This brought him to what he calls the greatest challenge in art: staying in love with your work. The creative process is filled with ups and downs no matter what medium one takes, but being a visual artist can sometimes be especially agonizing. An artist can spend long hours slaving away on a piece, desperately trying to turn the visions in his head into physical form; remaining passionate about the piece during this process is what Joe (along with all other artists) struggles with every time he enters the studio. Still, once this trial is overcome, the end results are all the more rewarding.
While Joe Brubaker’s art is his passion and career, it is by no means the only the thing that defines who he is. For example, his passion for his kids shined through when he held up a duck shaped piggy bank his daughter made in elementary school, his tone as enthusiastic as when he showed the work in his studio. Truthfully, Brubaker is quite the opposite of the stereotypical ‘tortured artist’: art will always be the center point of his life, but he doesn’t let it get in the way of his happiness. Whether it’s his family, his travels, or just meeting new people, Joe Brubaker is a man who loves life. Throughout history, so many artists have suffered (or made themselves suffer) for their work, as some believe only that approach will yield the best end product. “Well interestingly enough a lot of people meet me and see I’m positive and happy; but a lot of people find my work, depressing isn’t quite the word for it but I guess pensive or kind of darker than I am as a person. So maybe that part of me comes out and I get it out in my artwork —therefore I can be happy. It’s just a theory, it’s a work in progress.”
When asked about how long is takes him to finish a piece he paused, made a very philosophical face and said “all my life.” “The skills, problems, solutions—all the insights I have gained from each piece help me create the next one.”
When asked where he gets his ideas, he explained that he is a people person, a happy person and that art and people should connect.