Interview with Boston based visual artist and writer Matthew Zaremba

I’ve always been into creating as far back as I remember, first making music, writing, and painting graffiti, later I was a bit into photography, and eventually settled more into graphic design and illustration combined with writing. I still dabble in a lot of mediums but I am certainly more publicly recognized for a specific style of illustration.

Greatest influences or inspirations?

My greatest influences have always been the people closest to me such as my parents, my brother, and people looked up to or was mentored by when I was younger, especially in the local graffiti scene. I had an interesting childhood, growing up in the city but spending a great amount of time in the wilderness, so I’m drawn to both the chaos and the calm. I think that is evident in a lot of my work.

Most interesting or favourite projects?

I’ve done a bunch of commercial work for clients such as New Balance, Vans, Playboy, etc. but my favorite projects will always be personal ones. I never intended to do commercial work really, and I’m fortunate that most of it is simply lending my aesthetic or pieces to a project so I don’t sacrifice any personal style or my values to try and make a company happy. I’m much more interested in making a new zine for myself first and foremost, and people who are into my work.

Most interesting response you’ve heard regarding your work?

I’ve had responses to my work that have ranged from people getting tattoos, to marriage proposals, to heartfelt letters detailing how much they can relate. I’m incredibly grateful for the support and it’s always a pleasure being able to connect with a stranger across the world.

New things your working on in 2020?

In 2020 I am trying to get back into making more analog work and exploring different mediums. Utilizing social media to get your work out there has been beneficial but I think it’s becoming pretty stagnant across the board, and I’m finding that I’m most happy when I’m not thinking about a specific style of work and I’m creating things more impulsively like when I was young. It’s hard not to box yourself in when you’re known for specific thing, but it’s very liberating to walk away at times to regain that sense of discovery. Even if discovery means revisiting things you were once into, like spraypainting.

Thank you Matthew!