“I’m surprisingly traditional, but also admittedly an exhibitionist. ” – Interview with Ian Jacob american model/artist.
Where are you from?
Washington D.C.
When and how did you get interested in art?
I was lucky to have really good art teachers, especially in elementary and high school, ones that didn’t just teach us to draw but taught us how to be inspired and problem solve in creative ways. But the earliest memory I have of creating art was in pre-school, I was probably 4 years old. We had a Pocahontas spin art toy, where you secure a square piece of paper in it, press a button and the paper spins as you drip paint onto it, creating this really cool splatter-swirl effect. It required no skill, but I remember thinking that I was so bad ass at it.
Name the famous person who would like to work with.
The famous person I would most like to work on an art piece with would probably be Andy Warhol. But to be honest I wouldn’t want to work with him as much as I would just want to be around him and then watch what inspiration he supplied me with. His whole crew of regulars that experimented with him at The Factory are some of my favorites, and many of them are people I was compared to as an adolescent. They were rebels through and through.
What do you think, why is porn so polular?
Sex is fascinating. I think it is especially fascinating when you have sexual preferences that are deemed ‘queer’ or ‘alternative’ like I do as a gay man. Sex, I think, comes from one of two things, pure animalistic lust, or lust caused by emotional/romantic connection. Either way its lust. As a gay man I don’t recall ever having examples of romantic connections between two men, and I think a lot of gay men can relate to that. It may be why there is such a focus on hook up culture within the gay community. I think part of why porn is so popular is most certainly because of a sense of curiosity inherent in humans, but also because we inherently want to feel normal, feel like we have some company either physically or in mindset. Porn in a way can supply us with the latter but its also a way to pretend we have the prior.
Are there any young, trustworty artist you admire?
To be honest I don’t have many friends who are artists. But on social media I see a lot of artists who I admire and its not only because of their work but because so many of them seem to live like their art. Their art seems to be so directly a nod to their everyday life, the things they think and say, and see and do. I strive to be more like that, I’ve always felt people don’t look at me and see an artist, so I admire that there are so many young gay artists who really seem to be that authentic.
You looks very excibitionist on your instagram feed. Are you the same open-minded person in real life?
I’m surprisingly traditional, but also admittedly an exhibitionist.
I started exploring my sexuality at kind of late age, I was 19 when I had my first kiss and I didn’t really start participating in gay culture until I was 20. I quickly learned that sex is number one, at least for a lot of men (or should I say, at least for the loudest/boldest men). I was actually in a lot of scary situations. I am stubborn. I always at least seem confident. I’m not afraid to be sexy. I was also 20 at a gay club on college night, and I’m notoriously known for being a very petite guy. I received a lot of unwanted attention, ranging from guys grabbing me to guys literally saying they wanted to rape me. I was scared, but I wasn’t going to hide. In the exhibition of my body on the internet, or when I wear a speedo on my football team’s Pride parade float, or in my modeling, I really strive to find a way to teach people that my body is mine, you can look, you can appreciate, but if you want anything from me in return you will have to be sharp enough to see that there is more to me than the way I look. If you want to experience my beauty you have to look close enough to truly see it. If you can do that, then you’re probably worth my attention, affection, and maybe even love.
Can you tell us what moment/event was the highliht of 2016 for you?
2016 was a rollercoaster. The highlight is undoubtedly taking a road trip from DC to Orlando to move in with a guy I had been dating long distance for over a year. A guy that I had planned to propose to at the end of this year. We rented a micro-cabin in the Smokey Mountains. We visited an abandoned town in Tennessee. We saw whale sharks in Atlanta. We started to build a life together. It was really perfect.
How your ideal men looks like?
I honestly don’t really care what a guy looks like. I certainly like a guy who looks like he takes care of himself, that he cares enough to be active and eat well. That’s about it. Otherwise its all about vibes. I have fallen for such a variety of men and it has always come down to some ‘X’ factor that to this day I can’t really identify.
What is your next to do today?
Well, right now its after midnight and I’ve had a long day. So I’m probably going to sip some tea in the bath and then head to bed. I have to pack up some buttons to ship to someone and work on designing a custom T-shirt for someone else in the morning.
What is your motto to live by?
“Fuck what they think, unless what they are thinking about is you” I’ve never been easily influenced. I’ve always been horribly independent, probably at far too young of an age. One thing I’ve learned is that if someone doesn’t have your happiness or your best interests in mind, then you shouldn’t give a damn what they have to say about you.
Find more: @iamianjacob / www.iamianjacob.com