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SJ Ink'n'Art started as a social media account used as an art portfolio for digital and traditional art by Hayden "SJ" Simms and has now evolved into a brand that produces Original and inspired prints, custom apparel, along with other various forms of customized items.
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      I was always the kid drawing on stuff. On my homework, test, or eraser at school and at home I would use our printer paper or anything I could get my hands on. I wanted to use every pen, every pencil, and every crayon in the box. I never thought much of it until one day my father drew one of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" one a small piece of paper with the first crappy pencil he could find and use. and watching from start to finish this image come to life using the tools he had stuck with me. To me it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen, similar to seeing a magic trick being made up on the spot. Later on after a few years I am still that kid doodling away in whatever notebook or sketchbook I had. I wasn't that incredibly talented art student who was always away with an arsenal of different art supplies sketching realism or great works of fan art I was simply just a doodler. I would grab markers and doodle on my hands or when I finished my work I would draw little images like I was "sticker bombing" my work with whatever was in my hand. I did however get to meet a friend who was in my eyes a real true artist. We road the bus together to go to school and every day he would show me these drawings of dragons, Disney characters, and videogame characters. I got inspired that someone not to far my age was able to make these detailed and perfect drawings and wanted to get to that level so badly myself that I started getting more and more invested. I started watching art videos and sketching videos and adopted some of the methods and practiced using them in my own sketches. I had thought about enrolling into my high-school art class but heard on the grape vine that if you didn't do it the instructors way it was wrong which to me went against what I believed art meant. I believed that art varied from person to person and each human being had their own styles and their own reasons for creating art so being restricted to one persons method of doing so pushed me away from it. I didn't know what It meant to me yet until I got to a point where I relied on drawing to pull me out of a deep dark pit. I was mentally not okay and constantly felt heavy and at the mercy of the negative thoughts that circled my head and drawing was my lifeline. If I felt sad I would express whatever was making me feel that way through drawings. If I wanted to go somewhere peaceful I would draw relaxing scenery or if I did not like a part of myself I would draw that trait as its own being. Art to me became an escape and by spending more of my time and improving on myself not only kept me away from those negative thoughts but also brought me happiness whenever I did make notable improvements. I didn't have a direction in my life that I wanted to go in and was constantly stuck so I did what made me happy and that was creating art. It was then that I began to take it more seriously and considered using it as an enjoyable profession or at least a fun hobby in the meantime.

      Looking into art community the first relatable issue I had that was common amongst other artist I watched, was the impulsive decision to buy different sketchbooks before finishing their previous one. If you are a sketchbook artist you will know exactly what I mean; you go into a hobby store or art store and you by that cool looking sketchbook knowing that at home you have three sketchbooks that you have maybe only filled halfway leaving so many blank pages waiting to be filled. My senior year I decided that would be my first goal, my first baby step to complete a sketchbook from beginning to end. While progressing towards my goal I created my first reoccurring character "Zhen". I thought that the best way to achieve my goal was to tell a story of this little guys adventure. It didn't have to be in order or make sense it was just what gave me more ideas to sketch. By the end of the year I finished the sketchbook, start to finish and even created my own character. It kept me drawing every day which in return helped me improve. I considered these small accomplishments as my first two steps forward because they made me feel better about what I was doing and it showed me progress.

MY FIRST COLLABERATION
    In may of 2022 I was asked to collaborate with Grounded CrossFit to create designs for their new merch line. This was very exciting for me not only because it was my first collaboration but because I actually befriended a lot of the people who go to and the gym along side the owners themselves. When I would visit my father, we would attend this gym regularly and they always brought good energy while also being very welcoming to me each and every time I would see them. I appreciated how open they were and overall were a joy to joke around with while also keeping the eyes on the prize to reach whatever goal you had. I knew this was a great group of people to work with. When it came down to the designs, I wanted to follow the idea of their logo which was Poseidon throwing a barbell instead of a traditional trident. I went with some basic ideas with some personal flair to start off but I definitely had the most fun when it came down to my more intricate ideas. My personal favorite beings the floral wave.

More to be added soon.
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I am always looking for new opportunities, constructive criticism, or comments on my art!

@sj.inknart

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