Storyteller - An Art Show

One of the most well known images of the storyteller hails from West Africa. There, griots are honored for their talent in maintaining the cultural traditions of poetry, music and storytelling. But storytellers have been around since the beginning sharing the stories of how we began. From the time we spent our nights telling stories around the fire and drawing the lives of ancestors on cave walls, storytelling has been integral to our human existence. The most important part of our stories is that they are all connected.

How we clothe and adorn ourselves is one of the most fundamental ways that we tell our stories. Do you have one tattoo, none, or ten? Do you wear a suit to work everyday or shorts? Do you have a diamond necklace around your neck or cowrie shells? Though these choices might seem benign, they tell others a little bit about your background, income, interests, and passions. We adorn ourselves to impress, frighten, and seduce on a daily basis.

The newest collection from Urban Temple Jewelry (The Urban Atelier) is Storyteller. This collection explores the stories we tell others and the stories we tell ourselves. Fancy yourself a beach goddess? Are you a king or a ladies’ man? A teacher? A leader? Storyteller poses the question: What do you want to say to the rest of the world?

The collection will make its debut at Violet Ray Vintage in Neptune Beach, August 21st 2014 during the North Beaches ArtWalk.

To celebrate the collection every week leading up to the show I’ll be sharing great human stories real and imagined from history, tv, books, and everywhere.

If you have a great story or know a great story feel free to share!

The Sky Above My Head, the Ground Beneath My Feet.

My time in the Peace Corps has greatly influenced my artwork. Several of these pictures have become prints, book covers, and collages. See some of the images that were the catalyst for other pieces of artwork.

Haters Gonna Hate...

Have you ever had a friend in your life that you loved spending time with and loved talking to, but alternately did not feel that you could truly trust? A ‘friend’ that you spend time with that, instead of making you feel great, your self-esteem takes a hit each minute you are in their presence?  A special artist colleague you share ideas with, who says they’ll never work and turns around and uses the same ideas they criticized? Sounds like you might have a frenemy.

How do you know when someone is a frenemy?

Frenemy, (spelled alternately frienemy) is defined as enemy pretending to be a friend or someone who really is a friend but is also a rival. The term is used to describe personal, geopolitical, and commercial relationships both among individuals and groups or institutions.

Personally, I don’t believe in the idea of frenemies. I believe that people are primarily encouraging or discouraging forces in one’s life; friend or enemy. It has become quite the trend to think of a friend or two in one’s entourage as a frenemy (just watch reruns of Gossip Girl or Work of Art: The Next Great Artist). Eventhough the phrase has been around for a while, it seems as if the idea of having a friend that doubles as an enemy really has taken off in the past few years and is even seen as acceptable. But truly it is difficult for a friend and enemy to exist in the same space. There are a few who do believe it is possible though.

Some might argue that having a friend who isn’t afraid to critique and criticize might make you a stronger person able to defend your ideas, but when that’s all your ‘friend’ does it knocks any relationship off balance and tips the scales more toward the negative.

Friendships already require lots of work. Why have friends that make you feel bad too?

It is true. To be a good friend is a job; usually one worth having. But when the negative and positive aspects to a friendship aren’t balanced you might feel that having certain folks as friends is more work than it is worth.

As an artist, surrounding yourself with those who will encourage and positively influence you is a must. It is even more important because the positive or negative feelings influence you and how you work. It is great to have someone in your life who challenges you to try new media, take an idea to another level, or open your own studio, but when the ‘challenges’ tip the scales more toward the negative then maybe a reassessment is in order:

Maybe you have to choose. I am not saying that you have to, but an article about the cause of frenemy type relationships I read recently points the finger at a lack of space between professional and personal lives. Maybe you have a friend that you share a studio with, live with, and hang out with. Maybe a little space and separation is in order. If you are living and working with someone, hang out with another group of friends when you leave the studio. Hanging out and working together? Perhaps change your living situation. The fact remains; changes might need to be made to salvage the work relationship or the friendship. Sometimes spending 30 hours a day together just doesn’t work.

