Classic story of a dude trying to get more attention from divorced parents as a kid. Big stutter, social timidness, being creative was an easy answer to hide behind. Hiding in daydreams was essentially my passion as a kid, I started meditating daily at the age of 13 and have been going strong ever since. Art had become an easy escape from depression, and I got pretty good at it. I ventured toward music and have gone through several projects, always drawing in the mean time, enjoying the creative process.

Age 25 hit. Hard to describe, turns out it's not schizophrenia, maybe a complex ptsd from psychedelic use? Weird to say it so publicly but I... frequently experience visual and auditory hallucinations. They were very debilitating at first, I had lost my job, my friends ditched me, I was awake for days on end running from nightmares, put on meds... the whole shabang. I eventually lied about taking my meds and chose to dive deeper into meditation, hoping to address each of my hallucinations as a fractured part of myself, listening with my heart and mending the damage that the both the world and myself have caused to my own  psyche over the years. Turns out it worked! I still have many hallucinations, that's never changed. They just aren't so... mean, anymore. We, the collective "Austen," are all loving and kind to each other and are happy to have this splintered psychedelic experience of living. Wouldn't have it any other way. 

I chose specifically NOT to write or create art regarding the darker times of my conscious journey, but to depict and uphold the dimensions of myself that brought me back to the light. The meditative outlet through which I found my peace, my serenity, is now depicted through my art so that I may bring that peace and wonder to the world. I found that I can share that wonder, share that wisdom, and share the strength I found through my art. I can open a door to another world through a canvas, a world that allows in the energy that can help calm any stresses and anxieties this world may have weighed upon you. It is an honor to provide this service to the world, and to you. And so! With all of my might, here it is. Paintings to ease your heart and inspire your soul <3