Artist Interviews 2023

Disincorporated Press  
By Julia Siedenburg



Disincorporated Press is one of the most extravagant and poetically strange artists that I have come across so far. He describes himself as a writer that self publishes mixed media ‘something’. And I can assure you it IS something. His eerie photographs which show his disguised self, are nothing short of intriguing. Besides inviting his viewer into his own exciting and twisted world, he also does so with live spoken word and Musical performances. The native Hoosier was introduced to me by a mutual friend and I am so grateful that he did. I hope you will be as fascinated by Jus’s work as I am dear Readers. I for sure cannot wait to see what he will come up with next.



What is the story behind your artist’s name?

Disincorporated Press was a banner that resonated with me, in regards to being this obsolete introvert that was removing themself from any sense of corporation and or society. Allowance of a completely solo venture, that relied only on me, being alone with just myself is all I ever wanted and needed. ‘ jus’, a gifted name, bestowed upon me by my mother. Jus is a nickname of sorts, that has followed the Justin name into the jus performance.



How would you describe your artistic style?

The corner of nowhere, with a multitude of mediums and media, plays a part in the creation of an isolated atmosphere. Overall loneliness is a telling play of profound loss, mental health, self-care, and self-healing.



Please give us an idea of your process. What does it take to get from the first idea spark to the final product?

Every birth of any idea starts exactly the same: in an adrenaline overdrive that could be a failure. Like I have something, deep in the subconscious, but I am nervous to commit. The commitment is this prolonged challenge of this idea will not work, loads of doubt, procrastination. Materials resourced and alone, development begins with challenging this commitment, regardless of time, I need this final product to heal and move on.



What is the main feeling you want people to receive when experiencing your work?

The want of all hopes to be removed from the room. Others should reflect honestly and naturally, from a place of self. What I see and feel, will never be the same for other people. I truly love that high you receive, when experiencing something you consider a rare gem. They want and need to know more about who is the creator, why did they create this, what else have they created, what makes them tick, and what would they be like in person?



I absolutely love your cover images! What inspires you to create them in the way they are?

Thank you for the creation of any art series, writing, imagery, performance, or music I disguise. Disguising is a defense mechanism for me. This said disguise allows me to distort and hide in plain sight. Some strange obstacle of my own feelings and thoughts not being good enough, allows this disguising to take full control.



Who are the subjects in your cover art photo shoots and what is the process like?

Family, friends, and myself. My mother Terri Quinn plays a large role, in several of these cover art photos. My best friend Tonya Pacey is on the album cover, of my latest record, also to add her husband Seth Pacey was the photographer. This process is personal, the taking of loved ones from an original intended meaning and creating a new landscape for them. I am extremely grateful to have loved ones in my life, that have given me this opportunity to create in such a vulnerable spectrum.



You have done a good amount of live performances. What do you feel when performing live versus playing it without anyone else listening?

I have been performing since 2003. A live jus performance has many factors, be it outfits or stage production. Performing live spoken word or music as a persona, with these mentioned factors, allows the performance to be more freeing. I perform behind something as if it were a crutch, but this support is altogether what makes my performances. I am able to give all of me in performance, my vulnerability is masked and muted. Playing something I created without anyone listening is very difficult. The difficulty of knowing that I am still listening to an unfinished project. The performance is the finished project, the true jus.



Please tell us a bit about your childhood and upbringing. Has art played a big role already early on in your life?

When I was 15 I started writing letters to my incarcerated father. My father was incarcerated for a year. These writing of letters formed me to write a fictional world of escape. Maybe I did not know how to process my father being in prison or that I was expressing how I truly felt at the time. I was comforted by this world of escape that was being created. Writing is puzzling to me, all this intended effort to hide true intention and emotion. I feel like I am hiding in plain sight, with too many manipulated surfaces.



You are currently self-publishing. What would you say are the highs and lows of it and what have you learned from that experience?

Yes since 2006. My independence is a vital motivator for why I self-publish. That loneliness is created with just me and only the self. A level of control with having just my hands and or imprint on creativity, with any and all projects. Exhaustion of the body and mind unnecessarily dominates in this state, I have to do everything myself.



What is next? What are your hopes for the future?

I released my second album “atranshumanism” on February 14, 2023. This album is a focus piece on a 7-year relationship, that ended in a dark place. The album shifts from breakup, relationship, transformation, betrayal, religion, dystopian future, fetish, and post-human. I will be performing this album live on April 1 2023 for the first time. My latest series “aledenjak” is on display in the month of March, at The Pacey Apothecary, in Seymour, Indiana. This series is glacier themed, with the use of canvas, mirror, lace, ink, and mod podge. I plan on taking the rest of 2023 to reflect on self-care.