SLAM: We are here with Ric Acevedo, creator of The AC 48. Tell us a little bit about yourself?
RIC: Well, I am an aspiring writer and recently graduated from Full Sail with a Master’s in Entertainment Business.
I have competed in The Nicholl Fellowship for screenwriting twice and I am currently competing in Wildsound Screenplay’s short screenplay contest.
SLAM: What are your thoughts on FILM and the direction it’s going?
RIC: Film has become so overly commercial that story is no longer really an issue. They crank out sequels and prequels on a daily basis only concerned about issues such as licensing, toys and anything that is strictly money.
SLAM: So you are more of a storyteller then?
RIC: I try to be. I try my hardest to give my characters depth by working on their backgrounds.
SLAM: So what is The AC48 and what is your main agenda behind it?
RIC: The AC48 is a 48 hour film challenge and the main agenda behind it is to get attention for the teams entering it. We want them to have the opportunity to be seen and to be able to hold on to their concepts, which other contests do not really do.
SLAM: So is that the main difference between your project and something like the 48hr film festival?
Ric: Yes. We do not want people to sign over their concept to us.
SLAM: Who influences your work?
Ric: On a personal level, I would have to say my greatest influence comes from my late grandfather. I could listen to him set up a story for hours.
SLAM: What type of stories do you want to captivate your audience with?
Ric: Stories of personal turmoil that see redemption in some way or another. I think that human complication is the basis for the best story. It does not have to be a sob story all the time, but it can be.
SLAM: What are your top 3 films?
Ric: 1) Citizen Kane 2) The Godfather 3) Network
SLAM: Interesting choices. What makes one greater then the other?
Ric: Citizen Kane was from a technical standpoint because it is a really well shot film with low angle shots among other things. The Godfather had a duality in the story. A struggle to reconcile good with bad. Network dealt with a descent into madness coupled with the exploitation of someone by more powerful figures.
SLAM: Speaking of which, what’s your take on media in general, are we truly living in a Ted Turner World?
Ric: Media in general is the plaything of those who control it everyone uses their respective networks, publications and so on to push something.
SLAM: That can either be taken as a good thing or a bad thing. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Have any of your stories ever been inspired by music or a certain song and/or sound?
Ric: Not directly, I do like to listen to music while I write but I’ve never been directly inspired by a song.
SLAM: Any particular directors and/or actors you would like to work with in the near future?
Ric: As far as directors I would say Kathryn Bigelow, I liked The Hurt Locker
SLAM: Since you mentioned Full Sail, what are your thoughts on the Orlando Film scene?
Ric: I think it’s promising. It has a ways to go, but it could get there if more people begin to realize that you don’t have to go to LA to make a quality film. It has some good incentives, although they could improve with time.
SLAM: Exactly!
Anything currently in the works? Production wise?
Ric: No, just doing research for another script and working on trying to pitch the ones I have.
SLAM: What would you say to a up and coming screenwriter?
Ric: Believe in yourself, your talent, and what your heart tells you. Never allow anyone to dictate how you should write and never give up on your ambition because eventually things will start to happen
SLAM: What do you hope to accomplish in 5 years, or even a year from now?
Ric: In a year I want to have a screenplay sold. In five years I hope to be established as a writer.
SLAM: Fair enough. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Ric: Driven
SLAM: Keep doing what your doing! Thanks for sharing with us and best wishes in your endeavors.
Watch out for The AC48 – Visit TheAC48.com for more details!
Interview by MMJoe
SLAM, Support Local Art Magazine
S.L.A.M.- Your photographs seem to have a particular mood or feeling to them. What aspect of your life or self comes out through your photography?
Kristin Holden - “My photography comes out through the pain I seen in people daily, the crime, the unknown, the lost and confused, the unheard of, happiness you could never dream of having. This is all shown in my photography, passing through different stages in my life, baring one hurdled after another, I noticed more of the inner souls of people.”
S.L.A.M. - Do you remember the moment you fell in love with photography? What about it gets it to you the most?
Kristin Holden – “If I do recall, I was 15 years old when photography really caught my eye, and captured my heart. I remember mom and dad buying me my first digital Kodak camera, I’d learn something new every time I turned it on. All my photos shortly became something very sentimental to me. The expression of creativity blew my mind, and I knew I wanted nothing more than to fully explore that passion I had for it.”
S.L.A.M. – What equipment do you use? How do you prepare for a shot?
