Edis One - Τhe artist behind the Extinction Series - I Support Street ArtI Support Street Art

Edis One – Τhe artist behind the Extinction Series

We are happy to finally have the opportunity to speak with Portuguese artist Edis One. His latest project calls for attention to the extinction of animal species accross the World. In this Interview we talk about his work and how it all began for him.

-What would you choose to drink?
Coffee!

-Introduce yourself to us!

In the world of street art / graffiti I’m known as Edis One. I started with graffiti in 2007 through the influence of friends. Today I practice this art as my profession, something that I never thought possible. If it is easy? No. Every day I struggle to grow as an artist and person. But this the thing that gives me the most pleasure. I can say I feel free.

-Where does your tag name come from?

Like most writers, I started with several tags, and one of my first ones was SIDE. Then, I inverted it to EDIS and I liked the conjugation even more. And so there it was, EDIS ONE.

-How do you define yourself? Artist? Street artist? Anything else?

Writer, street artist and artist. It depends on what I’m doing. But if I must choose one, then I choose WRITER. Graffiti is part of my life and my journey. It has made me the artist that I am and has changed the way I see the world through the people we are getting to know and the different realities that we are seeing.

-How did it all start for you, and what is it nowadays?

As I mentioned before, it was through the influence of friends. Since I made my first graffiti, I immediately felt a connection with this art. After that I’ve never stopped.
There has been a great growth of this art at a global level. I think people started to respect our work more in the past years. A good example of this evolution is the fact that we had very low access to internet so, for me to see some graffiti I would have to buy magazines, or I would have to go there in person. Nowadays, this is not the reality, if you want to see any type of art you can just use your smartphone.

-What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?

As a freelancer, I need to have a great discipline. I wake up pretty early every day and start by going to the gym. It cleans up the problems and I am able to organize what I have to do. Then the life of an artist begins, be creative.

-Street art is mostly a visually stimulating form of art. To add one more sense to it, what music would you pick to accompany your art work?

Clearly, the music is part of my work. What I end up hearing more is hiphop music. When I’m listening to music it makes me concentrate more and I end up traveling inside of my mind. And sometimes I end up listening to the same song or artist over and over.

-In all forms of art, inspiration is crucial. What is it that inspires you?

My inspiration comes from things from our daily life. Such as the media, the color of the sky, the simple fact of walking my dog, an advertisement on the street, a tree, other artist’s works, a song. I end up being a sponge and catching everything. The hardest part is choosing what I want and what I will choose.

-What is the hardest part while working on a piece of art?

Doing what I like most, I don’t think there is any hard part in the creative process. The work turns out to come naturally.

-Do you have an artist(s) you admire and what for?

I don’t have “the” favorite artist. I have many. I have artists who work with me, such as Pariz who taught me a lot about graffiti and the business inside of this art.

-Which cities are the most inspiring for you?

First, Lisbon is the city that inspires me most. But it is not a city, it is a country, Indonesia. It was the place that felt a great change in my life. Place that for me I consider sacred and
who knows someday, I can end my life there.

-What other passions do you have apart from art?

Sports in general. And when I want to get away from the society, I go fishing.

-Do you have a wild project that you dream of achieving some day?
In my notepad I have several projects that I want to launch. Clearly, I do everything to accomplish them. But being a creative I end up having several ideas every day and not having the time to put them in practice.

-Tell us about your art, does it include symbolisms, messages or repeated patterns?
I always look for something different. Using the power of street art to draw attention to problems. I like to work with different materials and create something with them. Such as cork and tile. Which ends up having a language of its own.
I am developing the EXTINCTION project where I want to show what is or has disappeared on our planet. From tribes to animals. To make people aware, I end up doing what I do best, painting walls.

-How long does a piece of art work of yours usually survive for?
It’s very relative. Depends on the location, the project, depends a lot on the future of the wall in question. This art does not last forever.

-What do people first think of, or feel, when they see one of your works on the street?
You have to ask them. I want people to have their own vision. I explain the work, but in the end each person ends up having a different and unique emotion.

-Do you have a secret you would like to share with us? 🙂

We all have secrets and if we reveal them, they are no longer secrets! 😉

-What are your creative plans for the future?

Work, work, work. I never want to stop being hungry. But definitely I have the ambition to reach a place on the top of street artists.

-Is there a specific thought or message you would like to pass to our audience out there?
I hope you are enjoying what I do and I want to thank everyone for their support. At the end of the day any artist needs an audience. You always know how to hear good things.
But what I like the most is receiving messages from people saying that my work touch their lives, and/or inspired them.
So thank you!

You can check the youtube series of Edis One of “HOW TO BE CREATIVE EPISODE” here.

– Thank you Edis One! It’s been great to get to know more about the person behind such talented and inspiring works.
‘’I Support Street Art’’ team.