Chris Dyer’s Guide to the Galaxy: Talking with the Artist about Spirituality, Life Chapters and His New Book “Shamanic Journey”

In 1980s Peru, a young Chris Dyer found himself entranced with a new hobby — book making. At nine years old, Dyer made a book about comic book legend G.I. Joe, which prompted him to start his own company called Dyer Books. While most kids at his all-boys school preferred discussing soccer, Dyer found that over time many of his peers became enthralled with Dyer Books and the art of creating their own stories. While reminiscing about these artistic and entrepreneurial origins, Dyer recalled the summer many of his classmates spent their time off fine-tuning their book making skills. 

It’s no surprise that the nine-year-old entrepreneur went on to become a life-long artist, whose portfolio includes avid work in the skateboard community, graffiti and tagging work across the world, and is the founder of a sold-out NFT. Additionally, he runs a clothing line, has released a documentary, and is currently on tour promoting his latest book Shamanic Journey. In conversation with Rooster Magazine, Dyer shares his thoughts on art, the role of spirituality, and how he finds the time to do it all. 

How does it feel to take this new book on the road, and what has the experience been like so far? 

I don’t have a lot of people to use as a reference for guidance on how to do a book tour, so it’s been fun because I’ve been hitting up my old contacts. I’ve been really lucky to tour in cities all over the country and see old friends, meet fans, connect with other artists. Sometimes I’m speaking in a bookstore, other times it’s me and a bunch of people sitting around having beer together. 

Being a child of the 80s, everything was way more analog. I love books and am a book collector, so I really love that my book is an analog experience. This analog media is very real. I sit on the couch, I grab the book, I flip through the pages, I see the pictures, I read the words that the writer put together. It’s different from just being on your phone all day where you feel like you’re just burning away your life. It doesn’t feel like I’m wasting my time when I’m reading a book as opposed to being online.

Looking back on your journey to this point, how would you say you’ve grown and changed as an artist? 

I feel like making a book is like presenting your thesis to the world. My first book came out over a decade ago, and that represented my first 30 years of art. Now, this newest book is a way to honor the most recent chapter of my life. Shamanic Journey is about diving into another dimension using things like plant medicine. I really let myself go to a deeper place and I believe that’s what my book represents. 

I try to keep everything in perspective right now, because for all I know the world might change radically and book tours may not be a thing anymore. I just try to stay grateful for what I do have and what I can do right now. In a perfect world, I can put out another book in 15 years and see how far I’ve come since then. But there’s no way to know for sure. 

Your work contains strong spiritual themes, and much of your work reflects your personal journey with spirituality. Was there a specific moment in your life where that became a central theme in your work? 

Both of my parents were raised very religiously, so they have their feelings toward that. I remember I would go to church myself and wonder, ‘Where’s God?’ I would hear about him in church, but I just didn’t feel it. After going down some dark paths for a while, I found myself at a summer job in Canada where I was suddenly immersed in nature. I realized that this planet is made out of nature and everything else is manmade. That experience really put things into perspective for me and I’ve let it flow through my work ever since. 

If you had to give advice to a younger artist, what would you tell them?

I think that, especially in art, it’s important to be of service to humanity. Don’t feel guilt or shame for being who you are, and let your light shine and serve the people around you. I know I am still a work in progress and I have my insecurities, but I do my best to shine in the ways I can and be of service to the people around me. 

Young artists should also remember that you can make a huge impact with your art if you choose that, so let your work be a channel. Chill out and smell the roses. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I’m not constantly trying to one-up myself. If I died tomorrow, I think I’d say, ‘cool, I lived a great life.’