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
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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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Bradley -“A photographer and to a lesser extent an illustrator. I worked with a partner for a while in a business called Pyramid Photography where we did a lot of jobs making graphic designs for fliers. We did weddings and portraits while acting on the less commercial side as two person collective. Pyramid fell apart last summer. I’ve been putting my time towards finishing several volumes of writing that I intend to sell to a publisher by the end of the year. A friend of mine, Constantin Preda, works in reality television out of Orlando, VH1 and stuff like that. He has been coming to Spring Hill, where I live, and he’s putting together a documentary about my life and efforts to make a career for myself.”
S.L.A.M. – When did you began / how did you get into each of your creative arts?
Bradley -“I began shooting on my motor’s dusty point and shoot Kodak in the late 90s, before the digital revolution. It was a frustrating experience for me because I have this cinematic eye that simply wouldn’t translate through this $15 piece of shit that didn’t even frame up properly. When I was 19yrs old, I began wearing contact lenses. I realized I missed the frames of my glasses because I would pretend while gliding around in my wheelchair that I was on a dolly track with my glasses letterboxing my vision. This way my whole world was a movie in constant production. I finally bought a $200 SLR from Ritz at the mall, quite a gamble for me because I had no idea I’d take to photography and it was a lot of money for me at the time. Growing up in the sticks, there were no second hand places with SLRs. I wouldn’t even have known to look anyway. I shot on that overpriced Nikon for five years, random things, just learning how to use the camera, learning shutter and aperture by trial and error. This was JUST before internet so information was limited. Many of the images in my book Eyes of Olivia X were shot during this time. I met a girl named Mitzi in late 2001 and she was an amateur photographer, too. We started shooting together, she was like my alter ego (I don’t like the cheesy implications of “muse,” the way people read into that). Mitzi lived with my brother before long, so we’d hang out a lot and I always had my camera. There were lots of impromptu shoots that I still take material from today. Long story short, I began experimenting how you go about telling a story in still photography.
My illustration efforts began from frustration. I’d been talking with a painter friend of mine who is VERY talented. But she was also busy and maybe even a touch flaky, like a lot of kids. We were gonna collaborate where I would shoot some images and this painter would paint them in a style we agreed upon. Three years passed and it still hadn’t happened. I get hung up on things some times and by then I’d taken a couple painting courses in the USF arts program. I learned a lot from Elizabeth Condon, but I HATED working with actual paint. Confinement to a wheelchair doesn’t lend itself to the physicality inside of the tight, personal space you need to keep around your canvass. It was a big hassle for me to paint. And a handicap person never feels worst than when being caught in a position of having their limitation strike them in their face again and again on a daily basis. Because I don’t value my own time and I’m quite willing to waste a valiant effort, assuming these things won’t succeed, I started exploring how to take what I learned from Elizabeth Condon and apply them to what I was doing on Photoshop. It worked! I believe I’m a painter more than an illustrator. But since language is for communication and other artists don’t understand and get stuck on the idea when I say I’m a painter but that I use Photoshop and not oils or whatever, it’s easier to say “illustrator.” That works, too.
As far as writing, that began much the same way. I wanted to make movies. I had some ideas when I was 14 and I thought, fuck, I better write down this good stuff in case I never have good ideas again. I thought I was writing down the ideas that I’d be living off of well into old age. I wasn’t a good student in public school, so my early writing reads like a barely literate scribbling blown out of the window of a short bus, which I actually had to ride to school, I’m proud to say. Yes, I rode the short bus for 8yrs. I have amazing stories. You guys should be jealous.”
S.L.A.M. – What inspires your work?
Bradley – “Capturing my ideas, trying to make my time being alive count, trying to convince the people I love that I matter. And when I say that, I’m not just talking about the immediate people in my life, I’m talking about the ghosts of Stephen Crane and Milan Kundera, though Kundera is alive, that I deserve to take part in party I imagine they might have if they knew each other. I feel like I have many things to prove, too. There are many things in my life that I regret and, well, I suppose you don’t need a PH.D to see that I have limited use of my legs and that I might have a self loathing urge to compensate. Living in a fantasy realm is also like a natural opiate that I sometimes badly need. I’m naturally ambitious while also inherently humbled. There’s an electrical storming my brain between that positive and negative and it’s a difficult thing to deal with. It takes a lot of humor. But that’s not really enough. You try to deal with your problems head on in one way. But you’d go crazy before long, right? So the rest of the time you’re pretending like things don’t get to you. Like they don’t matter a whole hell of a lot even though when you go to bed, your heart is pounding and your brain is racing. Sometimes you’ll do anything to make that stop. The one thing I can do that won’t eventually be the cause of physiological damage to my nervous system is vent.
