J is a Digital Communication Design student who loves to create his own art in many forms: drawing, painting, making clothes, rapping, the list is endless. Here >title talks to J about his creativity, his views on society and other controversial topics...

 

>t What does art mean to you?

> J What does art mean to me? Art is everything to me. Art is what keeps me sane (ish). Art is what keeps me going, it’s my love, my companion. Art is the way I think. It's my way of life.

 

>t Do you think it is important to keep offering creative subjects in school (art, textiles, drama, music, graphics etc.)?

> J We’re all very different types of people and to not allow certain people to blossom would be like a war crime, like creative genocide. Artists cannot survive without expressing themselves, so to not give young people the chance to realise that they are artists would trap so many minds and cause them psychological damage. Artists need to make art and the world needs art to progress and be happy.

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> t Do you think gender is constructed by society/the media (for example, all girls like pink/need to be protected/don't like sport, whereas boys are strong/aggressive/cannot show emotion), or do you have a different viewpoint?

> J I do think gender is constructed by society and the media, but I also think it goes back a lot further than that. I know every culture is different around the world but I believe when we started to work together as a human race, there was still that separation of tasks. Men did this and women did that. I also think this is because our hormones and the chemical make-up of our brains are different (but not just one or the other; I think each of us are at a different point on a spectrum).

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> t Do you think our society is moving away from these set ideas towards a more fluid view of gender?

>J I do believe we are evolving out of that slowly, as this way of thinking is no longer necessary. I think it is society and the media that is that is fighting against these views: in the fashion world there are designers making dresses for men and I’ve slowly started to see this leak through into street fashion. I, myself, have started painting my nails to express the more feminine parts of my personality (but more to make a statement, rather than trying to break the stereotype of gender). I think that the more decades that pass, the closer to equality the human race will become.

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>t What is the best or most bizarre conspiracy theory you have come across on the internet, and why did you like it?

> J I'm not really one for conspiracies as I haven't really done much research. I have, of course, stumbled across the theory that the US government was responsible for the Twin Tower bombings: if this is true, it is fucking disgusting and I’d prefer to not believe it. However, some of the evidence is very convincing. I also often ponder when I come across these things, “how do we know this is not the brainwashing that people think they are out-smarting?”, the brainwashing that very video is complaining about.. maybe it’s like a double bluff. Why is a video on YouTube any more reliable than a video constructed by the government? Don't trust anyone or anything. Make your own judgements and be open to the fact that you're wrong.

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>t Do you have any strong opinions on the royal family? (the amount of money they have compared to how much they make for the UK)

>J “Strong opinions” would not be the word that I would use, no. It makes no difference to my life whether they exist or not, I mean obviously it would have some indirect consequences, but...yeah. I think they are part of our English Heritage and I think to some people that is important. I assume they make a lot of money for us in terms of tourism and I can't imagine they actually spend that much, like, I doubt they go raving every night. Honestly doesn't really bother me to be fair.

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>t What is your opinion on the Tories winning last year's election?

>J I’m not really very well-informed when it comes to politics, but I do know a dickhead when I see one and I'm pretty confident David Cameron fits the bill... I think if I had to choose I would be red rather than blue, but running a country is an extremely complex task. You can’t please everyone at the same time. I wouldn't even know where to start, so I'm just going to leave the ‘elite’ few to it. I do think the Internet will bring a truer version of democracy at some point in the future: if everyone in the country, nay, the world! is able to access the Internet and make the decisions themselves rather than just decide who makes the decisions for everyone, this will bring much fairer results. But there are many loopholes in this theory… needs to be ironed out obviously.