Jalen Carr
Go to school, get a job, work until your clock expires. This is the life we are led to pursue by parents, teachers, and society. We have been taught to stay inside the box and follow the leader. This path of life makes you a character of your story rather than the author. I lived my life inside the box until I decided to take control. I have wanted to be an artist since I was a child, but in college I studied exercise sports science. I never imagined that for myself, but it was the path chosen for me by my mother. After two years of school, I finally followed my passion and switched my focus to studio art. This was a life changing moment; I had gained my freedom. My intentions as an artist are to inform others that they should follow their passion and never let others live through them. By doing what makes others happy you are a puppet. We are all individuals; everyone is not meant to do the same things. In my work I want you to see the strings of control that have been placed on us and that you can break free from the box. Using skateboard grip–tape as my canvas, my works are designed to express symbols of control and becoming free from this control. I inspire people to think for themselves and realize they are free to live the life they want and not a life chosen for them.
Jalen is an aspiring artist and soon to be Bachelor of Arts graduate from Coastal Carolina University. Originally, majored in Exercise Science however after two years he pursued his passion for the arts. This was the result of Jalen believing that people should follow what they are passionate about. He works with many forms of art including drawing, sculpture, painting, and tattooing. Jalen specializes in life drawing, using charcoal and graphite pencils. He is also an amateur tattoo artist, with the goal of one day opening his own shop. Jalen has been offered an apprenticeship by the artist Yanna Forest; that he will pursue after graduation. His current works are focused on the concept of breaking away from societal norms and doing what you are passionate about.