Kristin Holden – “I am currently using a Nikon D1x, a 50mm 1:1.8 AF Nikkor lens, and a Nikon Speedlight SB-80DX. I prepare by planning in advance, I get familiar with every feature on my camera , then I take a lot of test photos ( which allows me to know if its working properly.) I make sure I have 2 fully charged battery packs, along with sufficient photo memory. I clean the lens, start organizing a setting, then I go to shooting.”
S.L.A.M. - What if, tomorrow, someone took away all of your cameras, all of your equipment and were told you could never use any again? What would happen to your life? What else would you pursue?
Kristin Holden - “If photography weren’t in my life, I couldn’t express how I feel. I feel like a part of me would die inside. I express every emotion through my photography , and I would be lost without my camera. I would never throw my passion for photography out the window , nor would I ever sale myself short of my dreams, but if for whatever reason I failed at being the kind of photographer I have always dreamt of being, I would still make art a part of my life, because it’s who I am , and I’d pursue a full-time career in Cosmetology.”
S.L.A.M. – What do you REALLY hope to capture with your photographs?
Kristin Holden – “I hope to capture growth, change, the world and people evolving around us. The beauty of nature never fails to amaze me, and I don’t think it is appreciated as much as it should be. I hope to capture movement, action (motion blur). I try to look for things that lead the eyes through the photo. The essence of a moment, a moment that you want to look back on with a smile. I hope to capture peoples’ thoughts, and their whole personality through the lens.”
S.L.A.M. – How do you want to combine your ongoing knowledge of cosmetology with your photography? I understand you have your own term for this?
Kristin Holden – “One of my biggest passions are to make others feel beautiful and at ease and comfort with themselves. As I work towards a profession in Cosmetology I plan to have my own Salon/ Studio. My services would provide many different beauty enhancements , along with better self esteem, and confidence, in the hope to capture one’s true beauty and happiness with a photo of the customer after the cosmetic services were complete.
I would be doing everything I enjoyed, and making others feel better about their appearance at the same time. I hope to be known well by the community someday as a Cosmetographer.”
Interview by Daiquiri Rene Jones
SLAM, Support Local Art Magazine The SLAM Network
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Lori Frary, artist and gallery owner discusses with S.L.A.M. her passion for creating art, the wisdom and vision behind her Frary Gallery in Sarasota Florida, and a few tips for artists wanting to work with galleries.
S.L.A.M.: Let’s talk first about your art. When did you start this practice? Is this something you’ve always done, since childhood or was there a catalyst event that defined you as an artist? Or something else all together?
FRARY: I have been an artist from birth. I am totally a creative being. I started out with a crayon in both hands and haven’t stopped. I even use them in some of my current work. When my second grade teacher taped my Halloween picture on the door with a star…my art career was defined! The creative process is like one of my senses. I see everything in my own ironic way and express myself with art as easily as words.
S.L.A.M.: When looking at your work, one sees that you paint and create assemblage/combine work. Often marrying both in a single piece. Some artists find a groove and stick with it and others evolve through various media and processes. How do you see yourself and the work you produce?
FRARY: I have a very broad spectrum of knowledge about styles, materials and mediums. I use many mediums in most of my work. I will try anything and usually do several pieces in a series and then just paint sometimes. I have been told that an artist needs to adopt a style by which they can be recognized. What a load of crap that is. If an artist can’t be identified by their style, then they don’t have one. But after spending some time talking to the artist, one can see the bridge from one piece to the next. Just ask Picasso’s ghost. I think he’s still laughing at that assumption.
S.L.A.M.: Regarding your assemblage work, where do you find your objects and ephemera? Is there a specific flavor or type of object you are looking for?
FRARY: I use what I find and make it speak for itself. People bring me all sorts of junk…I often come back to the studio and find a pile of stuff like TV’s, papers and wire and anything else my friends have seen me use before. I’ve done the Dumpster dive many times and pick up stuff along the curb on trash day now and then. I like shapes of all kinds and like to re-purpose items to represent something else. I never buy anything…there’s an abundance of junk. I rarely use plastics though, I prefer metal and wood.
S.L.A.M.: When creating an assemblage piece, do you start with a particular idea or story? Or do you allow the objects you collect and find to define the piece for you?
FRARY: I usually start with one cool thing and build on that. It can be anything…a metal thing or a scrap of sheet music and I never get bogged down on a theme. That part evolves and some sense of sarcasm or irony will drive the work. When I get what’s happening with the evolution of the work, sometimes I laugh out loud at where my sense of irony came through. That’s the bridge I mentioned earlier. My intention is make you smile when you see the piece and read the title. The inner child should see shades of Captain Nemo or a Dr. Seuss contraption. There is also some nostalgia for the past and simpler times. Like that.