Know the difference. Know the difference between someone that is purposely hurting you and someone who is simply a clueless bumbling idiot when it comes to their interactions with others. If your friend is of the bumbling idiot persuasion tell them how you feel. Hopefully that will nip things in the bud.

Understand what and who affects you and how. Went to dinner and a movie with Chip and now you feel like crap. Either you have food poisoning or Chip might be a little toxic. If conversation usually hovers around the energy vampire level (that is sucking all of the good energy and light out of a room) every time you are together then don’t ignore the obvious: Chip makes you feel a little queasy. Pay close attention to how you feel when in the company of others. Why spend time with people who make you feel not so great? Life is too short.

Accept challenges, not disrespect. If someone is challenging you do become a better artist and or person don’t confuse the fear of change with actual straight up ugly toxicity. When a person you hang out with is not respectful of you, and your ideas and feelings it is obvious, you will feel it.

Know when it is time to kick someone to the curb. I know it sounds harsh, but the simplified version of the story is: This person is negative. They make you feel bad. You need to leave them in the dust. The end. If you’ve already made attempts to express your feelings and work on a friendship and they’ve been ignored, you might have to move on. The end (again). Your call.

I'm Just the Messenger... 

Listen, I am not telling you to dump all of your friends. With every friendship there are ups and downs; nobody is perfect.

I am just saying be observant of how those you spend the most time with affect your being and your spirit. Keep those who encourage you, love you, help you to grow, support you, and help you to expand your horizons close by. You might notice a difference in the way you feel and the artwork you produce.

TALENT. An Interview with artist Greg Francis.

http://greg-francis.com/

Urban Atelier: So you recently finished your 365Project, which was a photography adventure that you completed over a year. Tell me a little about it and why you decided to do the project.

Greg: For the 365Project, I took one photo a day, every day, for one year. It's a project I had seen in many forms over the years executed by various artists. I had always wanted to start such a project on the 1st of January, but it had always slipped my mind when that date rolled around. So on January 1, I was walking the dog and I snapped a photo. It struck me that the project had finally begun! I decided that I would announce the project via Facebook and post the daily photos there as a way to keep myself honest. Once others knew I was doing the project, It would be more difficult to let it lapse. I then decided on two simple rules. I could only use my iPhone to capture, edit and share the photos and the photos had to be taken the day they were posted.

Urban Atelier: Do you focus on particular subject matter?

Greg: Nothing in particular. Everything is fair game. Landscape, abstraction, still life…my goal is always to create a strong image, regardless of the subject matter. Usually a composition or lighting situation or color combination presents itself and I’ll document that, but I do on occasion obsess over a particular subject. Most recently, that subject has been vintage signs around St. Petersburg. I started out taking a few pictures of local signs as part of the 365Project. After I collected a handful of vintage sign images through that project, I decided to develop them into a standalone project. That project consists of a website and full-color photo book featuring 16 local vintage signs: http://vintagestpete.com/

Urban Atelier: Do you work primarily in photography or do you work in other media as well?

Greg: I primarily work in photography, as I find its the most accessible medium. With digital photography, the medium has become very democratic in that it is not imperative to have expensive equipment and dedicated working space. While I do have a decent DSLR camera and professional editing software that I use quite a bit, I am also very proud of the body of work I have created using just my iPhone.

Urban Atelier: Keeping the fact that you used Facebook instead of a traditional gallery setting to show your work do you think submitting your work to traditional galleries is still a worthwhile process?

Absolutely. In fact, after the 365Project received some local attention, I was invited to participate in a photography show at a local gallery. Facebook was great for very superficial feedback, by which I mean that I could only judge the relative success of an image by whether (and how often) it was "Liked". In the gallery setting, the feedback was much more in depth. I had some wonderful conversations with everyone from professional photographers to everyday art fans and I could really get a sense of how deeply affected these viewers were by a particular image. Nothing can replace that face to face interaction.

