Featured Artist: Coffeeman
Coffeeman’s designs instantly make you feel like you’re on vacation from reality. Brightly-colored popsicles, relaxed animals enjoying cups of coffee, and sushi rolls napping are just a few of the moments that can transport you to a colorful new world. Robert admits that his greatest hope is to “steal a smile from people who see my illustrations” – a feat that he certainly achieves with his unique and positive designs.
Robert – from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – tells us, “I love my country, its people and its tropical climate” but he would still love to visit more places in Europe and the United States. He understands that the world around him is filled with inspiration and that the more he sees, the more creative he can be.
His creative process starts with an attempt “to catch the ideas anywhere and anytime” because everything around him is inspiration. However, he says that his work must always meet at least two requirements: 1) It must be funny and 2) It must be creative (either with “negative spaces, optical illusion or mixing concepts”). Coffeeman also shares that visionaries like Leonardo da Vinci and Elon Musk encourage him because they make what “many people think is just a dream” into a reality.
Coffeeman also loves how art connects him with people; or the way in which even a t-shirt design can “start a conversation with another person.” For him, art is meant to be enjoyed and savored. In fact, he says, if his art had a taste it would “be a sweet taste, like chocolate. Because most of my illustrations are funny and humor is something sweet for me.”
Coffeeman understands that artistic style is constantly evolving. He says one of his most difficult challenges is to “know when to finish” because he always feels there is room for improvement. He shares that you can’t get caught up in perfection because it can become an “infinity loop”: you spend all your time making something perfect, and miss out on creating something new. Coffeeman agrees that you should “focus on creating new things” and finding joy in your work.
