Jonathan Demers

Name: Jonathan Demers
Website: See Below
 

What do you do?
Abstract, Fine art, Drawn animation, Photography
 
Where can we find your work?
http://www.facebook.com/jasvgbdfkl
http://jscribbled.deviantart.com/gallery/
http://www.youtube.com/user/jonathandaviddemers
 
What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
My Grandfather inspires me as an abstract artist, I’m sort of pushing what he already does. Growing up watching the Simpsons, and then Futurama, and Family Guy and King of the Hill is what inspires me to be a drawn animator.  And Women inspire my fine art, supernaturally!

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
Well of course my finished work is important to me, but what is more important to me is the hours I’ve spent practicing. I would rather give up all the work I’ve done and still have the practice hours then keep my work and not have had the practice.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Pollock, Al Held, Salvador Dali, Matt Groening, Amanda Mikaelsson just not Warhol!!!
 
If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Darth Maul

When do you get your best ideas?
They all come differently, and can’t be forced. When I’m doing hard manual labor for little pay!

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Ball point pen, Wacom Cintiq, Oil
 
Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Self taught and now educated, I was not as smart as a person until I let myself be a total idiot with myself in isolation in white paper notebooks. Lots of isolation in white paper notebooks.
 
What would your creative work taste like?
Wine
 
When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Go out to bars, down town San Jose. Johnny V’s

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?

Meditation
 

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Buy a canvas, some paint, some brushes and work on one painting for at least six months. 

Joan Tesauro

Name: Joan Tesauro
Website: www.getbackjojo.com

What do you do? I am an interior decorator/designer

Where can we find your work?
On my website, Pinterest, Facebook , homes, restaurants ,boutiques and salons all over the Bay Area

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
 I really love what I do. I have the opportunity to meet interesting people, be creative and bring positive change. Whenever I get a new client and I am invited to see their homes I am so excited to start the process and find out about their likes and their family and come up with a concept based on their lifestyle.  I see new products every day and I can always find the right place to display it. When things get tough I keep working on myself: I use the down time to try and work on things  I can’t always get to when I am really busy. That keeps me sane and by the time I am finished doing that kind of stuff, a new client turns up and I am ready to work and organized!

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
Ultimately the finished product should reflect what my clients should have and what is proper for their space. I can’t imagine how awful it would be if they were unhappy with the outcome. The process of getting to that point is important but because most of my clientele are working , busy parents they aren’t experiencing everything that I do behind the scenes.  For what I do the finished result is most important.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
My inspirations come from my childhood idols: tv shows, movies, and characters of fiction. Sometimes when I am designing a room I say it is going to be GONE WITH WIND DRAPES or GREAT GATSBY CONSERVATORIES. My ultimate no holds barred design inspiration is I dream of Jeannie meets Mary Richards. I remember how they lived and what their spaces look like and I love it!  I continually attend seminars, continuing education and hear what other designers have to say about how they work and I am always so rejuvenated by hearing others and their stories. 

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Jeannie from I DREAM OF JEANNIE, great bottle to be locked up in, great outfit and pretty cool tricks!

When do you get your best ideas?
Ideas come to me at all different times. Sometimes if I tune everything out and just absorb natural sounds around me and stop thinking about the work I can relax and be more creative.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Through the years I have kept an arsenal of design resources from fabrics, paint tabs, tear sheets of furniture and lighting that I love. I must say I really have a thing for beautiful fabrics and wall paper and I try to use those whenever I can.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I have a formal education in Design: I studied throughout High school; going to art and design classes on weekends and in the Summer. I studied painting and design in Florence Italy, The wonderful thing about formal education is you are required to take all sorts of art, and design classes, which just makes you that much better at what you do. I learned how to mix paints, and I learned how to dye fabrics and make paper. I had to learn about composition, space, and color plus you get to attend critiques and get critiqued by your peers and trained professionals. I graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Surface Pattern Design, enabling me to get employment immediately following graduation.  My first job out of college was in the fashion industry in NYC ,designing fabrics for swimwear, active wear and lingerie. No education like that. During that time I learned about business and how a business should run.  From that experience I gained a sense of urgency, that time is of the essence and clients appreciate when I respect their time and I love it when people respect mine. All these factors and experiences made the transition into interior design smooth and perfect for me.

What would your creative work taste like?
Hot buttered rum…tasteful,  smooth with a bit of a kick

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Spending time with my husband, I love listening to live music, eating good food, travel, hanging out with friends and my guilty pleasure watching  reality tv with my two cats.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience? 
I was very fortunate to have people in my life that supported me and my endeavors.  I attended schools that had great art programs with amazing teachers who were very caring and honest. I have had the pleasure of working with some fun clients who have given me full reign to re do a room to my vision and that is always a confidence booster!

