Tell the True Fam about yourself, including what your pronouns are.
My name is Sean Winn (he/they) and I’m an artist currently based in Atlanta, GA. I grew up in Southern California and have lived in many different places in the U.S. and abroad where the queer communities vary in how they express their freedom of expression and creativity. Art has given me that freedom especially in times where I didn’t feel safe or understood. Although I was privileged in having the time to explore my interests and hobbies and even be able to go to school for art, I implore those to really find what makes them happy whether it be fine art, fashion, photography, music, etc., You will find your voice and freedom in those things that allow you the space to truly be yourself.
How has being a part of the LGBTQ+ community influenced your artwork?
When I first got into art and developed my own style I honestly didn’t have any queer influences that drove me in the way that I work. I was making and speaking about things I knew about, in my case, mental health, identity, the outside perspective of heteronormative relationships and how that pertained to me and how I wanted my life to look like as a queer person. Going to a small religious liberal arts college in the middle of America didn’t help in any regard outside of how to show up for myself and my personal beliefs when dealing with bigotry.
As I’ve gotten older and have experienced life with more queer influences, friends, and an exuberant community, it has given me the courage to start having more queer representation and ideology within my latest works. I think every queer artist in some part of their career has a little self conflict about how much they’re willing to expose themselves and point of view, because at the end of the day art is very personal in any capacity or form.
What advice would you give to a beginner artist?
My biggest advice for anyone starting out is don’t get discouraged. Don’t worry about the followers, the likes, the comments, who’s doing what at whatever stage they're at in their career. I get comments all of the time from people, “I’m surprised you don’t have more followers,” “You should be in a gallery,” “Why haven’t you blown up by now?” All of those things don’t matter because at the end of the day I make art for me. When you do something with good intentions and drive everything else will follow suit.
Tell us about your t-shirt design and the message behind it.
The inspiration for my t-shirt design was chosen families. A lot of queer and gender non conforming people don’t have the support of their blood relatives, or sometimes do, but can’t relate to them so they choose the family that best suits their lifestyle or beliefs. With that being another way to build a sense of community, I chose myself and people that resemble some of my closest friendships to be portrayed in my shirt design. “Choose people who choose you,” is a great quote for pride month and in your everyday life. In this community of colorful people and the times we are living in, it is important to feel and be surrounded by love and support.
How are you celebrating Pride Month this year?
Honestly I just want to be surrounded by the people that mean the most to me and spend quality time together whether that be going to a parade, going to an event or just having a few laughs and a movie night.
Our Blank Canvas initiative celebrates expressive, confident, creative, and authentic people who continue to discover parts of themselves in our brand and aren't afraid to color outside the lines—including you. Can you tell us what coloring outside the lines means to you while creating and in your everyday life?
Coloring outside of the lines for me is someone who is confident, curious, and a little bit of a rule breaker. In my creative process that means staying up to date with what other artists are creating, always trying to push myself to be better in my craft, further questioning my ideas and translating them into an art form, but also just sitting down and doing it regardless of how I feel that day always brings out the best energy. You never know how an idea is going to turn out until you actually bring it to fruition.
In my everyday life being a creative person is the exact definition of coloring outside of the lines. It’s not an easy life to lead. It’s very unstable and it takes a person of strong will to keep it alive. Sometimes I get a bit jealous of people who are ok with working a 9-5 office job and leading a simple lifestyle with consistency, but I’ve tried it, and that specific societal system doesn’t fit my personality. Oftentimes those systems don’t even challenge my creative thinking that fuels my dopamine. I know life and the state of living in this economy are hard for a lot of people, including myself, but if you have a dream, follow it.