S.L.A.M.: Speaking of telling stories, a title of a work often reveals much about how one might choose to view the piece. Your titles tend to be great fun and often provide a sort of zen clarity to the overall experience of the work. Is this intentional? What comes first, the title or the piece?
FRARY: The titles are as much a part of the work as the visual structure. I will never produce something that goes untitled. In my opinion, a work is unfinished until it has a name. I’m a stickler for titles. Would a writer call their novel “untitled”? How about a composer? I don’t allow any untitled work in my gallery…mine or the other artists.
It’s rude or arrogant…or ambivalent at least. The artist shouldn’t leave that to the whim of the buyer. And the buyer wants the connection to the artists thoughts on what they think it means. Abstract art especially.
S.L.A.M.: On the Frary Gallery website, it states that the gallery was born from the fact that you simply can’t stop making art. What triggers this energy in you? What factors motivate you to create?
FRARY: I am 100% creative…that’s it. I have world class ADD and it is the way I cope with my brain wiring. If I go very long without making something art related I get pretty testy. When I’m working on art I go into what is called a hyperfocus. All else is tuned out. It is intense and soothing at the same time. It is my favorite state of mind and being. The biggest problem I encounter is coming out of it abruptly and not being able to go back. The art will suffer for it and I have to step away and come back to it. It’s tough to pick up the thread or state of mind I was in when I have snapped out.
Sometimes I can’t go back there and the piece then changes it’s focus and the irony is lost and turns into something else…or goes on the junk pile to be hacked up and used on another piece. It all works out in the end. But I pity the poor fool who interrupted me.
S.L.A.M.: Two phrases are aligned with the Frary Gallery. Real art for real people and redeFine Art. Would you tell us more about both of these concepts? How do you define real art for real people? And how are you “redeFining art?”
FRARY: “Real art for real people” was the first slogan I used. I was looking for collectors of emerging and visionary artists. It was too vague and didn’t fly. I then coined the redeFineArt concept to better focus on the fact that this is a fine art gallery and that we hope to redefine what fine art is with respect to contemporary fine art. I want to take the stuffiness factor out of the myth that only the wealthy have access to great art. The sophisticated buyer comes in all wallet sizes.
S.L.A.M.: Some models of art galleries are based on membership, some are more conventional in that they may formally represent an artist, some are non-profit. What type of model is Frary Gallery?
FRARY: Frary Gallery is traditional in that the artists I represent have put their entire career building in my hands. I chose artists that are solely artists and aren’t interested in trying to sell themselves. If they don’t make it in my gallery, they are free to try another, but they so far trust me to build them a following so they are free to work on art only. Historically, most artists are not good at selling themselves.
S.L.A.M.: What are the benefits of owning a gallery? And what are some of the pitfalls, if any?
FRARY: The benefits are huge. But only if you like people and artists. I don’t have the typical artist’s mentality. I like to entertain people and I love all the quirky artists personalities because I am one. I can speak to them on their level and explain things about how the gallery has to work to succeed. I have only had the gallery for 1 year and have learned a lot quickly. The downside for me is I don’t have much time left to make art myself and that gets me frustrated. Once I get it stable financially, I can go back to making art again and all will be well with my world.
S.L.A.M.: How do you select the artists? What sort of process do they go through to become a Frary Gallery Artist?
FRARY: I have never done a call to artists. From the beginning, the artists came to me because they heard I was doing something different. I didn’t want mainstream artists. So as they found me, I found them. I ask them to come see me and bring me a few pieces. If they have something that sets them apart, I try them out with a few pieces at first and then put them in a group show. I make them co-market themselves by getting them to email their friends and past buyers to come. If there is no interest they don’t make the cut for me to spend my energy on them…or my wall space. I give them a try-out, but they gotta want it pretty bad to make me or them any money over the long haul. That’s what makes you an artist…you have to prove you’re an artist…in my opinion.
S.L.A.M.: What sort of clientele does the gallery have?
FRARY: My gallery is in the bohemian part of downtown in a converted theater. I don’t have much walk-in traffic. People who visit the gallery either come there as a destination or find it by accident. Sarasota has a tourist driven economy and is also a second home mecca for the wealthy and the creative class. Most of my clients are from the northeast and large metropolitan cities. They are looking for something unique, not mainstream. A lot of my sales are shipped to NYC and Chicago or Boston or Atlanta.
