I’m TJ Ysseldyke, 32, hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan. On a mental health journey that lead me back to my true passion after a 6ish year hiatus. This is my self-care, this is my anxiety dump and creative purge…. This is what brings me back to happiness. I have always been a doodler… even as a kid I was usually where the drawing table was. I’m one of those that suffer from being red-green colorblind, so I have a really hard time discerning tone. I think that is why I lean into high contrast, heavy neon, and white to help me separate things and have them make sense to me. I’m not heavy on religion, but I’m spiritual at times in the way that I accept reality anyway, haha. But I say that because I feel this is where I need to be right now. I feel like a spark has been lit in me since December 2020, and I’m about to cross back onto the right wavelength… a save I should have stayed riding.
Tools that I use to create: acrylic aerosol spray paint, brushes, my knife. I start by spraying an abstract background and then use my knife to start pulling shapes. My work is graffiti inspired. I work usually 4-5 hours every night.