It’s worth noting that I’ve written a significant amount of letters all of my life, beginning with pen-pals and since the late 90s with email. I taught myself to tell stories this way. Personal correspondences was like a diary for me. If you were to collect my letters into one volume, I’m sre you’d have a pretty complete portrait of who I really am. Sometimes people don’t get it when they open up an email and have like four pages worth of bullshit from me. I doubt most people read what I write. That makes it easier to let myself go into weird places. That’s just fine with me. Except recently a guy who I thought was a friend of mine accused me of writing his girlfriend, who was actually my friend years before him, and trying to lay her by my emails. I guess that’s flattering if my letters could have such an effect. I’m always surprised by how people take me. I never know where I stand with people. No pun intended.”
S.L.A.M. – In photography, what subject matter do you prefer to capture? What equipment and processes do you use? Tell us about the photography on your web site.
Bradley – “BPValentine.com is my web site. I like telling stories. I like that process and it doesn’t matter the medium. It’s versatile and I’m never left wanting for something to do. Tell a story! Sometimes you can be all about the meaning of a story or maybe just playing around with the language of how to tell a story. In any case, there is always something to justify what you’re doing. To me, art isn’t about a result, it’s about the process of discovery. The only “result” you should have is the body of work you leave when you’re dead. All the rest are just dispatches, post cards, from the frontlines. They’re the indelible impressions left marking your flesh. I can’t help but to come off as dramatic. If it helps to cool the melodrama, let me add I really believe in what I’m saying.
I use a Canon 40D. It’s a great camera. It’s fast and I use a fast Canon lens. Versitaile. And that’s what I gun for when buying gear. Is it light weightand versatile? Will it see in the dark with me, since I like dim light. And I need a fast camera for when my arms get weak while shooting. I tend to wobble. Just one of those things I have going against me. I have a Muscular Dystrophy, so my stamina is for shit compared to other young men. Let me be clear that I am not interested in brand of my gear as long as it’s a good piece. Much ago about nothing. One year Canon will have the superior camera while Nikon will top that somehow the next year. And so it will go. But I have to admit I am DYING to save up for a Canon 5D Mark II. I was holding out for that camera when a wedding job forced my hand to buy the one I have. If I waited another year, I would have been golden.
I am completely a digital user. Like I said, I worked exclusively on film gear for six years. I love film, but I can live with what I lose since in the end it all comes down to what I can afford.. I am not a purist. Whatever works for you is what you should use. Be open minded. Try new things. Bruce Lee has some quote about being water. That water can flow gently down a stream or crash down on you in a violent wave. It can flow around jagged rocks softly and take the shape of anything it fill or it can be frozen into hard ice. “Be water, my friend,” he says. So I try and be water.”
S.L.A.M. – Tell us about your illustrations.
Bradley – “Quite simply, I am a narrative photographer. I tell stories. My love for movies shines through everything I do. I am versatile enough that I can cover weddings and portraits and really anything else. RE: being water, haha. When I’m at a wedding, for example, the story is I am an alien from outer space and I’m taking anthropological images to send back to my home planet. Just for the sake of argument. I don’t really do that all of the time. But, yeah, stories.”
S.L.A.M. – What do you write about? Where do you usually write?
Bradley – “I write usually from home. It is difficult for me to focus. I can be emotional, so it’s a struggle sometimes to be disciplined and to remain an articulate individual. It doesn’t come naturally to me. So I spend a lot of time trying to understand myself, interpreting my own ideas, and keeping my mind sharp enough to make that work flow easier and not come off as pretentious. That can be difficult regardless of one’s sincerity. I don’t mean to make it sound like I’m such a deep person that I require all this time to analyze me. I just mean to point out the conflict I have of being drawn to art forms that I don’t have a particularly great aptitude for. That’s kind of my story in a nutshell, even looking at me physically being alive in a world I’m ill suited for. Lately my disability has been more of an issue for me thinking about, it isn’t usually. I hope I don’t sound obsessed. I’ve just been hitting this wall or ceiling and I wonder if I’ve taken this body and brain as far as it’s going to take me.