S.L.A.M.: Are you seeking new work/artists? In what areas or styles of work?
FRARY: I am always willing to look at anything different than what I have. I don’t believe in saying “we’re not accepting any new artists at this time” because I could miss out on a discovery and I would certainly never forgive myself for missing the next Basquiat or Thiebaud.
S.L.A.M.: What advice can you give the SLAM artists in regards to approaching a gallery?
FRARY: Boy Scouts motto: Be prepared. Making art is only part of being an artist today. The gallery needs you to help them help you. Have a bio and artists statement with multiple copies. Have a disk with photos of your work. Have professional photos of your work ready and in a portfolio to leave at the gallery. Make sure your work is titled and signed and clearly marked on the back or somewhere. Have all your info ready such as inventory and email and contact and pricing. In other words, be professional. If you make the gallery owners job easier, that goes a long way.
S.L.A.M.: What’s next for you as an artist, and for the gallery?
FRARY: Next step for me as an artist is to brand myself as an artist. FraryBrand. I’m working on getting in other galleries myself…and then I’m going to become an International Art Star. I like to think big, see? Frary Gallery will grow to multiple locations as well. I’ll be looking for another location by early 2012. Hopefully by then I’ll have students working with me making FraryBrand conceptual artworks. That’s how I intend to redeFineArt!
S.L.A.M.: Where can people go to learn more about you and the gallery? On the SLAM network
www.frarygallery.com
S.L.A.M. – How did you get into Slam poetry/performances?
Rhyme & Reason -“A mutual friend, DJ Sista Sol, introduced to a prominent figure in the Fort Lauderdale poetry community, Ray, who gave us an opportunity to perform as sacrificial poets before a slam his youth team was competing in.”
S.L.A.M. -How and when did you meet each other and decide to collaborate?
Rhyme & Reason – “Our paths crossed in a time of mutual struggle. Everyone has their ups and downs… It just so happened that something beautiful came out of a particularly low point in our lives. We helped each other get through difficult times by writing and performing together just for us. Our first piece was a spur of the moment ‘if I don’t do this I think I will spontaneously combust’ kind of thing. It was kind of like a car accident… it happened so quickly and it was a powerful defining moment in our experience as drivers of these two cars we call bodies.”
S.L.A.M. – According to your Facebook fan page, you’d like to make a change. What messages do you hope to get across the most through your words / what type of change would you like to help bring about?
Rhyme & Reason – “We hope to bring a message of peace, acceptance, tolerance, and awareness that comes from a deep and honest place because those are a few of the main things that we are working on changing in our own lives. We write based on our struggles and we try to live in the solution. Instead of talking about third party subject matter, we really only write about what we know and are ourselves trying to persevere through. We have both come to terms with the fact that it’s crazy difficult to change ourselves let alone anyone else. We just want to have a symbiotic relationship with the world where we are able to share our art and grow from each other experiences.”
S.L.A.M. – What inspires your work?
Rhyme & Reason – “Most of our lyrics are inspired by strife; internal arguments with ego, or external arguments with loved ones.”
S.L.A.M. – What music artists do you listen to / would you recommend?
Rhyme & Reason – “Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, Lauryn Hill, Andre 3000, Erykah Badu, Citizen Cope, Alice Smith, the Beatles, Infected Mushroom, Ayo, Adele, Talib Kweli, Sam Cook, Etta James, Janis Joplin, and Billie Holiday to name a few.”
S.L.A.M. – What poets inspire you / would you recommend?
Rhyme & Reason -“The first spoken word poet I ever heard was Saul Williams and ever since I have been enchanted. Since then I have been inspired by some amazing poets like Sunni Patterson, Oscar Brown, Suhir Hammad The Write Side Poets of Ft. Lauderdale are a really inspiring group of young people whose talent blows us away every time.”
Interview by Nikki Elizabeth
SLAM, Support Local Art Magazine The SLAM Network
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S.L.A.M: You wear many hats, Mr. Ringler; Author, painter, photographer, event coordinator, blogger – - In what way do each of these proverbial hats represent you?
