Joe's Exploding Artwork Debuts

It took me long enough. I am now selling my own original, physical artwork untouched by AI, algorithms, software, etc. in a separate Art section of Joe's Exploding Zoo.

Stayin' Alive

I have been trying to set this up for AGES, because painting and being a musician is what keeps me ABOVE GROUND and I needed to reconcile that with the feeling that in these times (September 2025 at the time of this writing) that trying to sell creative work and earn a living doing so is something akin to running a gift shop on the sinking Titanic.

But I have done a LOT of therapy and self-guided work on this issue and at the end of the day, I come away with a single thought.

The Real Reason to Make Art and Music in the First Place

Creativity brings joy to both the creator and the audience for it. Supporting the arts is something that has brought me a lot of satisfaction. When I support another artist by purchasing or experiencing their work, I do NOT feel like I am doing something futile...quite the opposite.

And it is true that I do experience, still, genuine surprise and gratitude when people show an interest in my work. I've sold plenty in every conceivable way, but when the connection happens, it still feels new, important, and necessary.

I blurt all this out here because in my lived experience, there are a LOT of people who hae a similar struggle. There's a degree of impostor syndrome, after all this time, about trying to work as a fulltime creative person when so many other people are struggling with their own livelihoods and incomes.

Art Is What Makes Life More Interesting Than Art

But at the end of the day, what I do is motivated by a desire to stay above ground first, and paying the rent on a small patch of Planet Earth is a lot farther down the priorities list.

Which is why artists have such a hard time, at times, getting to this stage of their work. What we do looks like paid playtime to a lot of people, but the struggle to live and work is real even if we aren't turning wrenches or programming the EKG machine's software.

And here we are....standing on the landing of a new facet of Joe's Exploding Zoo in the visual art world. You can view the small amount of my current work for sale on this site at the Joe's Exploding Zoo Art page and who knows?

You might feel motivated to push your own work to the next level in a similar way, or you might decide upon viewing the visual art here that you want to branch out and include additional elements in your work the way we do here with visual art and music.

Thank You, For Real

Whatever the reasons, whatever the outcome, thank you for your interest in the work done in this space.

As I prepare to move into a whole new level of work with painting, music, and video, it is nice to know you are along for the ride, however far down this road you want to go.

--Joe Wallace