When I wake up, I make coffee and pour myself a glass of orange juice as well as a quart of water. Then I’ll strand myself on my bed with a notebook and pencil, push my wheelchair away so that it’s not easily accessible to me, and work until I just have to bring back my chair and restart the day. That gives me four hours at least, usually, of just writing or maybe reading my work. Or doing research on something. The rest of the day, I’m sorta mixing up the time where I’m just fucking around the where I’m doing real work at my laptop. It’s probably hard to tell when I am getting serious on a project. Work isn’t “work” for me. People usually have their lives and then their, their friendship and/or romances and then work. Maybe not in that order. At this point of my life, I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say that there’s really only my work to think about. It’s where my life is and where whatever friendships I have are.”
S.L.A.M. – Do you have any upcoming publications?
Bradley – “Like I said, I just finished a draft of a horror novel called Lowlife (or GOBLIN, still not sure what the title will be). So I’m shifting gears to thinking about finding a real publisher for the photographic novels I talked about earlier. I’m talking with people and looking for any advice I can get. If you think of the world as Las Vegas and life is a casino, then I think creatively you can say I just got off a hot streak and now I am looking for where to cash in my chips.
I self published those books through a site called Blurb.com, which I would recommend to anyone to use for their projects. Simply affordable and professional print quality. I could really distribute the books myself if I had the drive to do so and the inside baseball information and background one would need.”
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Interview by Nikki Elizabeth
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S.L.A.M: Relief printing is such a hidden art. How did you get started? Angelica: Although I didn’t really pick up the art until college, I first started in middle school with the best art instructor I had in my public school career, Jackie Price. She was an actual artist in her own right. Her students mainly focused on painting, but those that could “handle it”, she taught clay work. I’m not going to beat around the bush, she picked favorites and in the beginning I wasn’t one of them. No one who knows me now would guess that I used to keep to myself in corners. I was in frequent trouble for talking in class, but it was to myself.
It was at an MC Escher exhibit we went to that she discovered I was more than a weirdo. Instead of running around or lounging about gossiping like the other eleven year olds, I stood still in front of each piece for several minutes. I still think this is my true artistic quality- my talent for observing is much higher than my ability for doing. It wasn’t my drawing skills that made Jackie pin me as an artist… it was my interest. Once she invested her interest in me, she gave me some linoleum and a zip and showed me relief carving. She couldn’t teach it to me in school, but she encouraged me to try it at home. I really enjoyed it until I cut my hand open, which is inevitable for an aspiring pre teen relief printer. And being that weirdo kid I was, I definitely tried a stamp of my block with some blood.
I made a couple awful rubber stamps in high school, but besides that, I really, truly didn’t print again until college. I dove back in and loved every process. Relief stuck with me for a few reasons, but the main one being practicality… it’s possible to create at home without a press.
S.L.A.M: What is the creative process like for relief printing? Angelica: Carving is a task meditative in action instead of stillness. The carving time along with the beloved repetition of the printing itself fuses creation with manufacturing. Printing is industrious. That quality gives me a higher sense of productivity, a sense of assignment to balance the strange self-indulgent guilt I can sometimes feel for my artistic nature when I emotionally paint. Lately I’ve been thinking about prints that can be turned into practical, usable, every day items made from substantial materials that can be folded into form. Like I said, thinking, sketching, not yet doing. I like purpose… but it takes me a while to drive myself toward it. I am externally motivated and since living in middle Tennessee, I’ve been left inside myself until very recently.
S.L.A.M: Your etsy store is awesomely diverse – - prints, clothing and jewelry – - what other hidden talents do you have?
Angelica: I wish I had more materials and resources to go from experimenting with cloth to actually making clothing. Then I suppose that could eventually be a “talent”.
I can cook like no one’s business. I think of a talent as being a sort of natural, “duck to water” ability. So in that sense, perhaps my only purely true talent is culinary. I cook mostly southern specialties, of course, with family recipes such as the best ever cornbread, zucchini bread, banana pudding, fried green tomatoes… and I’ve made Yankees love grits. I love fiery spice, so I stay pretty true to Korean and Szechuan dishes, except I often have to make them vegetarian for my boyfriend. And recently I’ve been making some of my best home made pasta sauces. I also like to try my hand at dishes from different backgrounds and blend them- like American vegetables in a South Indian style. A lot of cuisines come naturally and I surprise myself with that intuition.
