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Editor's note: KSL.com does a weekly feature on artists in the community. If you have a painter, sculptor, musician or creative genius in mind, feel free to email your submission to fjolley@ksl.com. Please include a contact email for the artist, if available.PROVO — This local artist and student has high hopes for his future, and the future of how people interact with art.
Jacob Haupt, however, wasn’t always interested in learning about art.
“I remember taking a drawing class in seventh grade, but I didn't really enjoy it,” Haupt said. “At that point I was only interested in drawing characters from Dragonball Z.”
Drawing those characters surely paid off for Haupt, who drew an entire comic book for his wife when they were still dating. But he still didn’t consider himself an artist until he was well into his degree in graphic design at BYU.
“After a year in the program I got bummed out,” Haupt said. “I had worked with some clients on projects outside of school, in addition to the grueling assignments within academia, and I didn't feel like I was getting anything back.”
While struggling with leaving the program, Haupt saw a painting by Fidalis Buehler that struck him.
“I still don't really know exactly why I liked that painting so much or why it had an impact on me besides the fact that it just existed,” Haupt said. “I was fascinated by the idea of a lifestyle that would allow me to create things simply because I believed in them. The following week I met with Fidalis and he helped make my divorce from graphic design official.”
Jacob Haupt
He said he’d been getting signs to turn to art — like results on career profile tests that gave him 99 points for “artist” and points 60 and below for any other profession.
Haupt said he is inspired by creation. Music, television and other artists that spark something in him.
“Typically, the response activates a strong desire to create as well,” Haupt said. “I think this is why I see most of my work as a response or a regurgitation to the media that I consume.”
The way people view art has become somewhat dismissive, Haupt said. With the social media approach — to click “like” and move on — people don’t take the time to observe and consider what they’ve seen.
“Not that I feel all art deserves an amount of time, but I think when an artwork instills a feeling or creates a reaction within us it deserves our contemplation,” Haupt said. “So whether it's my art or the work of another artist, I want people to begin to engage with the work in a meaningful way.”
Not committed to any one type of media, he said he works on things in a way that reflects his personality.
“I've learned that I like to move quickly when I work,” Haupt said. “If a certain work takes too long it might not ever become fully realized. I have found I am somewhat obsessive as well, and it is very easy for me to focus in on one thing for a long period of time.”
Graduating next year, Haupt has found the BYU art community surprisingly encouraging. He has connected with faculty and students who help create an environment conducive to producing interesting art.
“Even though my work is available for purchase I don't ever want my artwork to become a product,” Haupt said. “This creates somewhat of an unfortunate or at least impractical situation for my family, but I believe things will work out in one way or another. Whether that means I'll be teaching adjunct for some college or working in fast food I'm not sure.”
Amanda is a writer and pop culture fanatic who studied journalism at BYU. She has written for a candy store, a US Senator, Deseret News, an art museum, Entertainment Weekly magazine, a beauty company, KSL and several artists and musicians. Find her on Twitter @amandataylor88.
