He is immensely talented and one of the most prolific American contemporary designers and artists – we are very lucky and happy to be able to collaborate with him.
We sent him over our Villager interview to which he humbly began with, “Here are some thoughts to the questions, I’m much better at cutting out shapes than I am at writing about myself but I tried to answer most of them.”
How did you get involved with The Ecology Center?
Evan Marks first reached out to me in 2016 and we chatted about geodesic domes and shapes and such and I initially did a t shirt design celebrating the dome they have at the ecology center. We stayed in touch after that and quickly started finding other projects for me to be involved in and ways for me to help out and its continued to this day. I have been lucky enough to work on everything from posters to murals to t shirts and hats to wrapping a double decker bus in fruit and veg inspired shapes.
Tell us about a memory in your life that shaped you to become an artist?
I was always drawing as a kid, I was more into drawing the D&D characters than I was into playing the game. then I got into skateboarding and started making skate zines and cutting up grip tape and making t-shirt designs. So not sure there is one distinct memory but a collection of creative things I did growing up that eventually led me to want to focus on art and design as a way to spend the rest of my life.
How and where do you find inspiration?
Really everywhere and everything. Music plays a big part, looking at old art books, my family, plants, and animals, being outside, being by myself and going for walks, going kayaking in the summers. Really everything I surround myself with helps keep me working and inspired.
What is a day in the life of Cody Hudson?
This last year with covid my schedule has changed quite a bit to work around my kids schooling remote and all of us living up in Wisconsin for the year but before that, I would get up at 7, make breakfast for my two daughters, bring them to school at 8:15 then head to the Chicago studio, make some tea, light some incense, deal with emails, spend a few hours doing design work then head into the back studio and work on paintings and sculptures for a bit, head home around 6 for dinner with the family and them usually after everyone is in bed ill work more on drawings or cutting out shapes for a few more hours before bed.
What’s the last thing you learned?
Oh man, I feel like I learn something every day. I fell through the ice on a frozen lake yesterday so I learned to be a little more careful and keep an eye out even though the ice looked plenty thick to walk on. Getting a quick blast of ice cold water when its 5 degrees out will wake you up real quick.
What’s the last album you had on repeat?
Mary Lattimore – Silver Ladders was getting some daily AM listens the last few months.
What’s your favorite meal to make?
As much as I love food I’m really not a good cook. The only thing I can really make is breakfast so from the things I can actually make id say scrambled eggs with chorizo with toast and avocado on the side would be a go-to for me.
Checkout Cody’s latest shirts for The Ecology Center HERE
Featured photo of Cody Hudson credit: Jared Eberhardt