S.L.A.M: Speaking of hidden talents – - What might be an interesting fact we don’t know about Angelica Paige?
Angelica: My friends just call me Paige. I’ve always signed my works “Angelica Paige” since I was little.
S.L.A.M: Your sketch blog is such a unique idea – - what inspires that? Angelica: Many ideas of mine, like many artists’, stay hidden in sketchbooks. Whether the images’ purposes are to evoke either simple laughter or keen thought, the venues of both paint and print facilitate potential for more eye traffic, more communication. I have been hoping the sketch blog could act as a communicative litmus test to see what ideas fellow artists like. This information could be external validation for the potential success of an image’s invocation of whatever emotion.
S.L.A.M: Since we’re talking about inspiration, where does yours come from? Angelica: Two main sources: Humor, whether those silly tongue in cheek puns or cynicism, which often but not always results in print.
Then there is symbolic literalness of anatomy and spiritual/psychological situations, which I find myself describing, using terms of past movements, like a post-surrealism-nouveau. I see this approach popping up from other peers. These expressions usually, but not exclusively, manifests in paint. An example of print is “Abstract Anatomy”. A merge of theological cosmology and childish sarcasm is the painting “The Creation as Muppet Mythology”.
S.L.A.M: You translate humor into your work quite often – - what do you say or think when people just don’t “get it”?
Angelica: I think no one’s going to miss it, or misunderstand these opaque interpretations. No one has. I think it’s a matter of not sharing a similar sense of humor. Some people just huff and roll their eyes and I let them, even if I’m in an irritable mood.
S.L.A.M: How do you stay positively motivated as an artist?
Angelica: Haha! I don’t “stay” positive. However, I do stay persistent.
S.L.A.M: Do you have any thoughts on the role art is playing in today’s society? Angelica: Art is in the middle of bartering its soul with the devil. “Westernized” art, that is art that is seen by a majority of people on a daily basis. It’s trading a hunk of social commentary and spiritual vision and its people to the electric lit, vectorized promised land of advertising propaganda. Like that “Happy Pets” Facebook application piggy logo I can see in the sidebar of the browser window behind this word document.
I’m bombarded by soulless, highly saturated illustrations and trite, gimmicky graphic design. There is still a consciousness, however oppressed, that exists as diamonds of scattered roughs in local “scenes”. Still, some humanitarian relevancy or cleverly observant images can be spotted in main stream galleries such as magazines, T shirts, and TV.
I appreciate pretty things, just to be pretty, that has its place, but I feel we’re missing out on a lot of potential to express so many individual concepts, visions, ideas, and criticisms, through art that could be spread to a mass audience through mainstream media venues. Consciousness can be collected this way! There is still hope for art to help at least a little bit to dissolve prejudices, promote understanding of polar views, and encourage possibilities for collective efforts to change injustices. We’re not entirely there, but hope is not lost!
S.L.A.M: You’ve recently taken up modeling. What is it like being the subject of art work? Angelica: Ha! It can boost and then turn around and bruise my self esteem. It’s especially difficult since I rely on myself to get work. I don’t have an agent for either modeling or illustration. It’s a strange feeling knowing that I’ve made more money for being in others’ art rather than from appreciation of my own.
S.L.A.M: Where can readers find you?
Angelica: I’ve only lately become connected locally in Murfreesboro, TN. The town, not far from Nashville, is the exact geographical center of the great state of Tennessee, which I’ve theorized is located above a portal to a wormhole.
I’ve just began cohorting around with Art Life, a recently formed non-profit organization striving to bring together what hidden creative collective can be mustered around here. They found me!
Now I’m planning on helping with visual arts instruction at YEAH! (Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities) They have a building, and schedule is still up in the air. The doors are opening for fall August 31st. Both organizations can be found online.
A few of my paper goods, like ones on etsy, are at Mesh down town.
Online, I try to be connected in several artistic networks. It’s like a part time job in itself. I put a right out stupid amount of pressure and indecision on myself regarding how must time to invest and what work to put out on which communities. I joined SLAM quite recently and I have found the network’s energy to be sincere and easier for me to want to keep in touch with. And to the cynics out there, I know cause I can be one, I’m not kissing any ass by saying that.