Chris: I guess I find myself wearing so many hats and doing so many things because I just have so many passions and I can either sacrifice some of what I love or try to embrace all of it. At heart I am a storyteller and that’s where I come from, always. With photos and painting I can tell stories in ways I am not always able to with words. It gives me more options. And the event stuff comes from my love of art and the arts. Flint doesn’t always promote and support the upcoming and new artists or the people who are new to the area and for me, the only way any of us will ever do well is if we work together to promote one another, which is where all that comes from – a desire to create collaborative arts events that focus on lesser known artists of the area.
S.L.A.M: When or how did you realize that you were going to follow down a creative career path? Chris: For me, I can’t say that any of what I do will lead to a career, and that’s just something I can admit to myself. I adore what I am doing and understand that it’s terribly hard to live on doing art alone, of any sort, and just want to be able to keep doing what I do in the hopes that the people appreciate it and like what I am doing. I will always be creative but it’s getting it out there that gives it life. I guess though that passion was really borne from my working with a Flint arts collective and that really stoked the fire to want to do more art and to be more active. In a way, it all just happened. I didn’t get serious about doing so many conventions and art shows until 2009 when I released my first new book in ten years.
S.L.A.M: It seems every time we turn around, you’re involved in something in your community. Tell readers about a few events you have been a part of recently. Chris: What’s funny is that it doesn’t feel like I am up to that much, but I guess that’s because I am close to all of it. So far the events I have been doing locally were either to help promote my new book and the books of local friends and authors or just putting together local art shows. When “The Meep Sheep”, my new book, came out, I wanted to promote it as well as the new books my friends had put out so we did a night at the local library called The Re-Birth of Flint Cool where the three of us talked about writing and about how our books came together. After that we did the Book Bizarre, which was a night of Flint writers reading stories and meeting people and selling their books. It was a huge success and a really fun night. After that I put together a small art show for residents both past and present of the building where I live. It was a small show but very fun. Otherwise I have done a lot of shows in Flint and bigger shows near Detroit. It’s all about promoting and supporting the books and the local authors and artists I know.
S.L.A.M: Wait a minute — You’re from Flint, MI? What do you have to say to people who may scoff at the idea of an “art scene” in Flint?
Chris: Ah, the age old question. What’s funny is that a lot of people in Detroit will even act as if Flint is this dangerous place and we suffer from the same cartoon version of how our city really is. It’s weird. Is Flint dangerous? Sure, just as every city on the earth is dangerous when you have so much poverty, but the thing that people don’t talk about is what a talented city it is. We are so rich with the arts and it’s a shame that more of our artists don’t leave the area to show the rest of the state, let alone the world, how much talent we have here. Photographers, writers, painters, crafters, sculptors, poets, and musicians – it’s amazing how much talent we have here. The problem is that there is an established order here, like every city I’d wager, that is very protective of its place as the higher echelon of artists and the younger artists don’t get as much notice because of this. And that’s the way the arts are, and it shouldn’t be. As I said earlier, if you don’t all work together then you’re working against the very thing you claim to serve, and that’s the art itself.
S.L.A.M: Can you give us a hint about what your three books are about and most importantly, where we can buy them?
Chris: My first book is called “Back From Nothing” and the easiest way to get it is through me via my blog. It’s a collection o dark short stories. The style is not as smooth as these are older stories but the stories are just gripping.
Next came “This Beautiful Darkness”, which is available online here or through my blog, and it’s thirteen dark stories that dance through the horrors of things human and things far from it.
“The Meep Sheep” is my newest book and is available, again, on the blog and here. This is a fairy tale that is a lot different than my other works and is sort of Grimm’s Fairy tales without so much grim. It’s for all ages but does have some darker themes for those of us that are bigger kids.
S.L.A.M: What inspired you to tackle painting and photography?
Chris: I had always wanted to paint, for years, but was too scared to try it. I had never had anything more than basic art classes and then a commercial art class so I didn’t know a thing about painting. It scared the heck out of me. One Christmas a friend gave me a starter set for acrylics though and I just dove right in. I am still learning, still figuring what I want to do and how, but, as with photography, I am learning as I go. These are passions of mine so I keep at it and hope that people can appreciate what I am doing. And the freedom to tell stories in other style and ways than I can do with writing is amazing and it’s a great cure for any sort of writer’s block.
S.L.A.M: Are there any authors that have influenced you or your writing style?
Chris: I was reading for ages but the people who really are the parents of my style are – Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, Clive Barker, Kathe Koja, Mark Danielewski, Toni Morrison, Ray Bradbury, and gosh, I am sure others but those are people that really have inspired me to become a better storyteller. And that’s when I know if I am successful or not – if the stories become more important than how they are written and even who wrote them.
