Collaboration Showcase: John Speaker

John Speaker is a self-taught artist from Philadelphia, PA. For him, art is a vehicle to process our lives — all the joy and all the pain that comes with — and inspire others to see the world creatively.

John’s inspiration can come from anywhere, at any time — he works from home, so he’s free to create whenever the mood takes him. His art has been inspired by conversations, hikes, books, trips, and anything else he’s experienced in his life.

For John, painting is almost an out-of-body experience. “It feels rather strange to say that "I" created my paintings, John says. “My John-ness takes a backseat and it's as if something pours through the body and moves the brush. Yes, my body did the work, but "I" wasn't home while it was happening.”

John’s art draws from the idea that everything in the universe is conscious, to one degree or another. To hear him explain it, “We are in an undulating sea of consciousness and our bodies are temporary waves of enormous potential. It's like this thing we've decided to call "ego" is really good at pointing out each separate ripple and wave in the ocean, but fails to see that they are all part of one body of water!”

John’s goal with his art is to awaken the viewer to unexpected mental states of awareness, just as he was awakened years ago when he first became aware of the psychedelic art movement. For him, creating artwork is a meditative practice, one that allows us to contemplate and experiment.

Here at Grassroots, we’re thrilled to be partnering with John to bring you his unique style of artwork. Check out hats, pants, and other items with his signature brush strokes here.