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?  
Make sure you really want to do this and if you do then go for it. Take the classes, invest in the time, absorb others that are doing the same thing, learn from them. Accept the fact that you will make mistakes but you will learn from them.

Warren Lain

Name: Warren Lain 
Website: See below

What do you do?
Right now, my energies are split between teaching and making music. On YouTube, I teach songs and sometimes perform original music, and on SoundCloud and Official.FM I put out songs and soundtrack pieces. I am working on a solo album and an online music course.

Where can we find your work?

http://youtube.com/warrenmusic [music tutorials, originals]
http://soundcloud.com/warrenlain [songs]
http://new.official.fm/warrenlain [soundtrack sketches]

 What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Two things inspire me to create the most: seeing other people create, and the urge to express something I have trouble expressing in everyday conversation. In terms of making music, I think it's easier than ever to record your stuff and put it out there for people to hear so I don't feel like we really have it "tough," at least not in terms of fairness. But even if disheartening or creatively stifling moments come in other ways, I remember that the act of making music itself is the part I enjoy most. Playing and discovering sounds I find beautiful, and then writing, recording, mixing, and hearing it back for the first time is a feeling of satisfaction that no number of downloads nor number of zeroes on a paycheck could ever touch.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
As you can probably gather from the above, the process is pretty much what it's all about for me. The finished product is the overflow of the work, not the work itself. I believe the more you make music, the more songs will get finished. In the same way, I didn't set out to write an album, but I have confidence that the album will find itself finished or pretty close to finished when I have made enough music. This is the mindset I have adopted because, for me, I have a tendency to start worrying about what others will think of it before it's appropriate. Endlessly criticizing your own work in the early stages creating it is just going to doom the whole thing. And before you know it, nothing ever gets done.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?A close friend of mine decided he would pursue a creative life when there was no one else around him encouraging him to do so. He worked really, really hard and in a short amount of time, his brand became one of the top names in a niche he created for himself. His brand, Yours Truly, now works with and is sought after by many major music publications like Pitchfork, Gorilla vs. Bear, Fader, and more.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?An Ent from the Lord Of the Rings/The Silmarillion. They are the oldest and wisest creatures; they know and they've seen everything worth knowing.

When do you get your best ideas? It probably sounds like I am evading the question, but honestly the answer is: anywhere and everywhere. Something will strike me while I'm driving or in them middle of a guitar lesson. A fair bit of it happens simply when I'm experimenting and being intentional about making music. I'm never too far away from my iPhone, and the Voice Memo app is amazing for quickly capturing an idea I am feeling but can't work on until later. They say the best camera is the one you have with you.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
My iPhone's Voice Memo app, my MacBook Pro, my cheap russian Oktava MK-012 small condenser microphones, my Apogee Duet (audio interface), my guitars, random pianos I find, Ableton Live, and great drum samples. But without lots and lots of time to experiment, the best equipment in the world would rarely do me any good.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Both. I received formal music theory and ear-training as well as vocal training throughout my youth, but when it came to the guitar, songwriting, and music production, I am self-taught. I believe that this hybrid musical history of mine has helped inform how I approach my work in the sense that I am both cerebral and visceral about it. While it's a romantic notion, I don't think all great music is strictly from the heart. I believe artistic genius comes in many forms, and sometimes it's found in tons of revision, theory, and experience as well as emotion and intuition.

What would your creative work taste like?
 Bittersweet chocolate. Perhaps it took you somewhere else when you ate it, and you wanted to stay there.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
 I am a super fan of a few TV shows. I currently follow Mad Men, Game Of Thrones, and Fringe (I was elated when Fox renewed it for a fifth and final season!). I love finding new places to eat. I surround myself with people who, in some ways, know me better than I know myself.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
This may be a surprise for those who only know me through my work on YouTube, but I have always been a shy musician. For a long time I was really afraid of failure and super insecure, and it took me a long time to realize that close friends couldn't all be wrong about the giftedness they saw in me. Through years of poking and prodding, I found that my posture of false modesty was only about protecting myself, and that to be true to the passion I had within to make music and share my love of it with others, I had to just put it out there and deal with the negativity as I went. I hold my work to a very high standard, and I like to think that this quality has helped me earn the loyalty of people who follow my work. But in all honesty, it does make criticism harder to deal with, and for that, I've learned that a good dose of humility is necessary if I want to do the best work I can do.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? 
Do it, don't over-think it. No amount of school or advice, no magical combination of circumstance or opportunity, nor any amount of inspiration will sustain your creativity for the long haul. Commit to the work, and trust that your commitment to it will be rewarding in and of itself. Surround yourself with people who encourage you to stay on the path. You will recognize the finished product when it comes.