Urban Atelier: Did you go to school for art? Do you feel that you’d be a different artist if you hadn’t gone to school for the arts?

Greg: I received a Degree of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the University of Florida, and I later received a Degree in Graphic Design from the University of South Florida. I feel the experience of attending university for the arts was invaluable. Creatively, I feel you either have "it" in you or you don't. You can't teach creative sensibility. But you can further develop that sensibility through exposure to other artists, alternate methods of working, various materials and media and feedback from other creative people. I know for a fact that I would not be the same artist I am today had it not been for my education in the arts.

Urban Atelier: Have you become more or less daring as an artist as you’ve gotten older? If yes, in what way? If no, do you think it is necessary to take chances as an artist?

Greg: I've never been particularly daring, and that has worked out for me so far. I guess it all depends on your individual goals and whether pushing yourself out of a particular comfort zone would help you reach them. I've never felt that I hadn't gone far enough on something, although I don't know if it would necessarily be a conscious decision to do so. I've always just done what I wanted to do.

Urban Atelier: You don't think putting your work up on Facebook for the world to see and critique is a little daring?

Hmm…I never thought about it that way. I tried to put such a high standard on the quality of images that would ultimately be posted that I never really feared outright rejection. I guess it was more that I was honestly sharing images that I already loved, and any positive feedback was a bonus. Plus, I think its a very passive way to put your work out there. You have the option of whether or not to engage those that have reacted to your work on Facebook, versus a gallery setting where its much more interactive and you must react to feedback in real-time and in the flesh. I think that is FAR more daring.

Urban Atelier: Have there been obstacles to practicing your craft? How did you move beyond them?

Greg: As with most artists, my main obstacle is time. Between the "day job" and other "adult" responsibilities, there's not much time left for creating. That is why the 365Project was such a wonderful exercise. I HAD to find time to create an image because I had a daily deadline. After having a full year of daily deadlines, I got in a habit of making time to do something creative. The project officially ended on December 31, but even now I still post a daily photo. I am not beholden to follow the same rules, so that has allowed me to revisit some previous photographs that didn't fit the criteria for the 365Project.

Urban Atelier: What part of your life do you feel has been most influential in your work?

Greg: Being married to another creative person has had a great influence on my own creativity. Kelly and I share a uniquely compatible aesthetic, so we both act as sounding boards for one another. She can fill the gaps in how I may be approaching a problem, leading to a more successful, well-developed solution. We also share an affinity for travel, from which I draw much inspiration, both for design and photography.

Urban Atelier: When did you know that you are an artist?

Greg: At an early age. I would draw comic strip characters by sight almost perfectly without actually tracing. My mother and grandmother noticed this and were (and are) very supportive and have always encouraged my artistic development. While I had been interested in various professions growing up, I always knew I would end up in a creative field. Thankfully, I was never pressured to consider something more "practical". If anything, there would have been more disappointment if I HADN'T gone into the arts.

Urban Atelier: Do you have any rituals or habits that you observe before or while working?

Greg: Nothing in particular, although I guess you could call the final part of my process a habit. Before I can send anything I have created out into the world, I run it by Kelly for her seal of approval. Being so close to what you are creating can produce a certain tunnel vision at times, so having someone with a similar aesthetic review your work can be very beneficial.

Urban Atelier: Is there anything you want to make sure people know about you as an artist?

No, I think this just about covers it. I'm usually not very analytical about the whats or whys of my work. I do what I enjoy and hope that shows in the final product. My primary drive is to have some constant thread of personal creativity in my life. Whether that takes the form of photography, landscaping or web design doesn't matter. I'm most fulfilled when I have a project (or two, or three).

Since Greg and I initially spoke, he's since completed another project photographing historic signs in St. Pete. Take a look: http://vintagestpete.com/ The rest of his work is here.