questhe art & wear is made with love and favours quality over quantity ♡
About the Artist:
Heather Tijman is a multidisciplinary artist from the Pacific Northwest. Her cardinal passion is dancing! She also sings and certainly loves music, colour, play, and nature.
Something that became a puzzle at the forefront of festival life for Heather early on was finding the most comfortable, versatile clothing to breathe in on the long days away from camp, for dancing in crowds and camping in nature can lose its glamour quick without access to basic amenities. Hence the birth of the idea for 'questhe': a night owl who roams the eARTh on foot, lives in layers, loves pockets and places to attach things.
Herstory:
Live music left such a huge impression upon Heather growing up. Her parents took her to her first rock show at age 15 and it's been a m(w)ild obsession ever since! Heather's festival pursuit started off with all ages festivals Virgin Fest and Warped Tour's Lucky 13. Both were literally uplifting in terms of how many times she crowd surfed, ingraining sensations in her memory still striking today.
In search of the most epic festival to introduce her to the multi-day-multi-sensory experience, and particularly inspired by a dear friend Ben who contextualized drum and bass music for her, Heather flew to the UK to experience her first weekend-long festival at world renowned Bestival. Their production quality was out of this world and however challenging camping like sardines in another country was, experiencing the performances and crowds of Beardyman, Prodigy, and many many more were absolutely legendary.
Ever since Bestival 2010, Heather has been pivotally inspired by the festival scene. She moved to Los Angeles the following year for college. Education at SMC was an irreplaceable experience. Such compelling, creative, compassionate professors dedicated to expressing their love of art inspired Heather immensely. SMC connected her with her potential and helped pave the path for the rest of her life (thank you!!)! In 2013, Heather transferred into 3rd year at ECUAD, home again to complete her BFA.
In 2014, Heather attended Shambhala for the first time and felt like she had finally found home. HARD events in Los Angeles, Coachella, EDC, were all jokes in comparison. The fact that Shambhala allows attendees to go in and out of the festival gates at any time of day was a gamechanger. Private grounds (as in some permanent structures), no corporate sponsorship, stages nestled in the trees and music from 11am-7am; Shambhala truly is a magical place. The cheers as they cascade like a wave across the entire festival grounds -- now that's some fire energy!
Bass Coast made a huge impression upon Heather as well for its remarkable community. Bass Coast is a pop-up festival founded and run by women who are especially supportive of other women in the industry. They invite visual artists to install interactive displays as well as musicians to perform for their annual festival, alongside workshops and licensed vendors of food, fashion, and flair. There is no corporate sponsorship anywhere on the festival grounds. Year-round, they host off-site events, and do many other awesome things too! Bass Coast magic has enticed Heather to return every year since that first dip in 2016. Her fire flared when glow-in-the-dark laser cut painted "Space Toasts" inspired by Bass Coast came to life thanks to enthusiastic friends Stephanie and Tom in 2018!
Festivals continue to be the driving force behind Questhe. Heather has been creating for as long as she can remember, pursuing sensory art making with purpose and functionality. She has no intention of stopping. Unfortunately, there is mass heartache right now due to coronavirus lockdown and forced time off from live events. Everyone is struggling. Heather was unable to return to her previous jobs in hospitality and teaching art when the lockdown began in March of 2020. She has since moved deeper into the city where she has found new work and is slowly adjusting. It's kind of like she's starting over because really, this is just the beginning.
Thank you from the depths of t.he.art for celebrating life, art, music, nature, science, OUR COLLECTIVE EVOLUTION, for supporting questhe, and for nurturing each other ♥