An Interview with Artist, Heaton Johnson
Heaton is a Brooklyn based artist with a focus in photography and mixed media.
We caught up with Heaton (she/they/he) at Soho’s new coffee place — The Lost Draft. There’s an immediate easiness and comfort in the aura that shines around Heaton. He’s not stiff or nervous, instead, he’s just…comfortable in a way that I’ve never seen before in anyone I’ve interviewed. From the jump I liked Heaton’s style and couldn’t wait to shout it from the rafters. But first, there was an outstanding matter I had to bring up.
Stephanie: It’s so good to meet you! Holy shit you’re so tall! I had no idea!
Heaton: Everyone says that!
I order an oat milk iced coffee that for some reason is eleven dollars. Heaton gets a green tea, and I should have gotten one too.
Stephanie: So, I’m just going to dive right in. Tell me about your first experience(s) with art. When do you remember becoming interested in art?
Heaton: Art has always been a part of my life. My mother, who was born & raised in Argentina, had a penchant for all things creative. Her watercolor renditions of flora and fauna from Argentina are especially beautiful. My father, who was born in Peru, was raised in the states and isn’t creatively inclined. Regardless of their vested interests, they were both very supportive of any and all of my artistic endeavors. As a child, I was exposed to many different mediums, watercolors, acrylic, tempra, colored pencils, crayons and paper mache. Rather than being the kind of child that endeavored in recreating life, I chose to create my own. Without ever realizing it, I was developing skills as an abstractionist. Creatures, monsters and various impossible shapes/forms dominated my expression. From as far back as I can remember I wanted to recreate the world as I saw it and how I wished it to be.
Stephanie: Argentinian and Peruvian — that’s a beautiful mix.
Heaton: Thank you. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I became aware of cultural standards of art and how much my own differed. I had the misfortune of having teachers that weren’t open to individualistic expression. Their limited views on what constituted “good art” didn’t extend to my own sowing self-doubt and frustration. I took this frustration and redirected it to film-photography. With a camera in hand, I found that I could still capture the world through a lens and share it with others. Once I’d mastered film, I found myself wanting to do more and started the shift to digital.
When I graduated high school, I moved to Argentina with my first DSLR – Nikon D5100. I spent the next year of my life backpacking, living as a vagabond, sleeping under bridges, homeless, and moving from place to place. Separated from any source of media or professional obligations I was able to devote the entirety of my attention to the craft. I can say with confidence that by the time I moved back to the States, I knew that this would be the rest of my life.
The years that followed were spent dedicating myself to being a professional photographer. It wasn’t until 2017 that I found myself overwhelmed with disillusionment. I had spent so much time and effort becoming the best photographer I could possibly be that once I’d reached the zenith, I didn’t know what to do. I would look at my work, compare it to that of the objective “greats,” and have difficulty differentiating the two. The subject, shadow play and aesthetic were different, but ultimately resulted in the same thing – a good photo.
I didn’t want to take good photos or be a photographer; I wanted to be and create whatever I wanted. I can’t say when it was or how I came to the decision to mix my passions, painting/photography, but It was the greatest thing I’d ever done for myself. Now, It’s with great difficulty that I go any measure of time without creating.
Stephanie: You’ve already lived such a fucking interesting life! OK, I’ve been dying to tell you, I really like your personal style. It’s not contrived or trying to be “like” someone else. It seems very genuine to you. What inspires your day to day style?
Heaton: Thank you! I find myself drawn to “timeless” fashion. The kinds of clothes that don’t come and go with trends. I would never condescend to know anything about fashion, I just wear what feels right. I’m very particular about the textures. I’m uncomfortable touching certain fabrics so I gravitate towards silk, leather and quality cotton. My entire wardrobe is made up of clothing I’ve found at thrift stores. To many, thrifting is a fun trendy way to get unique outfits. My reasons are a lot simpler, I love well-made things and since I’m not interested in brands or gendered clothing, I get the pick of the lot and laughably under-priced.
Most of my life having “style” has been a point of contention with partners and strangers. I like to dress well and put effort into my appearance and that can make those who don’t feel uncomfortable. That I prefer to wear women’s clothing can also be seen as threatening in a world where men’s fashion is so . . . . bleh.
I don’t bring up that the outfit I’m wearing was inspired by 500 Pinterest posts of essentially the same woman wearing the same outfit. I also don’t mention that I googled, “cool NYC outfits for writers” to get to that Pinterest post.
Stephanie: Let’s talk about your artistic style. We’ve really never seen anything like it. How did you come up with it? What makes you want to create in this way? There’s almost a Mr Kite/Lucy in the Sky vibe going on here…we dig it.
Heaton: My art is wholly who I am. It’s how I express pain, happiness, lust, fear etc. The photographs I take, mostly of women, are the vehicle by which I choose to connect with others. By taking a thing most can understand, a portrait, moment in time; and adding my own flare, color, I’m able to connect with others in a way that wasn’t previously possible. The world I see is not the one everyone else seems to see.
Stephanie: The subjects in your photography really seem comfortable and able to let go. I mean they genuinely seem like their just being so authentic in their movement and expression. How do you help make this happen?
Heaton: Thank you for noticing! That is precisely what I endeavor to capture in my images. My models will often come to me, post shoots to share their feelings on the photos. Some hate the way they look, others like them, but all feel that I truly captured who they are. I can’t begin to explain how important it is to me. I want nothing more than to break past the masks we wear. The ones we show are friends, colleagues, family; they’re all different facets of who we are but a part of a singular whole. I want to capture others at their most honest and comfortable selves. I tell all my models, “If you’re not comfortable, inside and outside of your skin, it’ll show. No matter how good you think you might look, if you don’t feel it, others will see it. Being sexy has nothing to do with how attractive we are to others. It isn’t how much skin you show or how suggestive you pose that makes one sexy, it’s confidence and comfort.”
