Interview With Legendary Artist and Occultist Trip Morris: The GateWalker of Illustration

Wafubeh! I recently had the pleasure of talking with the legendary artist and occultist Trip Morris. His work is transcendental to say the least. When properly understood, his art speaks volumes. Morris is also a seasoned occultist and his experience in merging with the breath of oneness is an example to us all. Pull up a seat and listen to our discussion. I’m sure you will find his insights about life beneficial.

Warlock Asylum: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions about your craft and life experience. However, for some of our readers who may not be familiar with your work, please introduce yourself. Who is Trip Morris?

Trip Morris: Trip Morris is a New York based creationist, artist, and self-discovered center path occultist. I am a creationist in the sense that I strive to create in every aspect. I discovered my artistic aptitude out of boredom one day and started to take it seriously as a medium of communication after my years of isolated soul-searching in regards to the self.

Trip Morris represents the need to understand not only the conscious individual but all forms of the self. The art I create reflects this concept as well. Although, they are considered abstract by many they may distort and show many different stories at once, depending on the perception of the observer.

I developed this name after I would experience what some might call horrendous psychedelic trips as a result of these meditations i discovered. Some of these induced trips would last as long as 24 hours, and were more powerful than any psychedelic substance I could have taken. I chose this name during that experience. I believe its important to be honest with the self, the true self regardless of perceived inhibitions and that is what I like to depict in my work. I also wanted to capture these experiences so i created this project called “Wilderness Glitch” and it accurately represents one of my less intense experiences.

Warlock Asylum: Wow! That is a very fascinating perspective. Being an occultist myself, I do understand how art can be a medium for measuring unseen worlds. How did you find yourself on such a path? Was this a “seed” of intellect that you carried with you from childhood, or was it an understanding obtained through various life experiences?

Trip Morris: I never thought I could be an artist when I was little. Though looking back on my earlier notebooks, I found myself scribbling symbols and actually functional sigils. I assume this occurred due to more traumatic experiences. The art I am doing now first came out of pure boredom. After searching for what I perceived to be the correct religion, philosophy, or path, I decided to stop listening to everything else and go within. I spent many hours in meditation. This would create strange side effects. It was a style of meditation I discovered for myself. I quickly started to relearn the many things I first considered as indisputable truths. Eventually the trances became so deep that English, my primary language, was completely erased from memory. I could not even think in words, only symbols and visuals.

I used this opportunity to put more into my work and this is where it truly started to evolve. I would communicate all the ideas I learned through my art so I would not forget. I relearned the English language in a few weeks and started to rely on my art more and more and until recently it had never been a crutch for my verbal explanations or lack thereof. I used a system of codes to embed things in my work in a way I knew would be understood.

Warlock Asylum: Interesting. What sort of obstacles as a youth prevented your vision of becoming and artist?

Trip Morris: I never thought about being an artist. I had to deal with constant sickness most of the time. I always had very bad headaches, fever, stomach-ache, cold, flu, cough, and etc. Sometimes my body temperature would be in the high 80’s or low 90’s. I dealt with a very heavy religious background. All of them would bind my name to the profession of a pastor or a religious leader. They did this while simultaneously calling me the son of demons as a result of my aptitude for the occult. I slowly detached from the label of Christianity. During my younger years, I spent most of my time reading the Bible in its entirety only to find so many things people avoid talking about because it contradicts their current narratives. I have very few memories I enjoyed.

Warlock Asylum: How has your work as an artist affected your personal relationships with friends and family?

Trip Morris: I’ve never felt connected to any family. Most people don’t even know I create art. As a result, I have become more isolated for an unrelated cause. When I discovered my own brand of philosophy, I started taking my art more seriously as a result of my personal progress. I would isolate myself and meditate for long periods of time. I deconstructed all aspects of myself in order to try to understand who or what I supposedly was and it made me a better person. The few friends who have stuck by me on this path have raised and propelled me just as I do them. It brought me closer to other people and eventually I felt like I belonged somewhere.

Warlock Asylum: Thus far, it seems that occult science plays a big part in your life. Is there any specific path of occult studies that attracts you more than another?

Trip Morris: During my pre-teen years I was attracted to anything from psionics to chaos magick. At the time all I cared about was power. I had a small taste of it and that’s all I wanted after. It was a stupid way to search for more of it after telling myself I was just crazy and didn’t know anything. The more I tried to lie to myself the truth would start to leak out. I didn’t have much of a choice, not really. Every mentor I sought, I quickly surpassed and it eventually became a very depressing cycle for me. One day it came to me that I didn’t have to be alone, or in the dark anymore, only the only teacher I would have is me. I eventually learned to face it. Not only did it attract unwanted attention because of it, it further ostracized me as well even among those communities. While they obsessed over moving tin foil, I thought bigger. I ended up creating my own belief system, philosophy, forms of magick and even meditations. I always had trouble fitting in a specific category that never worked out for me.

Warlock Asylum: How does your art play into your life’s goals?

