So I first learned about today's guest, Jason Naylor, through his art, which at that point started appearing on walls and buildings all over New York City and is now featured all over the world and on products, shows, and fashion and beyond.
So Jason is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, where he grew up in a Mormon community and eventually felt called to step away and define his own path.
After getting a BFA in graphic design from Brigham Young, he moved to New York City, where he began a career at Mac Cosmetics as a designer.
But the whole time, he was creating his own work and starting to paint these hyper vivid murals on walls around the city, often featuring inspirational words and quotes.
And his style just kind of exploded with energy and kindness and playfulness.
And as his work caught on, leading to more and bigger commissions and collaborations with companies like Coach and Sephora and Pepsi, he left his full time gig and went all in on his own art, now running his own brand, Jason Kneller studio, where he continues to share his positivity through everything from murals, graphic pieces, collaborations, items, working with New York City communities, as well as popular brands.
And much of his work and his philosophy of life and creativity appear in his new book, Live Life colorfully.
So excited to share this conversation with you.
I'm Jonathan Fields, and this is Good Life project.
New York is a place where you came to grow up.
Originally in Salt Lake City.
I guess you grew up in a family, one of seven kids, Mormon upbringing, but it also sounds like something where it was certainly a part of your family and your culture and your belief set early on, but you evolved away from that over time.
Yeah, I mean, we could talk about that for hours.
I did.
I was raised Mormon.
I was raised in Salt Lake City.
And, you know, Salt Lake is.
Is a very unique place in that much of the population is LDs or Mormon.
And so I was raised in a family that was Mormon.
I was raised in a way that was very Mormon, because all my peers, all my friends, like, you know, Sunday at church, it was a very prevalent part of life.