S.L.A.M: As a writer, what have been your biggest challenge and your greatest achievement thus far?
Chris: I think the biggest achievement is getting the books out. I would love to say that I put them all out through traditional publishing methods but essentially all three were self published. But there’s a lot of freedom there so that the books succeed and fail in great part on what you are able to do and how you are able to get them out there. It’s scary but is a good way to get your work out there and to get a feel for how hard it is to do this for a living. And that’s the biggest challenge as well – getting the books, and the word out there. With other art forms you can do shows but with writing it’s harder to get that recognition. Not a lot of people respect self publishing yet, no matter how polished or good the book is, so it’s hard to get people’s attention but you have to keep working it.
S.L.A.M: Where can we find Chris Ringler? Chris: You can find me blogging a lot. I use Tumblr in a fun way. I try to Tweet when I have something interesting or random to say. And otherwise I keep a low profile. You can see me haunting Flint but more often than not am home cooking up schemes.
S.L.A.M: What’s cookin’ for Chris Ringler? What can S.L.A.M readers look forward to seeing from you in the future? Chris: October will bring the second annual Skelebration of Scares which I am putting together. It’s a night of scary stories in honor of Halloween and I and some other fun folks will be telling tall tales in the hopes of chilling some bones. Otherwise I am always writing, painting, and snapping away. When and what the next book will be I am not sure, but I want to get the novel out one of these days so promoting the current books and finding a home for that are high on my list of priorities.
S.L.A.M: Give us a Chris Ringler fun fact – - something people might not know about you.
Chris: Gosh, I guess that I wanted to do sound effects when I was a kid. I always thought you did them yourself, sorta making weird sounds and all and thought that’d be great. Then I wanted to be a cartoonist but could only draw weird, silly faces with no heads. Then it was special effects make-up for horror movies, which is funny as I do more make-up work now for fun than I did then. And then I fell in love with writing.
S.L.A.M: Top 3 books you’ve read… Go!
Chris: Hmm. The “His Dark Materials“ trilogy which is brilliant, examples of what young adult fiction can be, “The Shining“ which is a great ghost story, and “House of Leaves“ which is a great mystery and horror story and shows what you can do with a book if you have some imagination. The bonus book is “World War Z” which is just brilliant and changes how we see zombies.
S.L.A.M: What pearls of wisdom can you bestow upon readers who may be considering writing (or any creative medium) as a career?
Chris: I think that if you want to pursue anything as a career than you have to make sure you fully understand what it is you’re getting into. Basically, follow your passion, whatever it is, and keep at it, keep trying to get it out there, blog about it, talk about it, show it in as many ways as you can and then start worrying about making money at it. The talent and passion have to be there first and then the rest can come. Be open to the opportunities out there. Be open to alternate ways to get your work out there. And don’t believe anyone that tells you ‘no’. There are always ways to get your stuff out there, always ways to make some money at it, and always people ready for whatever you do.
S.L.A.M. – Photography can be a very time consuming process. Photography isn’t all you do though. How do you find time to create so many different pieces of art?
Shannon - Well, I honestly think I am more of a slacker than you are giving me credit for. I tend to pour a lot of dedication into one project or another if I can, and try not to have the hectic juggling that some people can accomplish. I get really set into what I am doing at time. You should ask the models I shoot with; I am like a different person when it hits me. College is also very good for an artist’s drive – you complete or you fail. But even without that I find the time because this something I enjoy. More than that even, it’s almost necessary. I find that if I don’t create something for a long period of time, I start getting sulky and depressed. Plus, I have a lot of friends who really encourage me, and that’s a wonderful thing to have.
S.L.A.M. – What does art mean to you? Why is it important?
Shannon - Oh geez…. I think I already touched on that a little. Art means a lot of things, of course. That’s obvious. You look through history and see all sorts of interpretations and individual significances – craft, self expression, politics, viewer education and of course art for art’s sake, whatever that even means anymore – but for me personally? That’s hard to say. I think that, yes, I am expressing myself after the fashion I see fit. I think I am revealing things about myself. It can’t be helped, I am describing what I see and think with these fabrications, how I view the world through my personal mental lens, my subconscious filter. In a sense, I am having a dialogue with the viewer. Not in the sense that the audience has any care at all to how I feel or whats lies in the gray meat under my skull, more in that I am presenting a concept, image, whatever, and then they are responding however they do, addressing it mentally. It’s an unspoken conversation.