Trip Morris: I plan to hopefully spread my philosophy along with my work. My personal goals entail having land where I can live in a secluded nature. I also want to eventually get a clothing line set up as well, and incorporate more of my creativity using different mediums and elements besides my digital paintings alone. I currently sell t-shirts, but I eventually want to create a whole line. Maybe it will branch out into something more. My art has served as an integral purpose for my metamorphosis.

Warlock Asylum: How have others experienced your art? Have you noticed any trends in the responses of your audience and customers to your work as an artist?

Trip Morris: People who buy my work tend to see what I embed within it. There are puzzles within my work, both physically present and magickally. Though the many people who have purchased my work are mystics, shamans, psychics and others. Others can be deep thinkers or psychonauts. Beyond that it is kind of hard to spot other trends among my audience.

Warlock Asylum: Can you share some of the profound experiences, if any, that you’ve had as an artist? How has your art help you shape your experience?

Trip Morris: One of my most profound experiences is learning how to really be myself. It helped me become the person I feel I really am today. When I was younger, I was always very detached from everything and everyone. I didn’t feel a connection of any kind for a very long time, other than false promises I would force myself to believe out of belief that there is no alternative. My biggest fear at the time was loneliness. Ironically, this was the only thing I ever felt like I was given by people, I was shunned. This prompted me to conquer my insecurities and fears. I grew tired of wearing many masks like the people around me always would.

I didn’t have many friends. On the brighter side, all I wanted was to make progress with my art along with myself even more. Later, solitude became my most prized activity. My artwork also helped me express many complicated thoughts and emotions I found difficult to express at the time. I would meditate for very long periods of time in isolation. Eventually, it was through my meditation that I would hit several stages, one of which triggered a state in where I forgot how to speak. I used much of my work to communicate my feelings at the time before I would forget them. My work became a bridge to connect my thoughts to reality. It also helped me see more things I couldn’t before. I would create very slight and hallucinogenic like effects with my art when they were viewed for long periods of time. They are not meant to be glanced at as much as they are meant to be pondered. Creation as a whole has completely changed my life.

Warlock Asylum: What are some of the essential themes covered in your art?

Trip Morris: One of the most essential themes covered in my art is the fact that I embed the occult in almost everything I do. I embed these things not only visually, but magickally. My works have many layers of enchantments, sigils, constructs, and much more knowledge within depending on who is willing to look and how far they are willing to go. All people really have to do is tap into it. In some cases, people who have tapped in have told me stories about it triggering psychedelic experiences and spiritual awakenings. I play with duality, to me, it is a fictitious and albeit limited concept. I do not mean any offense to people when I say this, many people become offended by the words I speak because I simply don’t agree. My experience in the occult, and life, in general, can often differ from others experiences. My art is one of these major parts that simply put me on a different path. If we all had the same path, the world would be a living hell. Fragments of my very soul are etched into all my work. It’s all I had to hold onto in many troubling times.

I also enjoy what one would call “a dirtier” approach to the more psychedelic genre. I don’t necessarily fit with the psychedelic genre artistically in many cases. Most of their works are beautiful, yes, but they are too clean and not very realistic to how it would be in a truly psychedelic, or occult setting. None of it is all that clean unless they would be in an entirely different place altogether. Many times things are distorted, they blend, they melt, their appearances aren’t’ subtle by any means but their truths, the ones that truly lie within are libraries of knowledge often over-looked and for the most part, rarely discovered.

Warlock Asylum: That’s great to hear! How can our readers or those interested in obtaining your art, do so?

Trip Morris: They can find me on my website where I sell shirts and other items which include my art. If people would like to purchase any art, they can always just message me. I am on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. I also have a YouTube channel where I post higher quality videos of my visuals. 


Warlock Asylum: What advice would you give to our readers and those interested in becoming occultists? Any final thoughts?

Trip Morris: I would like to say that it will go best if you make your intentions whole. Not only to any beings you work with, but to yourself. Your mind if not on the same page, can be your worst enemy. Do not let fear guide you for fear is only a test. Meditation will help you get started, thoughtless meditation (yes thoughtless) for people who want to go hardcore into it. Do not be so quick to rely on external forces. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Question everything, even all you perceive as irrefutable fact, keep the mind limber, and stray from dogma. Thoughtless meditation will help you know the innermost you. Do not just know thyself, but understand the self. This method will make things come much easier to you. I also suggest keeping a journal of your progress. Learn to accept all parts of you even the ones you may learn about and dislike. Take notes of the little things, magic has an ebb and flow that affects even the most innocuous of occurrences. Do not be discouraged, practice discernment. Learn to tap into your innermost selves. When you figure that out, you can tap into my work next, pardon the pun, but its a trip. Do not embrace the concept of impossibility, for it is a choice. I will also have more clothing for sale soon.

*Thanks one again for sharing you amazing life experiences, thoughts, and wisdom with us. We wish you the best in all your spiritual endeavors!