Many of the illustration specific sites aren’t, for me personally, reciprocal enough between members for me to want to stay on top of. I easily become aloof. Behance is so corporate. I find deviantart’s interface whack. Society6 is obscure but could facilitate outsourced artsy, promo products that would be good if I had more of a personal market. Twitter is just weird. I want to follow and be followed by more people on blogger.
Since Facebook now seems to be the mega mother ship of social networks, I want more people to be my fans on “Angelica Paige’s Hot Frog Legs”. Who doesn’t want more fans, I suppose? I feel like if friends told their friends, one of whom is cool Aunt Selma who tells all her kooky friends, then maybe I could sell a few more pieces. I find most appreciation, understanding and business for what I do from a general audience largely results from chance, in person meeting, and word of mouth, but word of internet can work similarly. I feel like this business is still, maybe more than ever?, a who you meet kind of market, no matter what mode in which you are met. I don’t think any amount of these pixilated symbols seen before us at this very moment is yet full replacement to face value. I’d say hanging out, even going out drinking, is therefore a good business move, while putting one’s self online is still important and useful. You can also find Angelica Paige here: Hot Frog Legs & her own corner of the internet.
S.L.A.M: If you could go back and tell teenage Angelica anything, what would it be?
Angelica: Adult me would just laugh in teenage me’s face. I was ridiculous. There is nothing I could have told myself back then that would’ve changed anything I was thinking or wanted to do.
S.L.A.M: Finally, what can we expect to see from you in the future? Angelica: A few mental break downs and identity crises for sure. Between all that, if I am in favor with the fates, you’ll want to review the print shop/paint studio collective I’ll be running with a thriving community and wonder how I take on that responsibility while writing yet another provoking and lucrative screenplay that will continue to support my huge family of adopted Korean babies. (Another, rather concealed, passion.) (Meaning the writing.) (The Korean babies interest is not so concealed.)
Now, just looking at Tania will tell you she is killin it in the looks department – yes, we all know. But this girl is not just any old model. She is creatively talented in so many ways and she is someone to count on when you need professionalism, creative input and more than just a stick figure who will look good. (Although, Tania is pretty much that beautiful stick figure that looks good in any position you put her in too…..)
She just can’t help dabbling in a million different things as a Visual Artist and Model who is the Face of Pho2Pose and Many brands like What’s in your drink. Tania is also the Hugo Boss Runway Model. Being talented, smart and beautiful – well that inspires me anyday. SLAM can’t help showing the world how much we love Tania Sierra. Please check out her sites for more pics and examples of her work. And give her a nice welcome to SLAM as one of our very first SLAM models.
"Life is not about finding yourself... it is about creating yourself."
"I don't believe in the Republican party or the Democratic party. I just believe in parties."
To say that there is no adversity in the world of art would be a fallacy. We all have some proverbial laundry list of things we tell ourselves to make it through the chaos and the all consuming life that is art or being an artist. We try to stay positive, explore new horizons, network or seek comfort in the company of like minded companions. To say that Natalie Clark hasn’t explored new horizons or networked is a lie. To say that she has held steadfast in the face of adversity would be an incredible understatement. S.L.A.M is very honored to share the talent and remarkable class of Natalie Clark with you today. She truly is a force to be reckoned with.
S.L.A.M: You are like a Jill of all trades. Tell SLAM readers all that you do and which of them you enjoy the most. Natalie: I do everything from set design to makeup and of course the photography. I also spend 99% of the time doing hair and wardrobe styling. The shooting and makeup I enjoy the most! Setting up and set design is very tiring along with the pre-production work such as location scouting, getting wardrobe, and general shoot planning and calculating all necessary aspects of a shoot.
S.L.A.M: The photos that you have shared on the SLAM Network; is that all you start to finish? Natalie: I’m not the model in 90% of my photographs. Otherwise I do everything from start to finish. At some point, I would really like to get a creative team together which includes, a hair stylist and designer/wardrobe stylist; also someone to help with set design would be awesome! I love working with other artists especially those that share the same love and artistic ideals as I. I am still looking for some awesome talents to work with. I can do it all myself; however working with other people we would get more accomplished and it would be a lot easier and less stressful on me. I am always open to change and new experiences.
