Diversity Rules Magazine

4 Diversity Rules Magazine March 2015 Tegan James, found- er & editor of GALA Magazine | LGBT Artists as the featured March interviewee. Tegan is a visual artist whose artistic focus is primarily through the use of tile art and can- vas paintings. Tegan considers his work to be mostly abstract expressionism. To add to the diversity, Tegan is transgender, and interested in see- ing how his gender identity will come out in his art. It is Tegan's intention to share the wide range and depth of his emotions –whether raw or lighthearted — on canvas or tile art pieces; and it is his hope that you will exam- ine each piece, each swirl, each stroke, each scrape and be moved, be touched, be inspired — to go on and create in your own unique way. JRK: Can you give Diversity Rules readers an idea of who Tegan James is -- where you are from and all that good basic information? TJ: Born and raised in central New Jersey, I've re- sided in the small town of Metuchen now for nearly 20 years. I was given the name Christine at birth and recently had it legally changed to Tegan, a more gender neutral name. Tegan is a Welsh word, a sort of term of endearment. I was known as a tomboy. I had great pride in that ti- tle – it was the closest to being called a boy. I enjoyed a variety of activities, mainly sports related. I admired my younger brother and wanted to participate in any- thing that he was involved in. We played on the same baseball teams, took flying leaps like wrestlers off the tops of dressers onto our mattresses (sorry, Mom!), and rode our bikes through mountains of mud. I was interested in playing piano, although I still haven't taken it seriously. Maybe that time will come soon. My creativity showed itself in my writing and in my poetry. I didn't know it to be creative – I just knew it to be a way of life, an outlet for my feelings. One of my favorite things to do when I was younger was to form clubs with my brother and our friends. I didn't really care much what the club would be about – I really just wanted to organize the club and then create a newsletter. Back then, I'd cut out photos from magazines and paste them onto loose-leaf paper. en I'd make copies at the library, staple them together, write different articles about our club and what was going on. It's been a lifelong dream to have my own magazine company. As for painting, I never imagined I would be shar- ing paintings of my own with the world. I believed painting was something that other people did. I felt I had no talent. I could not paint. I didn't know how. I would envision paintings in my head, but it never really occurred to me to create them. I started painting only a few years ago. I was in a re- ally dark space in my life. I was tired of writing the same words and phrases over and over in my poetry. Poetry wasn't allowing me to express my emotions completely. My emotions were much bigger than my words. I needed to paint what I was feeling – I needed to put it out there in color. I began paint- ing and then I would destroy the canvas afterwards. Sometimes because I felt embarrassed – who was I to think that I could paint? And sometimes because I just felt the paintings weren't good enough. Luckily, I learned pretty quickly to stop destroying my art. e first time someone looked at a painting of mine and was able to read it, I was in awe. My art made sense to someone other than myself. at was the first paint- ing I gave away. And there was such satisfaction in the process that I continued to paint. As for my family, I have four awesome children who I'm super proud of. ey keep me entertained and busy. ey're all creative in their own ways. My oldest is a fantastic artist who enjoys drawing and painting, and is also making her way into the world of tattoo- ing. My middle daughter has a beautiful voice and enjoys singing, as well as working on hair and make- up. My son's goal is to be a famous paid actor A Chat With Tegan James Founder of GALA Magazine | LGBT Artists Who we are and why we are here is important An Interview By Jim Koury, Editor/Publisher

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