S.L.A.M. – Could you tell us a bit about how art has come into your life and how it’s affected you?
Shannon - I started drawing back in grade school. My teachers would scold me for doodling in class. I guess I lapsed for a little, and picked it back up again in middle school. I had a really heinous teacher who lectured for the whole class period and we had to take unnecessary amounts of notes. I mean, she graded the stuff. I did great on the tests, but abysmally on my note taking. I still don’t see the point of that, I have a really good recall. But anyway, I would draw a lot in class, basically every day, I find I remember things a lot better when I do, strangely enough. I could flash you a few sciencey type paper to back this up, but that’s besides the point. This kick started my career in art, I guess you could say. I ended up doing a lot of work on my own, taking a few art classes my senior year (which I should have done from the start) and have been moving up since. I’m sort of molding my whole life and future endeavors around it now, if that says anything. I still don’t take decent notes.
S.L.A.M. – If someone saw only your artwork, what do you think they could tell about you? How much of the artist’s person is in the work?
Shannon - It’s hard to say, from my point of view. I mean, I know the process that goes into these things, I know what I was thinking about at the time, why I did what I did. The viewer doesn’t have that luxury. Something personal and meaningful to me could be seen as really shallow to an outsider without any sort of back story. But then, a lot of contemporary art is highly conceptual, and the ideas are the whole point. I really vacillate on this topic quite a bit. Where do I want to set the fulcrum on that particular balancing beam of instant accessibility? But I think I might be getting a smidgen off topic. How much of myself shows through my work? On one hand, it is like an author writing a book – the characters are not the author, but the author inevitably shines through. I guess what I am saying is a lot. They could piece together a lot. Especially given some pieces.
Some pieces?
Once I wrote down everything I wanted for three weeks and put it up on two hundred odd feet of plastic sheeting. Long story. Interesting experience, that.
S.L.A.M. – What’s your favorite medium? Do you have any pieces you’re particularly fond of?
Shannon - I never liked the concept of favorites. It seems to invoke, to me, this idea that there are certain things that I would choose over all other things in a given category, at any time. This is strange to me. It may sound like a cop out, but I’m not trying to worm my way out of the question. I am driven by new experiences, inspirational, aesthetic, surreal and super-real moments. I revel in new materials, new ways of working, and I add them to my growing mental library of methods. Experimentation is great! It helps you grow as an artist. But I also love working with the tools that are familiar to me, close to my heart. No one is better than the other, and each medium I work with adds depth and understanding to the others. Photography, for instance, helps better my skills in drawing. It seems counter-intuitive maybe, but it’s absolutely true. It broadens the way you think, how you approach your work.
As for pieces I am fond of? I like many pieces for many different reasons. It would be easier to ask me about individual works. They are all pros and cons, my dubious creations. Though I will admit to liking some more than others, there is no easy top five, or even twenty.
S.L.A.M. – If there’s one thing you could give the world through your art, what would it be?
Shannon - Orgasms? World peace? Ok, I won’t be snarky. Realistically… So many people end up getting stuck in the monotony of every day existence. They trudge along, sort of caught in their own heads, grinding their gears. It’s not necessarily a bad place to be, per se, but you can’t be there all the time. Sometimes all I want is to wake people up, to bring them to the here and now and force them to turn the lights on, so to speak. When people are surprised, perplexed, when they encounter new situations that they have no preset programming for, their brains pick up, become more aware. I want to, I guess, get them to think a little, or at least momentarily snap out of themselves. Are you following?
S.L.A.M. – Is there anything else you’d like for us to know?
Shannon - Be yourself. Follow your heart. Think big. Don’t be afraid to try new things. More cliche advice. What can I really say? I hope I get somewhere in this big scary world. But if there is drive, there is a way, and that applies for me and for everyone else out there. I wish everyone luck on their own personal life missions, and I thank you for interviewing me.
Interview by Daiquiri Rene Jones
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Animator, illustrator, cartoonist, and gamer Donovan Santiago is a cup floweth over kind of artist. A refreshingly positive outlook in personality and in work, he reminds us that work can be fun.
S.L.A.M: It seems you’ve done a variety of things with a focus around cartoon art. You’ve taught, animated, and you seem to draw incessantly. What do you tell people you do? How do you describe it?
DONOVAN: Well, the first thing people ask after you tell them you are an Artist is, “Oh, what kind of Art do you do?” and I reply, “Ummmmm… I like to do it all, I do what’s fun in that moment but mostly Cartoony stuff.”