S.L.A.M: As a photographer, you are very diverse – portrait, fine art, weddings, etc. Do you have a preference?
Natalie: By far, Fashion/fine-art. I combine them. I love to take the concept of fashion and make it something more in depth than just a pretty picture. Every fashion/fine- art picture I have tells an intricate story.
S.L.A.M: Walk us through your creative process for any given photograph.
Natalie: I start out with a general planning of each shoot down to the last detail. This includes, make up, general styling, hair, set design or on location, lighting calculations, model selection, props, what equipment I need, etc. I sketch everything and plan everything beforehand. The lighting is calculated down to the F-stops and shutter speeds. I am rarely off and if I am it’s only by a stop. All those details are sketched and planned then executed. Since my shoots are so planned I am challenging myself and trying to not plan them. I feel sometimes my over controlled commercial attitude is good for commissioned jobs but not good for the art I like to create for myself.
S.L.A.M: How do you stay positively motivated as an artist during these tough social and economic times?
Natalie: I have struggled my whole life with two genetic autoimmune diseases, various surgeries and down time. Through these hard times (which are still ongoing) art has healed me physically, mentally, spiritually along with being my main motivation. That is why I am currently in graduate school for art therapy. I will never give up my art and photography career I believe we can all have dual careers and loves. I wish to be an advocate for the healing of art and a voice for people that have been disabled or sick with illnesses that hold them back.
S.L.A.M: Are there any artists you feel have influenced your work or that you look up to? Natalie: Early in college they use to consider me to be a more technical ‘Cindy Sherman’ because I liked shock value art along with challenging peoples view’s of what is Taboo. I love David Lachapelle!!! I would be his photo wench any day! I don’t think I am influenced by one person, more so inspired. Nan Golden’s raw power made me fall in love with the photojournalist styles that can be turned into fine art. My friend Sheri whom I went to RIT with (Rochester Institute of Technology) has been a HUGE inspiration and held me up when I was at my lowest. I miss her SO much. Her art I can honestly say is AMAZING. Please take some time to check her stuff out.
S.L.A.M: Top five art supplies you cannot live without… Go!
Natalie: Magnalight, makeup (I can get very specific here), 120 film, strobes, and camera. (I have so many more!!)
S.L.A.M: What do you feel your biggest achievements are thus far as an artist and how do you intend to grow upon them?
Natalie: Being picked for Eddie Adams Workshop 2003. (100 photojournalists and photographers were handpicked from across the country based solely on the merit of their pictures. They are paired with the world’s leading photographers and editors and divided into ten teams, each with a unique assignment. www.eddieadamsworkshop.com)
-Photographer’s Forum – College Photographer of the Year (Finalist 2003) and publishing in Photo Forum Magazine
-Published in CMYK Magazine – Fall Issue .23, 24, 25 Best in Photography
-International Color Awards, Master’s of Color Photography 2006 Fashion Nominee
-Monthly Showings from January 2004 –October 2004 with Cannibal Flower Gallery in LA, CA
Although I have done those things; I really go with the saying by the Tao Te Ching (Lao Tzu) “Success is as dangerous as failure” As much as I would love to get published again, get gallery showing and shoot for some of my favorite magazines. I feel that I need to create to live. I was born as artist and still do other mediums (painting, sculpting, mixed media, etc.) I have gotten lost in the process of the hunger for fame, money, to be recognized FOR my art when it started to eat away at the artist core that I am. Right now I want to create JUST to create and enjoy it without expectations that take some of us down to nothing. If I get published, shows from galleries, etc from these actions; then I will be ecstatic but If I don’t, I won’t feel like I failed, because I have created something meaningful.
S.L.A.M: What pearls of wisdom do could you bestow upon the up and comers who might be feeling a little discouraged in their respective crafts? Natalie: You will get rejected 100 times and for every one time you get a foot in the door. Keep trying for the love of art. There are a lot of politics involved out there now a days; don’t take rejections so personally. Create because you are an artist and need it like food. Don’t let the system/industry brain wash you.
S.L.A.M: Aside from your spot with the SLAM Network, where else can readers check you out?
S.L.A.M: Finally, we love to get the word out about artists. Tell us all what you’ve got cookin’ and what we can look forward to seeing from you in the future!
