Conversations with Paytan Rapue

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paytan Rapue. 

Paytan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been interested in art and showing my creative side, but I never really took it seriously until I got into high school. During lunch, I never enjoyed spending time in crowded lunchrooms, so I would spend the time in art rooms with my peers. This gave me inspiration to pick up my own attempts at art, which first started just in sketchbooks, and then when I got a bit more advanced, I moved onto digital art to preserve my work better. 

I always wanted to use art as a form of a creative outlet, and although I had previously had success in publishing creative writing pieces, nothing really was able to capture what I wanted to explore as strongly as art did. Sure, words said something from the heart, but art provided a different experience for everyone, and that was something that meant the most to me. 

What started off as sketchbook drawings has now resulted in my artwork being tattooed on other people, myself included. In addition, I rarely spend money on seasonal holiday cards, rather going for a hand-made option of personal paintings or drawings that display my own relation to a person. I know I have significant work still to be made as an artist, but I like to think that my work makes people happy and that in itself is all that I need. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Unfortunately, this progress in my art has not been a smooth road! I struggle with a genetic disorder known as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which causes chronic joint pain, and this greatly impacts my hands after a long day of drawing. Often my brain will be unfinished with a piece I am working on, but my hands are in too much pain to continue. This was made even more exponentially difficult with me using digital software on a handheld phone, which required intensive hand involvement in comparison to typical sketching. 

However, I thankfully have incredibly supportive parents that knew how much this meant to me, and after a year of pursuing my art, they chipped in for an iPad, which was an infinite relief in my overall pain and ability to draw with ease. Ultimately this change in tech was the jumpstart I needed for major changes, as soon after I was able to start designing tattoos for my peers, and received my first commission for an album cover. I still am often overcome with joint pain when drawing, but it’s something I take with a grain of salt. Some of the best artists alive have dealt with the greatest pains, and through that pain comes inspiration and power. I would never compare myself to a Frida Kahlo or Beau Bernier Frank, but I understand how instances of pain bring an urge to display beauty instead, and I consistently strive to follow in their footsteps as such. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am currently a Teaching Assistant at the University of Colorado Denver, and I will also be graduating from the school next semester in Summer of 2022. I currently am pursuing my degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Relations (HDFR). Although this to many is a regular 4-year degree, this is something especially important to me due to my previous circumstances. 

At 13 I was diagnosed with major depression, and a common sentiment heard at the time was that I was “too young to be so sad”. This was enraging as I, too, felt this way, but I also knew that mental health did not discriminate on age alone. Due to my limited support outside of my immediate family, however, I took this as a call to action in making sure I would be an adult who did better for future generations. Now I hope to achieve that goal as I am less than 4 months away from graduation. 

In terms of the future, it is always the hardest question to answer. Frankly, at this point in life, my goal for the future is to just keep pushing forward, as my 13-year-old self never even thought this age of adulthood would be a true concept. In this acknowledgment, however, my lack of future plans gives me additional hope that I can use that footing to pursue even greater goals I have not even thought of for myself in this current moment. Even as an adult, I always want to pursue a better existence for my future self, and I only hope the actions I pursue now do that just as I have in the past. 

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
The book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut was the first reading following my journey into recovery that grasped the necessity to overcome trauma, and I have read it every year since I first picked it up. I have the line “So It Goes” tattooed on my wrist from the book to commemorate that life can be devastating, but it also goes on, and that is the nature of existence. 

I also tend to listen to the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack whenever I am studying or drawing by myself, as it is incredibly calm and melodic. It reminds me of traveling off to far realms and destinations, and sometimes that is just what I need when I want to create a new scenery in my mind. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paytanart/?hl=en
• Other: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Prapue/shop?asc=u

Image Credits
@PaytanArt