‘Incidental Art‘ By Joshua Pearson With a big focus on self-care, Pearson—a longtime Tampa artist with work all over the city—has assembled a hardcover collection of essays and photos that is a little bit memoir, part journal, and not just a must-read for local art lovers interested in learning about the process/story behind one of the city’s longest-running creative shops, but required reading for anyone hoping to make a living—and stay alive—in the creative-for-hire world. (Independently published) Photo by Jaxon Major Pearson Credit: Photo by Jaxon Major Pearson

There aren’t many Tampa artists who can say they’ve left their mark on nearly every corner of the city. Joshua T. Pearson has.

Over the last eight years, the 43-year-old’s creative agency Pep Rally Inc. has been on a rollercoaster ride designing and making real the aesthetics of clients that range from restaurant to sports teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning. The work is clean and leaves a lasting mark, but it isn’t exactly vulnerable. That’s what Pearson is his new book, “Incidental Art,” which is a little bit memoir, part journal, and not just a must-read for local art lovers interested in learning about the process/story behind one of the city’s longest-running creative shops, but required reading for anyone hoping to make a living—and stay alive—in the creative-for-hire world.

Joshua Person celebrates the release of “Incidental Art” on Saturday, Dec. 2 during the “Seen & Heard” book launch and solo exhibition happening at Tampa Heights’ Rialto Theatre. More than a dozen works from Pearson will be on display, and Tampa producer Justin Depth will perform, too.
The book, Pearson told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, was less of an idea and more of a recurring thought that ramped up after the peak of Covid when he and his friends—chefs, artists, entrepreneurs, musicians and everything in between—started to openly talk about burnout and mental health.

“It didn’t matter if the person was well established in their career or just starting out, the uncertainty of everything was not only seeping into their work it was becoming an overwhelming burden,” he added.

Pearson and his contemporaries were all leaving ideas unexplored because of fear or rejection on social media. He didn’t have answers, but discovered a central theme in his conversations: “you’re not alone.”

The books Pearson was reading at the time encouraged changing who you are or hustling until you fall to the ground. “It felt like those ideas were contributing to the problem,” he said.

As he continued writing in his journal, Pearson started to realize that while he’d been expressing his creativity through work, he was burying how he felt. “I was hiding in plain sight as a designer and artist because art tends to be more subjective than writing,” he said.

“I was hiding in plain sight.”

So he decided to pull back the curtain, and while he didn’t feel qualified to give advice, he could publicly acknowledge the he, too, was afraid.

“I could say that I struggle with depression,” Pearson said. “I could say that you’re not alone.”

Over two years, he pieced the book together, with just one rule: honesty in the writing. Inside the book, which feels like collage, are some of his notes, sketches and photos he referenced in his work and journal. The book, naturally, almost got scrapped several times, but talking to others pushed Pearson to keep working at it—and it’s been refreshing for him to produce a tangible book. “I am tired of experiencing art on my phone,” he added.

“You don’t have to read it cover to cover. You can skip around and explore the work how you choose,” Pearson said about the “Incidental Art” experience, which includes a lot of exploration around loss and even suicide. “I have struggled my entire life to stay above these thoughts but they are prevalent and persistent,” he admitted.

Pearson said he has a strict rule of calling people whenever he thinks about them, with no regard for being intrusive. He also forces himself to call people when he starts to sink into thoughts about taking his own life.

“I open the conversation and make sure they know they are loved,” he said. He also wants creatives, and his neighbors in general, to know that work and success doesn’t define who they are.

“We are whole as we are. We need to tell each other more often,” he said. “This book is my attempt to do that.”

There’s no cover for Seen & Heard’ the Incidental Art’ book launch and solo exhibition happening Saturday, Dec. 2. From 6 p.m.-10 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre in Tampa Heights.