Meet Sebastian Sochan: Fine Artist and Sculptural Designer

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In Conversation With Sebastian Sochan

Here at Dark Yellow Dot, we recently had the pleasure of talking to one artist who has managed to transform his ideas and creativity into a full-time income as a sculptural artist and rug maker.

Playing between the delicate boundary that separates fine art and design can be a treacherous and often disapproving realm to explore, yet Sebastian Sochan seems to have mastered it so well. Through pastel squiggles, wiggly lines and curved abstract forms, the London based artist manages to bring a sense of experimentation into the home, whether that be through tufted rugs, bookends or candle holders. But his impressive catalogue of objects doesn’t end there.

At heart, Sochan is a fine artist, having studied the subject at University and participated in numerous exhibitions. With emotional human qualities in both exhibition and design oriented work, it becomes apparent that inspirations derive from his own feelings and relationships that surround him. This humble honesty evokes a sense of familiar comfort; so comforting that the work’s natural progression into our interior homes seemed almost inevitable. As a result, Sochan has gone on to build a very successful online presence which, like many artists aspire, has allowed him to support his life and practice. We spoke to Sebastian to find out how he does it and what he makes of his artistic career so far.

When did you begin your rug making journey?

I began my tufting journey in my 2nd year of university in 2017. I studied Fine Art in Goldsmiths and specialised mainly in sculpture and installation. I spent a lot of my time in the constructed textiles workshop, experimenting with different techniques from knitting, digital knitting, weaving, tapestry and finally tufting. I thought that while I have the chance to learn, I really want to make my own rug so I made my first 1.8m piece. Once I discovered that you can manipulate rugs in many ways including carving I decided to include tufting in my practice!

What made you decide to sell your art as a full-time job?

As an art student, I always participated in exhibitions and showed my work in gallery-type spaces. I wanted to be an exhibiting artist and I sold some smaller works and editions but it wasn’t sustainable so I had to work part time in a gallery to support my studio time. When the pandemic hit, I couldn’t go to my studio so I brought my tufting equipment home. I made smaller pieces that I sold in the past and thought I would try to sell them again. At this time, I also decided to make smaller sculptures that have a function beyond its aesthetics and market them as homewares. These were my bookends and candleholders filled with sweets. I photographed them in domestic settings as opposed to white walls to show off their scale and it took off! I started gaining followers really fast and couldn’t quite keep up with the demand. Once I got to a comfortable stage where I knew there was enough interest and potential to keep going, I decided to let go of my part-time jobs and focus on making full-time.

How do you balance the commercial and exhibiting aspects of being an artist?

It’s really hard to find a balance but for me the biggest step I had to take is to realise that the two don’t have to look the same and particularly relate to each other – it’s okay to have 2 aspects to your practice! At first, I was so worried that there would be a disparity between my exhibition pieces and my commercial work but everyone has said that everything I make still looks like my work. Every artist has their own style so no matter what you make, it will have you embedded in it. For my exhibition pieces, it’s a time for me where I can be really experimental, play with materials, make things on large scale and be less polished – it’s a chance for me to let go of expectations and really make things for myself. My advice is that it’s okay to have separation between the two and not try to squeeze every element into each side.

Sebastian Sochan

What helps to keep you motivated and engaged when making similar rug styles each day?

Art and people keep me motivated; music is a big factor and visual art from tv to books, magazines, social media, physical exhibitions. I think knowing when to step back and take a breather to get inspired is really important. My tutor once said that everything we do, from the conversations we have with friends, to the places we go to etc. is part of our research and that really stuck with me. We shouldn’t feel guilty for taking breaks and all those things will somehow feed into our work tomorrow or maybe next month. Making similar designs can get monotonous but I break up my day with different activities like drawing, photographing and making resin objects – I try to never tuft for the whole day.

What has been your biggest artistic achievement so far?

There have been so many. For my exhibition side, I won 3rd place in the Woon Foundation Painting & Sculpture Prize 2018 and got awarded a scholarship by Gary Hume (YBA) . For my commercial side, I did a Pop Up in Selfridges with ASLMM, was featured in Vogue and stocked in shops abroad in Japan and South Korea. I think amassing 48k followers on Instagram is also a big achievement as social media takes so much work! Thanks to my platform, I’m now working to collaborate with big global brands and I still can’t believe that I’m on their radar!

How has your career/art practice plans changed since you’ve left university?

Firstly, I never thought I would be selling my work every day and be able to make art full time. I’m now my own boss which feels great! My work is leaning more towards the commercial side rather than exhibitions but I’m okay with it. Before I thought my dream would be to exhibit internationally in huge galleries but now, I’m finding so much joy in making small objects for ordinary people like me and my mum. I always wanted my work to be accessible so I hope that my commercial work will lead me to collaborate with other makers and be more of a designer.

Sebastian Sochan

What are the secrets to gaining online success as an artist?

I think just stick to your feelings and do things like you want to. Find your own style, voice and art language and people will be drawn to you and will want to be part of your world! Be consistent in posting, utilise all the functions to extend your reach and don’t get down about the response you get. It’s important to do things with passion, love and care – don’t just make/do something because you think it will gain you success. Lastly – connect with other makers, share the love and make a community!

What is one thing that sets you apart from other rug makers in a fairly saturated market?

I think it comes down to my designs, the fact that they are all made to be unique and are original designs as well. My work is not just traced from an online image, cartoon or a Pinterest board. Maybe my background in Fine Art helps to preserve my artistic sensibility and makes people view my work as not just rugs but also pieces of art/sculptures. I’d like to think I have a clear aesthetic and a pastel style that continues in my photos, set ups and other works too. My rugs are versatile and not “traditional” (for e.g. some have holes, odd shapes) so that helps too.

What advice would you give to an artist at the beginning of their career and looking at you for inspiration?

Stay true to yourself and don’t be afraid to try new things and experiment. It might help you discover strands of your practice that you didn’t think existed. I never used epoxy resin at university but I had the idea to make hugging bookends and now that’s a big part of my work and what got me here! Try to make your art an extension of you so it’s sincere and true to you.

Sebastian Sochan

Where do you see your art business in the next few years?

As my business grows, it’s getting more difficult to do things by myself. I would love to have my own studio and my own little team to help me make things. I want to collaborate with more brands and be stocked in more shops. My goal is to work on a bigger scale, make bespoke things and expand into furniture too. I’m a big fashion and music lover so I’d love to work on music videos and photoshoots too. My dream client is the singer Sunmi so my plan is to somehow work with her one day!