Jett Little is a prolific artist known for his abstract album cover artwork he frequently posts on his Instagram. Jett is also the drummer of a budding alternative rock band known simply as Bummer Dreams. I’ve wanted to interview Jett for quite some time now and only recently has he had time in between shows to grace me with some of his inspiring words. First, allow me to set the scene.

It was a warm Sunday night when I decided to call Jett Little. Already I could tell he was in a chipper mood as he was gearing up for a gig he was supposed to play on March 22, 2019. I allowed him to collect himself before I asked any questions. Little did I know his responses would hold more substance that I could have ever hoped for. Jett possesses a character with so much charisma and sanguinity it was hard to keep myself from slipping into informality. However, I was able to keep my cool just long enough to get a few words out of this incredibly talented human being.

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How would you describe your art?

In a very broad term I would describe it as, okay like, have you ever been to a record store and you see all those weird harsh noise seven inches and they’re like really f***ing weird to look at but they’re so entrancing? I don’t know how to describe it. Basically, it’s just a lot of things that influence me and I just combine all of that s**t into like something completely new.

So what are your influences?

My main influences, since I’ve always grown up around music like my entire life, especially punk music, I’ve been mostly influenced by the posters and the advertisements that a lot of punk bands use. I’m always just grabbing stuff from like different art pieces and grabbing inspiration, but mostly it’s like screen printing, and definitely album covers.

Are you the kind of worker that likes making a lot of pieces at once? I notice you post very often.

I just have a constant drive. I wake up in the morning and I’m just like, “I gotta create something.” I just really gotta put my creative energy out there. Whether being music or art or anything like that. Even though I do work on a couple pieces simultaneously I mostly just do one or two pieces every single day just to get my constant addition to creating art fulfilled.

In other words, art is like your lifeblood?

It’s literally the thing that’s has taken over my entire life. It’s the only thing I really care about. I definitely prioritize art and music over everything so it just dictates my entire life. Its how I survive through my day without freaking out. I just think its really important to have an outlet to express your emotions. I consider myself a pretty emotional person. My therapy, the best sort of therapy, is just like just constantly playing music and doing art.

Do you have a creative endeavor that you’re most proud of?

I don’t know. I love all my pieces. There’s definitely a few I would much rather show a large audience but I don’t think I have one piece that’s just like, “that is the one.” I feel like I’m always evolving as an artist. It’s just very good to evolve as a person. So I can’t say one piece is like my magnum opus cuz I think I’m just gonna keep on making more pieces that I’m satisfied with in the future, hopefully.  An aesthetic I was really into a year ago is going to be completely different now. My vision always changes.

It keeps your artwork fresh.

Oh yeah, it does, it does a hundred percent. Nobody wants to fall into the hole where like they just constantly follow what’s trending and they never leave mediocrity. They don’t follow their own path they only follow everyone else’s. What really drives me is following my own path and doing my own stuff.

Who inspires you?

I’ve grown up around artists my entire life. There’s a lot of artists I’ve found on Instagram and stuff that just like every time I look at one of their pieces I just have to create something, I get so many ideas.

Is anyone in your family an artist?

Yeah! My entire family is artists. Both of my parents were both in bands in the 90s and my dad used to screen print. On both sides, everyone is an artist or a musician. 

Do you have a motto that epitomizes you as an artist?

Not a specific motto, but a couple ideologies. Keep on evolving. Never change what you do for something that isn’t worth it. Don’t be a sheep basically. Stand out from the others.

What has been a defining moment for you as an artist?

My first time displaying art at an actual art show. I met this chick named Victoria at another art show and she was a really good photographer and painter. We later discussed on Instagram, because she has shows I think once or twice a year called Color Theory Club. I was just really getting into art, like making pieces every day. I was just like, “Hey maybe I can get one or two pieces at your show?” And she actually said yes, I was freaking out. So getting my art displayed and getting compliments from real people I don’t know. That’s definitely been a super proud moment of mine.

Moving away from defining moments, what’s a big struggle you’ve had to overcome as an artist?

I never want to feel like a disappointment. Like people say, “you’re not being a f****in doctor? You’re just gonna sit on your ass all day and twiddle on Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator? You’re gonna try and get a job from this?” I constantly hear that. In order to be a mature person, you gotta not be bothered by naysayers. They just think art is like painting or some s**t.

Given your mindset, what do you want to continue improving on specifically?

I definitely want all my pieces to be more pleasing to the eye. Your job as a graphic designer is to make stuff that’s nice to look at. My constant drive is to make stuff that’s good to me. I want to learn how to express my ideas more and make more things where people can get the message. I feel like I make a lot of vague messages in my art. People always ask me, “what does that mean, are you suicidal or something like that?” Like they always get the wrong idea from my pieces.

It’s been great talking to you, where can people who are interested in your art find you online? 

They can find me on my main Instagram @himomletsgo and my bands Instagram because we’ve been playing a lot more shows lately, @bummer.dreams on Instagram.

And they can also find your band on Apple Music correct?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Apple Music, Spotify, literally everything. 

Perfect, thank you very much. Your artwork is really amazing. Being able to watch an artist grow is almost a privilege in itself. I can’t wait to see what you put out next because I know it’s always going to be something different. 

Exactly, thank you for setting this up!