For the month of March, we are interviewing artist Nathan about his artwork, how his group New World Order is contributing to revising the art community among minorities in southern Wisconsin, and the struggles that a young artist and entrepreneur faces.
Describe one or two of your art pieces, and mention any difficulties you had creating them.
What inspires your art?
I have so many of those lil babies. I’ll tell you about two, one clothing piece and one painting. we’ll save poetry for another day. I recently made a hoodie with some huge angel numbers on the back with the words “I live in divine alignment} on the front, with the flower of life repeating under it. I made that hoodie because I truly feel that way. Even on the days I’m doubtful, I want to have something that reminds me of that message. That’s one of my more accessible pieces. Usually, I make things that are sort of bold and sometimes even vulgar because I wanna make people think, but I wanted to create something to remind people to try to live in alignment with the divine, follow their intuition, and that there’s a balance to be sought after.
The angel numbers all hold different meanings. I’ll spare you the details and tell you that I see them constantly. They are confirmation that one is living in tune & all is happening. They’re also messages from angels, you just have to interpret what they mean for you, but you can look them all up on google. Next, a painting. I m
ade this one randomly and I was in such a good headspace that it took me by complete surprise. But I don’t judge myself so I just appreciated it for what it was/honored that time in my life. It was about suicide and feeling as if all was purposeless or things would be better if I just disappeared. I used to battle those thoughts constantly with no one to talk to or to help guide me through. It’s something I’m proud to have transcended, but also I think I ignore or repress it sometimes. That painting was a nice reminder.
How long have you been creating art?
I’ve been trying to create art for as long as I can remember. I’d say I actually started pursuing different creative disciplines seriously about 7 years ago. started with music & poetry, went to graphic design & painting, then to photoshoots & videos, then clothes & jewelry.
Can you go in-depth about the green leaves painting that had the writing in it What inspired you to create that piece what materials did you use? Were you in a certain mindset? Did it end up the way you thought it would? 
That painting came about in a crazy way and I’m so stoked to tell this story. So after the suicide painting, I sort of challenged myself to explore that style more, using random objects that were either visually or energetically symbolic & combining them with a painting & poetry but doing it completely from my intuition in less than 20 min.
I did that for a whole week. on the 3rd day, I was downstairs with my friend working on the venue, saw a bottle of green paint, said “PLANTS”, ran outside, grabbed some grass, grabbed these two cacti I’ve had for months, some zip ties, & made that while listening to Downers by Green Tea Peng, then I wrote that poem. I love it a lot, I love Earth & nature so much.
Is there any advice that you’ve learned but wish someone told you when you started to create art?
I wish somebody would’ve told me to be inspired by everything and create as often as my brain allowed me to and not to spend any time doubting myself. Also, to know that all of these ideas come
from god and aren’t mine but rather an expression filtered through my ego. that’s why everybody’s art is different and why it’s important to show up every day and do the work so you can figure out who YOU are and what YOUR style is. also, nobody knows what they’re doing, They’re just trying their best.
Is there something you wish people knew when looking at your art? If so, what would you like them to know?
I wish they knew that it was created from tapping into momentary energy and ideas that I’ve consciously and subconsciously been evolving for years, especially when I get political or vulgar. It’s not to be distasteful, it’s just to convey the complete gravity of the concept. I want to make people uncomfortable a bit. It’s healthy. Also that I create in extreme irony to make people think in the complete opposite sides of an issue or a concept so that way they can begin to release their egoic biases and form a more grounded understanding. Lastly, I hope my artwork makes people want to make artwork and I could care less if anybody likes it because I make things I want to exist in the world.
To check out the life of Nate and New World Order, click these links!
Nate: https://www.instagram.com/nateflandersisdead/
(his clothing brand) https://freeacid.bigcartel.com/
