art. They may think that all Americans hate Muslims, and it meant a lot to me that I was able to touch them wherever they were, and they can wake up and say, “Wow, this American dude doesn’t know me, but he feels what we’re going through.”
My brain thinks so fast when it comes to art. I might love something at 12 o’clock today and love the next thing at 12:15 even more than the last.
Do you think you’re responsible for any artists gaining greater recognition?
Absolutely, hands down. I get emails and texts all day just saying something as simple as, “Every time you post my work I sell X amount of prints.” Everyday I get hit up by a handful of artists just thanking me so much for giving them that exposure. I do a lot of work finding new artists, people that only have 100 Instagram followers, and instantly that 100 followers turns into 300 followers because of one post. I love all the love that the artists have been giving me. Now people are giving me pieces of their original work too, which is amazing.
I do create myself, but I haven’t shared any of my art, and I know typically artists like to trade art, so I’m able to trade posts for art, which is amazing. Artists are just inspiring. They discover all these new artists through my posts, and they may paint their next painting a little bit differently because of that.
People may think they may have an original idea, and then I post something similar, and they’re like, “Oh wait, that’s been done.” I know a couple of instances where I’ve posted art, and it’s caused drama. Somebody will comment, “You copied off of me.” But it shows them, you might not be as original as you thought. I guess great minds think alike, you never know.
3.
Are there any pieces that stood out to you more than any others?
My brain thinks so fast when it comes to art. I might love something at 12 o’clock today and love the next thing at 12:15 even more than the last. Some pieces will give me goose bumps, and some I’ll just post for a follower’s reaction. It depends how I feel at that particular time of day. Everything is new, and with the Internet being so fast and me discovering all these new works, I don’t even have time to reflect on an older piece. The walls in my room right now are bare because I see so many images I cant focus on just one piece. I can’t just wake up and say, “This is the piece that I’m living the rest of my life with.” It’s always changing.
Do you plan on expanding?
Absolutely! I have a small team, and we’re building out a print shop, and I’ve been curating a bunch of shows recently. I’m doing collaborations with specific artists, and we’re doing a bunch of exciting things. We’re definitely expanding. We’re building up the brand now.
Do you think social media is the greatest vehicle to gain exposure, whether it’s in art, fashion, music, or any other creative field?
Hands down, absolutely! Like we talked about earlier, that’s why I’m able to touch Saudi Arabia. I’ve never been to Saudi Arabia, I’ve never been to the Middle East, but I’m able to talk to Saudi Arabia, Korea, Sweden, Italy, and South Africa all in one instance. Social media has given me a worldwide platform.
What are some of your favorite places to view art?
Some of my favorite places to view art are actually in people’s homes. I like the privacy. I’m not a huge people-person, so I like the privacy and intimacy of finding a new piece of art in people’s home. I’ll go to the bathroom and it’s like, "Bam! There’s some new art I’ve never seen before."
And in that way, you get to see art you otherwise wouldn't, right?
Exactly, we’ve all seen The Mona Lisa, but we haven’t necessarily seen a piece by Jon Koko. I’m all about finding the new. I can post Van Gogh, and I can post Warhol and Basquiat all day, but I’m all about finding the Gabrielle Watsons and Sean Sullivans of the world.
4.
I saw that you posted a piece by René Magritte the other day, which was a bit of a change from the usual emerging artists you post.
I love René. He’d probably be my favorite artist. René has something special going on. People know the guy with the apple in front of his face, but they don’t know more than that. Aside from exposing new artists, I enjoy exposing people to extremely established artists that can sell pieces for $200,000,000.
If you could say anything to artists out there that are apprehensive about sharing their work, what would it be?
This is really hard because I am one of those artists. I create, but you don’t see one of my pieces on Instagram. If I could say anything it’d be, just put it out there and see what happens and don’t be afraid of criticism. But I’m being a hypocrite because I’m that person that is afraid to put their work up because they’re afraid of what people will say.
