North Texas Daily

After a long day of work and other daily duties, Cameron Reid sits on his bed and draws late into
the night. He enters this space with a tremendous amount of care, knowing that staying grounded will ensure satisfactory pieces. The outcome of these sessions can be found on his Instagram page, SideTableArt.

While Instagram provides a place for him to display his art, he admits at times it can be a hindrance.

“I find myself looking at how many people see my artwork and how many likes a post will get versus something else I made,” Reid said. “I find myself looking at that, maybe a little too much.”
In the end, though, he does not let the algorithm get to him. Rather, he treats it as an
intrusive thought and keeps posting anyways. Reid said knowing his art belongs to him helps him power through possible self-doubt.

When it comes to subjects, Reid does not limit himself. Frequent sources of inspiration are movies and other forms of pop culture. Reid’s work is dotted with characters from the likes of “Seinfeld,” “The Exorcist,” “Hellraiser” and “Romeo + Juliet.”

Whether it be a fragment of dialogue or a visual he finds striking, Reid writes it down in a list on his Notes app to save for later. His audience appreciates the references he incorporates in his art and the way they reflect

Reid himself. Ryan Duke, biology freshman and Reid’s close friend, said he is able to see what Reid was feeling when creating his pieces.

“I think it makes me appreciate things more as I get to see a new perspective,” Duke said.

In Reid’s Notes app, there is everything from horror movies to comedies and pop stars to Hollywood icons. Reid said a constant muse from the very beginning has been comic books.

At a young age, Reid knew that he loved drawing. Around the age of six, he discovered that the more he drew the better he would be at it. Reid said he began to devote his time to tracing the illustrations from his comic books with tracing paper to perfect his techniques. Over time, this resulted in him not only developing his unique style but growing confidence in it.

“I think a lot of people conflate method with style and a lot of artists have a hard time carrying style over into other dimensions with them, but not Cameron,” said Andrew Henry, psychology freshman and a childhood friend of Reid.

Because he intends on finding a specific way to utilize his art, Reid said he must treat his Instagram account as a portfolio. Art is not only his passion, as he treats it as a lifestyle too.

Despite taking art as seriously as he does, Reid does find that life gets in the way. Though he tries to draw every day after work, sometimes he does not have the energy or he finds himself blocked creatively. Whenever he finds himself blocked creatively, he said it is tempting at first to force it out, but he just has to give himself time to slow down.

“The only one telling me to do this stuff is me, and if it doesn’t happen I can’t be too mad,” Reid said. “I just have to work with what I can.”

While having discipline is still important, Reid said he needs to preserve the therapeutic aspect of drawing. Reid’s art is an extension of himself that he can share with his audience.

“Artwork, in a way, is the voice I don’t have,” Reid said. “It’s what I was meant to do.”