Meet Tyra Johnson | Sculpture Artist & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tyra Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyra, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“You can reinvent yourself as many times as you want and you don’t owe anyone an explanation.” Wisdom from my seventh grade social studies teacher Ms. Stuart – who went through a divorce during the school year. She almost jokingly said it the day she informed us to no longer use her married name. She said it so lightheartedly and with a giggle I only truly understood almost 20 years later.

I often whisper this to myself when I’m taking big risks or going through major life transitions. There’s always the fear of failure or disastrous consequences when you’re running a business or putting yourself out there. It always brings me a little comfort to remember even if something doesn’t work out, there will be another something: another option, another idea, another path, another version of myself. For a long time I thought, like many of us, I had to find the one path I would follow for the rest of my life. When I accepted there would be many paths that were independent of each other all taking their own twists and turns, I was able to stop fighting myself mentally and find a way forward.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work deals with identity and helping us discover ourselves beyond society’s definitions. I think very few people truly know who they are outside of their circumstances. For example, my current Celestial Origins sculptures and installations came from me exploring the question “how would I describe myself if I wasn’t in a human body or didn’t communicate in spoken language”. I might not use the word artist, maybe I’d say storyteller or even dreamer. Style wise, I pull inspiration from topography and earthen architecture. I’ve always been drawn to how connected to the earth adobe and cob structures are – and immediately saw them as sculptural. I’d say that’s what sets me apart – telling very human stories through topographical forms.

The journey to where I’m at today was the farthest thing from easy, but I’m not alone in that statement I’m sure. I’m currently full time in my business and art practice after 6 years of juggling it with full time work – largely due to a company sale and layoff that pushed me to finally take the big risk. A week after I was laid off in December of 2022, I hopped on a plane to France for an artist residency at Chateau d’Orquevaux with no clue what my future looked like. Being there surrounded by so many talented artists, that had been in the exact spot I was, telling me to keep going really opened something up in me. I waited too long to take the leap – so life pushed me!

I’m still overcoming challenges, but I trust myself much more now. I’m excited to be where I am with a solo show for Celestial Origins in Houston in April at Reeve’s Art + Design. Installation work is always where I wanted to land creatively so I’m really grateful I’ll have the chance to share that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d definitely take them to Bishop art’s to walk around the local shops and maybe catch some live music at Reveler’s Hall. In the Spring, I always go to the Arboretum in Dallas and the Botanical Garden in Ft Worth to see the tulips and hyacinths – they’re my favorite flowers. We’d probably grab breakfast tacos from Taco Deli, and have brunch at Xaman Cafe. Lower Greenville is another neighborhood I’m a fan of. Love to grab Ramen at Wabi House. And we’d have to do a Jazz night at Triumph’s Espresso & Whiskey. Some areas I like to ride bikes at are White Rock Lake and Sam Houston Trail Park, so depending on the weather we’d likely do that.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It feels impossible to pick just one! I think I’ll dedicate this shoutout to some artists and creatives that have really kept me a float the past couple years. They all understand the ups and downs of the path we chose and teach me new ways to approach problems. I’m also just inspired by their work ethic and appreciative of their presence in my life. In no particular order: Leigh Brooklyn (Painter & Sculptor), Frank Darko (Filmmaker), Ladi (Musician), Sarah Janece (Painter), Terry Brown (Videographer), George Rosaly (Painter & Graphic Designer), James O. (Photographer), JJ Eromonsele (Photographer and Community Builder).

Website: https://www.tyrajstudio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/just.tyraj/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyra-johnson-b02b59121/