Natalie: TOP SECRET! lol Nah, I’m trying to break down taboos and lines of ‘what IS beauty and art. I’m working on a series that will advocate people with inner and outer disabilities in a style mixed with Fine art/Fashion and Photojournalism. It’s going to be a series that will take a long time to plan to bring to fruition.
Today S.L.A.M is checking out up and coming photographer and digital manipulator, Jason Bennett who shows readers that what is in front of the lens is just as important as personal style and endless creativity.
S.L.A.M: Can you walk readers through your creative process? Research! I go through thousands and thousands of pictures in a week, every week. I think it is the most important thing to do as an artist is to put your ego aside and learn from others. After I get an idea for a picture that I’d like to do, I save all of the reference pictures into categorized folders. That way if I need to come back to a shot again I don’t have to remember how to find it and I can also show clients and models what kind of look I am going for. The next step is to pick a model, location, outfit, and plan on how I want to shoot it. Finally, I load up the pictures into Lightroom 2 pick the ones I like and finish them in Photoshop.
S.L.A.M: Do you look at digital manipulation as a way to create an image or as a way to enhance existing images? I look at photography and digital manipulations as two great tools to create work people will want to see. Some of my work I do is simple with only a few touch ups, while others consist of hours upon hours of editing. People can put their noses up to Photoshop and call it a cheap tool to fix pictures, but I view it with way more respect. Photoshop created a whole new form of art that wasn’t around 30 years. So, to answer the question, both.
S.L.A.M: Where or how did your career as an artist begin? I opened my business just under a year ago. I have been doing photography for about 2 years, and digital manipulations just under a year. I am actually very new to photography, compared to some who have been doing it for over ten years.
S.L.A.M: How about schooling? Are you formally taught or a do it yourselfer? I have three colleges under my belt, broadcasting from a community college, a bachelor of science in film from Full Sail University, and Certificate of completion from Hallmark Institute of photography. So I have the schooling, but I haven’t stopped learning, I buy books on photoshop and photography, look up tutorials online, and the biggest thing I do is take pictures and work on pictures every single day.
S.L.A.M: Where does your inspiration or motivation come from? Dave Hill and Jill Greenberg are two of my biggest idols. They shoot celebrity portraiture but what I love about them is their ability to show character and tell a story in one image. My motivation runs naturally with me, I can’t sit still and I need constant stimulation, also I hate to let people down. Somewhere in my childhood I must have disappointed someone and felt horrible about it, because since then I try my hardest never to let people down. Most people want me to succeed and shine bright so I don’t want to let them down or myself.
S.L.A.M: You’ve got an extensive project going: “365 Days of Me”. Tell us about how that started and what you’re hoping to accomplish. The 365 days of me started as a way for me to be more creative and to find as many ways to shoot the same subject in a different way. It also forced me to setup a shot every day and to take a picture everyday that wasn’t street photography.
In under a year it has progressed and changed. It is now what I am known for and it is how most people ,including SLAM, discovered my talent.
I planned on doing it for a year then moving on to another project, but a few weeks back I was talking with a friend about it and we decided that I shouldn’t stop at year 2010. What I should do is keep doing it until I can no longer take pictures. So, now the project has evolved into a picture of the day for the rest of my life project. Each year I will create a book and offer it to anyone who wants to buy it.
S.L.A.M: Give us a fun factoid or two. What don’t we know about Jason Bennett? I love to make people laugh, I am better at that than photography and photoshop. I would pursue a career in stand up but I feel some walls are just to high. I would on the other hand love to meet some of my favorite comedians like Joe Rogan, Patton Oswald, and Lewis Black.
Another thing about me that not everyone knows is I come from a family of artist who are amazing at what they do. My mother, Connie Methner, is a hair stylist and has beaten every bit of competition out of the town for 24 years. My older brother, Michael Bennett, is an amazing illustrator and cartoonist, he also works on other forms of media from video to animation. My younger brother, Trever Bennett, is an amazing writer going to college to better his trade.
S.L.A.M: You are sort of like Mann Ray meets Dali. Your work is crisp, clean, vibrant and surreal. Are there any artists who you feel influence your work? I wouldn’t say my work is as thought driven as Mann ray or Dali, though some of my 365 project has had it’s moments, at the moment it is Dave Hill’s story telling, with Jill Greenberg’s vivid colors and character study. I am currently trying to find my style but only 2 years into it I feel like I am inspired by some many photographers, film makers, musicians, and illustrators. I even get ideas from tattoo artist, piercers, and comedians. On top of artist, even pop culture finds it’s way into my work.