Stephanie: You know what, I actually noticed the mask motif in a lot of your work and I meant to bring that up. So, how, where, and when do you find inspiration for your work?
Heaton: Honestly, I have no idea. I love anime, video games, fantasy and shiny things but I don’t think any of my special interests play a part in my art. I don’t keep up with the latest trends, I have little to no knowledge of celebrities, famous artists etc. and find I’m not interested in taking in the works of others. The only thing I care about is what I create. After spending my life learning to emulate others, to better fit in society, I want my art to be itself.
I pause for a little and ask Heaton about his tattoos. His left arm is essentially a sleeve, full of images from childhood that are meaningful to him. The right sleeve is more meaningful images, but from adulthood. Heaton likes balancing opposites in his work and style.
Stephanie: Just a general observation – you seem cool and calm in a way that I really can only hope for one day. What’s your secret?
Heaton: Thank you for that, I assure you it’s not intentional. I’m just, well, me. I’m tired of pretending, wanting and trying to be anyone else. I know who I am, what I want and my limits. I wake up every morning, thankful to be alive, with one goal – to be the best person I can possibly be. To live up to my own standards, treat others the way I wish to be treated and remember that everyone has a story and endless reasons for who they are and the things they do and don’t do.
Stephanie: Is there anyone who inspires you?
Heaton: No one. The worlds I create are my own and for myself. The art I wish to see is the art that I create and there seem to be few that are doing exactly what I do. I will say that I have seen some photographers add “paint-elements” to their images digitally and I’m not a fan.
Stephanie: Right on. So, I’m living in the world’s coolest borough too. Therefore I need to ask, for you personally,why Brooklyn of all places?
Heaton: No specific reason. My former partner’s dream was to live in Brooklyn and It’s just a happy coincidence that I love living here too.
Stephanie: Back to your art, sorry I’m all over the place. Are the blurs of color in your work the “inside” of the subject? Follow up – is that a weird question?
Heaton: I’m very particular about color and the colors I choose for a series. Sometimes they’re reflections of my emotional state, other times I’ve chosen them to make a statement. I fixate on color combinations and limit myself to them. For example, I’m currently working on a series that aims to tackle autism, masking and my own experiences with it. All the paintings that comprise this series have the same colors used, but in various different quantities, styles and modes of application. There have been times where I thought a painting was done but couldn’t deem it finished until I used every color in the combination.
Heaton was diagnosed with ASD as an adult and he also has synesthesia. He is number adverse and perceives numbers as colors.
Stephanie: How does New York City inspire your work? Your life?
Heaton: New York City is home in a way that no other place has ever been. I’ve lived and worked all over the world and there’s no place like it. I love that every time I leave my house it’s an adventure. An opportunity to see something new and meet beautiful, interesting people.
Stephanie: I couldn’t agree more. I’m kind of obsessed with our city. But, you know, I travel too. I saw that you worked in Mexico a few years ago…tell me about that.
Heaton: While in Mexico, I worked for a non-profit called All Hands and Hearts, an organization dedicated to providing disaster relief to impoverished areas around the world. With the help of volunteers, they rebuild houses and schools for communities that are affected. I was tasked with documenting the process and capturing the stories of the volunteers and community therein.
Stephanie: What’s the inside of your head like? Walk us through the journey from inspiration to finished product.
Heaton: Woof, it’s a mess in there. As an autistic person, most of my life I’ve felt othered, different and unwelcome. It wasn’t until recently that I came to terms with this and self-determined that I had autism. For a long time I didn’t have a name or explanation for why I never felt accepted. I knew I was different, that I didn’t see the world the way others did but It never occurred to me how deep it ran. I had never felt seen, understood or validated until I read ‘Unmasking Autism’. The shame I’d lived with, held onto, melted away the more I learned about myself and others like me. Finding that I wasn’t alone in my disability opened my eyes and has allowed me to love myself.
The process I have for photography is very different to the one I have for painting.
Location, subject, makeup, styling, clothing etc. are chosen deliberately to invoke a feeling, make a statement and/or convey a story. More often than not, I tend to revolve these things around my perception of a person and how I see them.
There’s no particularity about the way I choose models. Sometimes they’re friends, lovers, strangers, professionals. I choose my subjects on one basis, how they make me feel. More often than not, the people I work with are inexperienced and have never modeled before. It’s fun, getting to know someone this way. At the beginning they’re often shy and insecure but through conversation and a candid approach, I do everything in my power to create a judgment free zone where anyone can feel comfortable.
Once the images have been captured, I go through them, doing very light editing and selecting my favorites. Those, I send out to be printed on 11×14 warm white felt paper. I chose this paper because of its thickness, texture and ability to withstand high quality printing and painting. Fun fact, it’s the kind of paper that’s used for business cards.
When the printed image is in my hands, I choose acrylic colors that already exist in the image to accentuate them. I paint without forethought, direction or idea, letting stream of consciousness determine the outcome. Any mistakes or aberrations born of my hand or external stimulus, are left as they are. I find the whole process incredibly freeing. Perfectionism holds no sway in my court.
The second to last thing I do with a painting is sign it. Where I choose to sign has become a game with rules. Where I sign has to be on a horizontal line somewhere in the painting but never on the subject. After signing, I take a photograph of the piece digitally immortalizing it.
Stephanie: Any advice for living more creatively?
Heaton: Do it for yourself. No one will ever care or love your art as much as you. If you don’t love what you do, don’t expect anyone else to.
Love what you see? Check out more of Heaton’s work HERE.
Tawk of New Yawk was given permission to use the following pieces from Heaton Johnson. Using these images without express permission may result in legal penalty.
