Being the Stickman: An Interview with SirDushon

SirDushon is an American-based artist focused on video editing. With copious experience in videography and video editing and being a new contemporary artist, SirDushon's rise comes at an exciting time for the current art landscape. The energy represented in the videos and the technical mastery involved in creating such detailed works is mirrored in the United Nations Sustainability and Development Goals of Good Health and Well-being and Quality Education.

In this interview with Arts Help, we are introduced to a rising artist in the ever-growing field of digital art. The interview delves into how the academic field influenced SirDushon's vision and choice of medium. With the artwork evoking hopeful messaging and joy, the artist blends digital projects with emotional evocation in an eclectic balance of elation and technical proficiency.

How did you choose video editing as your medium and what can you tell us about your journey so far?

I used to draw a whole bunch; that was my main thing, and I'm figuring out now that I used to be so impatient, especially when it came to art. In a sense, I did not necessarily see any progress when it came to drawing. I quickly said, “No, I don't want to do this.” I came across animation through frame-by-frame flipbook animation. Say, you draw a stick figure and on the next page, you draw him again, doing something slightly different. You kept repeating that so you could make him run or jump, giving me a stronger sense of control. It was fun because it's not just this picture. You're giving it life. That helped me move on to creating a scene and making him fly and things like that.

That was around the age of 9. I used to joke about this all the time, but I used to shoot videos on anyone's phone. Like the meme “Do you have games on your phone?” I was like that but with videos. It wasn't until my senior year of high school. By the way, I didn’t choose it; I was put into a video production and broadcast class. The teacher said, “Hey, you're making these videos off your phone. Imagine what you could do on this computer with Premiere Pro or After Effects.” He gave a 30-minute session and after that, I just took off. My teacher poured that information into me and I really appreciate that.  

You started by making promotional videos and music videos. How did you transition from initially creating for others to being featured more prominently in your works?

I shot my first music video in 2018, and this just came with making my own visuals and editing them; they were actively posted on my platforms. It reached other artists who wanted visuals. So, in a sense, it was a more lucrative side to the creativity because, at that point, I was only doing videos for myself. Being seen like other artists and being asked to do music videos, promotional videos and even brand deals. Someone wanting to promote a song or a shirt would ask me to make a 30-second clip. That was a game changer because, essentially, I got to become a painter and paint visions for other people. It got me familiar with collaboration, which is crazy because I did a campaign in collaboration with Nike. It's like the basis at that point, it's super fun but right now I'm more focused on myself and my own projects.  

A big part of your content heavily emphasizes dance and music. What do both art forms mean to you and how do you implement them in your videos? 

I grew up on the internet, heavily on the internet. I'm talking about 2008 YouTube, watching people like Ryan Higa, KevJumba, D-Trix and Fred. There are so many pop culture references that I felt I was a part of and I'm bringing them into the now because I have the space to create and edit. So, I'm just taking all of my ideas and some of my favourite things from these times, throwing them in there and then making it thematic. That ties in with dancing because I grew up as a dancer first. It became this blend of dance, internet kid, pop culture, I think of it as a collection of ideas in one.

An example is the video where I had Brat plastered, which was meant for Charli. I wanted to do something performative, so I matched the song's intensity and went crazy because the song is crazy. The visuals being crazy was just natural for me. Sometimes, the music can carry the idea because I have something in my mind that I know I want to execute, which definitely derives from my dancer background—having the musicality to try and time something and then make it drop or start to have a feeling about it. It's such a mesh. The ideas can mesh in so many different ways, I just want to make myself fly and blow up.    

Who are some artists that inspire you and you’d like to emulate or collaborate with?

The first one off the top of my head is Porter Robinson, one of the most incredible producers and creators of beautiful sound. I love his ability to articulate himself and his ideas so thoroughly. JPEGmafia is also an insane (sic) artist; he’s the epitome of doing it all, not being afraid and just going for it. Same line of Tyler, The Creator who is such a beacon for me, I found him during the 7th grade and just being inspired. It was a prime example of trusting your ideas and making them pop. Pharrell Williams is another one who I’d love to work with, and those are a few that I keep in mind when I work, and I know at some point, our paths will cross. 

You talked a little bit ago about themes in your work. What do they look like in the art that you create?

I have this one video I worked on called Rebirth. The entire theme is for it to be a trip. I like immersion and world-building. The song I used in the video is Divinity, but I slowed the song down. Walking into that video and being fully immersed into this simulation where you're going in and out of blends and masking to data moshing to all these different transitions, you're in that, you feel that that's the theme you're in that world. Then you have a song that causes frisson and goosebumps. It gives this sense of warmth that is memorable.

I remember vividly the first time I acknowledged the beauty of a rollercoaster. You stand in line and trust that it's worth it; you see a dragon on it, which evokes this feeling of excitement. You look around at the people in the line, filling you with this impatience and desire to get to the front and then suddenly you’re there. Your smile starts expanding, and you get on. That whole experience, from getting on to getting off, was thematic. I remember looking at that and thinking, “Wow, that was a real thing.” I watched the rise of being in line and having my excitement grow until the point I got off and reacted to how amazing it was. It's a whole journey and I'm a big fan of that, really allowing it to be a journey is the theme I'm going for. 

Do you see yourself delving into other avenues or any multimedia ventures in the future, what does that look like?

I have some many loves, even right now I have such a strong love for music. I see myself going into film-making. Right now, I'm making short-form content. DJing is huge for me right now. I'm a night owl, so I’ll just be editing till 7 in the morning. I'm blue in the face and I hear birds chirping. My love for what I do makes me feel like I can just do it forever. I'm finding that same love in something like DJing, so I'm really trusting that right now. I'm trusting those pivots, I'm allowing it to flow.