S.L.A.M: Share with us some of your accomplishments and some of your goals for the future. I just want to keep getting better, I don’t really have a goal other than to make a living doing the work I do and to always learn more.
S.L.A.M: Any pearls of wisdom for the up and comers? Study other’s work, study your work, have peers critique your work, then study other’s work again. At Hallmark everyone is forced on stage with their end of the year portfolios and told by three judges what is good and what is bad about your work. I learned half of what I know today during those two weeks of watching the judges point out reacquiring problems with pictures and the upsides of the pictures. If you don’t have someone to tell you what’s wrong with your work, you will never get better.
S.L.A.M: How do you differentiate between photography and digital manipulation? Photography is taken by a camera and digital manipulation is done in a computer but they both are a form of manipulation.
You have to remember Photography starts the manipulating process by framing only a section of the world, freezing a moment in time, creates only a small area of focus, and a limited range of light. Plus most lenses warp the image as well. All that alone makes for a manipulated image, and then there is ISO that creates more or less noise or grain. Once you put it in lightroom 2 and adjust the contrast or crop the image slightly the only thing that has changed is the form of medium you are using. It still is an image that has been manipulated from the moment the photographer snapped the shot.
S.L.A.M: Where can we ‘Slammers’ find you on the World Wide Web? www.photographyoutofthebox.com and www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=780382577
I am also currently working on 6 other forms of online portfolio work including tumblr and deviantart. I do post my entire portfolio on my facebook though and some of my top work is posted on my website for a better image
S.L.A.M: What are your artistic tools of choice? I use Canon 5D Mark2, cheap strobes, and natural light. Digitally I use Photomatrix, Lightroom2, and Photoshop CS4, I can’t wait to get CS5.
S.L.A.M: Finally, S.L.A.M works tirelessly to promote and expose artists. What do you have cooking that we can share with readers? My newest project is going to be a few graphic novels of the Grimm fairy tales “Little Red Riding Hood” “The Ginger Bread Man” and “Hansel and Gretel” all done in the true form of a Grimm Fairy Tale and with a twist realism instead of magic.
I am also finishing up a series of playing cards that are posted on facebook as well that will be turned into a book and also a set of playing cards if the demand calls for it.
TGFS – If you know me at all – you will find that I love acronyms. Only I don’t like them so much when they are coming from the corporate world, because I did not make them up and they just aren’t ever as cool as S.L.A.M. or F.A.D. or my newest and truest – which you will most likely hear every Friday – TGFS! Thank G for SLAM! Hmmm – We could be talking about God, but if your not religious then consider this new and possibly unknown Friday Fact: My real name is Grecelle. Who would of thought? I have a real name!!!! And, it isn’t a simple one. Hee hee – and you could maybe even put it in the TGFS saying! NICE!
Another little fact about me: I am 30 years old. That’s it on me for today, but not to worry because every Friday I am going to be back with more tidbits from the land of muah and I will always be thanking our sponsors! Thank you for paying attention and for making The SLAM Network and SLAM, Support Local Art Magazine one of the best endeavors and fights I have ever fought to keep any dream of my own alive. YOU all make it worth it EVERY day! Danke schon for your support and please remember to thank our sponsors, visit them and mingle with your new family. VIVA LA SLAM!
A HUGE thank you to all of the following SPONSORS of The SLAM Network!
Nikki Elizabeth – Model and more
Christopher Ayres – Photographer, Chef, Editor, and more
Ginny Ruger Paterno – talented promoter and event coordinator, mom, and more
Brett Ryan – Surfer, Drummer, Photo/Videographer and more
Anita Whexler – fine artist and more
Kevin Nodland – Nodland Designs – Graphic Designer, Father and more
Jason and Moira Shiver – Members of the Ybor Art Colony – Jason is an artist and Moira, his wife, is the best support system I have EVER met in my life!
I hate to say that’s all folks. But this crazy Lady’s gotta drink the coffee, and bust ass to slut for the man! Below are the links you need, want and better get used to seeing on your home pages and in your hearts. SLAM cannot be built on LOVE alone. Remember, it takes all of the people above to provide you with such an amazingly crafted piece of art!