S.L.A.M: Do you have a background in this area? What has been the path to where you are right now? And would you do anything different? If so, what? And why?
DONOVAN: Originally I drew to entertain myself. I was born in the Philippines and didn’t have too many toys to start off with when I lived with my Artistic Father, but so long as I had a crayon and a piece of paper, I had everything I needed to create my little worlds. Beyond that after moving to the U.S. to be with my Mom, I absorbed a lot of T.V. and Cartoons which further fueled my imagination. My Dad who stayed in the Philippines eventually became an Animator for Hanna Barbera over seas and although I didn’t grow up with him, I grew up with his Art. he’d mail me crazy random character sheets and other things he drew from Johnny Quest to Dick Dastardly getting his nuts chomped by a lobster. Awesome shit that brought these characters further to life in my young mind.
S.L.A.M: When looking at your individual style, it’s almost an East meets West with a twist of a joint and a little Bob Newhart. Yet, there is a universal appeal or sweetness to it. To what do you attribute this? And why?
DONOVAN: Well I used to be a painter of light until Dr. Switzer told me to’ “STOP IT!”. But really I pulled my styles from what I enjoyed, both American Cartoons and Japanimation, Comics, Horror Flicks and Godzilla. I always tried drawing in different styles out of a combination of Boredom and Adventure. To this day, the more variety in my work the better but always with a cartoony twist.
S.L.A.M: Speaking of joints, what sort of topics do you like to discuss at parties? Anything specific? What do you avoid and why?
DONOVAN: I feel like I can flow into whatever topic is rolling around a party comfortably. I only avoid talking about politics and the weather for the same reason, they are both powerful forces I feel I have no control of. And I’d much rather talk about Video Games, movies or some such funny internet junk-food.
S.L.A.M: What or who have you been under the influence of, or inspired by?
DONOVAN: Under the influence of and inspired by Terri Lloyd, I have it tattooed on my ass like a Cabbage Patch Kid. She introduced me to many many of those awesome Japanese Imports and Artists that were beyond the Library of my small town at the time before the internet. I think I’ve more than made up for that missing internet browsing time though. Aside from yourself, Dali for his perspective, Michelangelo for his diversity, Disney for his empire and my father. I was inspired for a long time by street pharmacists but once it was my job to push a bunch of little colored squares and make them look like something, those little colored squares would bleed into each other. I couldn’t have that. So I keep my dome razor sharp these days.
S.L.A.M: Aside from the more esoteric inspiration stuff, what motivates you? What really gets your juices flowing? What gets you out of bed in the morning or late afternoon and moving toward the wacom or art supplies?
DONOVAN: Other great art inspires me, I know I joked about Kinkade earlier but I wish I could create light like that! Everything from seeing my little girls crayon scribbled ghosts to gorgeous graffiti that will just vanish like a sunset. Music inspires me a lot, I always have drawing music on and my pace can be dictated by my playlist. Just like my taste in eye candy my ear candy must come in assorted flavors and always be market fresh!
There is art all around us, I’m like a sponge, I soak it all in and when my brain is full I ring it out and start again.
S.L.A.M: What are you doing when you aren’t creating visuals?
DONOVAN: When I’m not creating visuals I am enjoying visuals haha! I enjoy my family, I play, I fly kites and savor every bite of my wife’s cooking, which is inspiring in itself. Then nap.
S.L.A.M: If you could have your dream job, what would it be? Do you see yourself achieving this? Why?
DONOVAN: I feel like I’ve already had a lot of dream jobs. There’s always a silver lining, some sparkle more than others. I’ve been blessed enough to do design work on video games like, ” Spongebob Square Pants, Fists of Foam” and Cartoons like, “Code Monkeys” for G4. Basically do what I love and be able to live by it. But I even loved working at a Borders Books soaking up all the reference, and spent many moons at one of my first jobs working at an Arcade/Minigolf fun center. It was all more good than bad.
S.L.A.M: What are you working on right now? Can you say or are you under non-disclosure?
DONOVAN: My current projects are under NDA. Just know that I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, what’s the point? But always working on my own art when there is breathing room.
S.L.A.M: : What do you want people to take away from your work?
DONOVAN: I only hope someone will be as inspired by my work as I have been by so many others on a daily basis and that all that doodling and daydreaming in class didn’t go to waste.
S.L.A.M: What’s next for you?
DONOVAN: I’ll probably have a snack. Then back to the drawing board.
