Listen to Nova chat with Jay Bonadio, Jr.

Jay Bonn – formerly the Unsigned Artist - has been shaking up the Orlando art sign. He started as a silk-screen artist at 15, evolving to shattered glass art. He’s added work with Bonsai more recently.

Nova talks about meeting Jay by phone and advised him to change his identity as “The Unsigned Artist.”

Nova asked Jay what his why is. He explains how he started taking things apart to see how they worked at a very young age. In college at Flagler College, he began to unlock what his why was, and overcoming dyslexia. He talks about friends recommending he put his drawings on shirts, leading to a men’s graphic T-shirt company called J Bon Clothing. That would lead to silk screening on larger and larger canvases.

Jay talks about KarmaLoop, and how getting on there helped him get in with numerous local retailers. He also discusses how having to be an employer as an entrepreneur impacted his relationship with his mom – who is his rock. He talks about how running a business taught him how to help other artists with creating a business around their natural talent.

Nova and Jay talk about getting over being frozen by self-criticism of your own work. They also talk about selfishness and teaching, as well as mentors and mentoring.

Taking the mic

Jay talks about how Nova recommended that he drop the persona of “the Unsigned Artist” because of the power words gave to that. Taking that cue, he asks Nova to expand upon the notion of how words give power to creation.

What is your why?

Art

Unsigned Artist

Screen Printing

Shatter art

Mentoring

Change

Manifestation

Words

Bonsai

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