Interview : CG

IN order to find any success in art, artists have to be able to distinguish themselves from others. Those who have been placed on the mantel of greats have been able to engrain their creativity in the minds of onlookers and St. Charles, IL-based graphic artist CG knows this well. Specializing in album cover designs, he's well aware that "...a cover can really have an impact on what people think about it (song/ablum)... iconic covers that are different will stick to people's heads and (they) recognize whose album and what album it is, even if it doesn't have a text or branding to it."

COMING from St. Charles, CG didn't grow up in an art-focused culture. (I can confirm this, as my hometown is only about 40 minutes away.) In spite of this, CG was able to find his love for designing and started "...about a year ago, about to hit two in October." Looking at his work, it's impossible to tell that he started in 2016. His album covers are visually stunning, and serve as finer alternatives for already-impressive designs. His numerous covers for Playboi Carti's "Die Lit" truly stuck out to me, as well as his concept cover for "Swimming" by Mac Miller. CG started designing because he "...was always into album covers and interested on how they were made, and so (I) started working on Photoshop trying my own interpretation of each album I liked."

LEARNING the ropes quickly, CG has been able to open numerous doors for himself when it comes to collaboration. His favorite people that he's worked with are "Definitely A$AP Rocky and AWGE. They gave me full creativity and helped me become a better artist, all thanks to them." (Yeah, holy fucking shit.) CG has already been able to work with one of the biggest names in not only hip hop, but all of music, in less than two years of work. It all started when he "...made a concept and it blew up. All the music pages and blogs posted it, and about a couple days later, (Robert) Gallardo hit me up to do work with them." Getting to work with a certified megastar and one of his main influences, CG is proving that he has skills serious enough to assist not just Rocky, but also other stars, with their covers.

CG has done a great job getting his name and artwork out there, and he wants to help others do the same. Him and travis.jpeg, another Burbs interviewee, founded Locations, a "creative studio" for artists. They started it because "In design, there is very few things people want to be apart of, because doing it yourself is the mentality till you reach a certain point to where you realize you can't do it all yourself and that two heads are better than one... I also started Locations to start a way to get artists out there onto the music scene." Artists helping each other grow is another vital aspect of success, and it's incredible to see CG embracing that. CG has set goals for Locations and himself, as he wants to put out as much quality work of all kinds. "I want to get Locations right right now... We're working on some crazy things with multiple artists, and for myself, I just want to be able to keep doing what I'm doing and work harder so I can make my mom and dad proud."

THERE should be no issues for CG in achieving his goals. He is a clearly determined, proven artist who has already been able to associate with one of the biggest names in music and rap culture, and plans to build a base of up-and-coming artists to release onto the world. He has remained humble and focused and has maintained that "It's the small things you gotta look at..." While his success has come in a short two year span, it's been a longtime coming.

You Can Find CG's art in the Burbs Gallery here.

You Can Follow CG on Social Media Below

Twitter : @DirectionbyCG | @locationsunknwn

Instagram : @DirectionbyCG | @locations.unknown

Website : https://directionbycg.com