Floy Zittin

Name:  Floy Zittin
Website: www.floyzittin.com

What do you do?
 I paint watercolors featuring birds.

Where can we find your work?
 My work is shown locally at ViewpointsGallery in Los Altos and at Studio Seven Gallery in Pleasanton.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
 I consider myself a naturalist as well as an artist and I am continually learning new things about plants and animals through painting.
      

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
 I enjoy the process of painting.  My paintings evolve as I work on them and can go in unexpected directions. Sometimes these are disasters but I enjoy the journey.
   

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
 I am inspired by Japanese and Chinese ink paintings   

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
no idea

When do you get your best ideas?  
 Watching birds in my backyard or hiking with my husband

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
 I have been experimenting working with watercolor on a variety of surfaces.  For several years I was working on canvas and I am now experimenting painting on wood panels.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?  
My formal training was in biology but I studied watercolor technique under Jane Hofstetter and taken numerous workshops.  It took a while to gain confidence because I did not have a formal degree.

What would your creative work taste like?
 Fresh produce or something earthy like mushrooms.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Travel, hike, birding.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience? 
I began working as a scientific illustrator and later moved to selling my own creations.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?  
The more you paint the better you get and the process of learning can be a lot of fun.

Ray Furuta

Name: Ray Furuta

Website: www.rayfuruta.com  |  www.svmusicfestival.org

What do you do?

a.       Concertizing Flutist – Soloist and Chamber Musician

b.      Artistic Director for brand new The Silicon Valley Music Festival

c.       Flutist for Yellow Barn Music Festival, Argento New Music Ensemble and other
          ensembles.

d.      Guest teacher at Universities, Music Schools, and Flute Societies

Where can we find your work?

a.       My personal website: www.rayfuruta.com

b.      Silicon Valley Music Festival website: www.svmusicfestival.org

c.       Youtube Channel – Ray Furuta & Silicon Valley Music Festival

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
It is very easy to get frustrated and confused as a classical musician, or any artist for that matter.  I am a positive and relaxed person by nature and handle stress very well, but I look my flute teacher and mentor, Carol Wincenc, professor at The Juilliard School, for constant inspiration. I have other mentors including Emerson String Quartet violinist, Philip Setzer, San Jose’s own Isabelle Chapuis, Jill Felber, and Elena Yarritu who are always there to give me moral support for my artistic endeavors.  I find that when things get hard, simple positive and moral support from the people you look up to is inspiration enough to get through.


     

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
This is a tricky question, because in many ways both are equally important – especially in music.  Personally, I believe that the “content”, or perhaps one’s musical point of view, personality and how they portray it to the audience is more important then the technical aspect of music. This is something that I think is sometimes forgotten in music – but I’m a firm believer that this is most important.


  

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?

a.       My flute teachers, Carol Wincenc, Jill Felber, Isabelle Chapuis, and Elena Yarritu.

b.      My chamber music teachers, Philip Setzer, David Finckel, Christina Dahl

c.       Artistic Director of Music@Menlo and CMS of Lincoln Center, Wu Han. Her playing
          never ceases to inspire me.

d.      Soprano Angela Gheorghiu

e.       Joni Mitchell

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?

"Leslie Knope" I would say Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation because of her dedication for what she loves. I can related to her strong sense of passion for her work and her never ending determination to achieve her highest possible goal.

When do you get your best ideas?
Normally when I’m at a concert – especially when the performer is particularly inspiring to me. As I’m inspired, my mind races ideas pop up like crazy! Also, when I’m walking home from school, through NYC, often ideas will come to me.


 
What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
It’s just my flute and me!

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I think at a certain point, it is important to have formal training. Especially in music. Of course, there are special cases, and also people who are not formally trained who have become extremely successful – and sometimes there’s something to be said about developing your own artistic voice without the influence or pressure of another’s.

What would your creative work taste like?
That’s interesting. Thinking of how my playing has been described as “ dynamic”, “Artistic statement is powerful” and “Deft virtuosity” I would say that my playing would taste like some strong – yet extremely delicious cocktail! Ha Ha!


 
When you are not creating what do you like to do?
 I am now enjoying exploring the entrepreneurial side of music and the arts. I love to have friends over to cook and have dinner parties. I also enjoy playing with my dog, Newton.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I think as a musician, true confidence – versus arrogance – it takes a lot of performance experience, and time for your musical point of view to mature. I think only recently after 15 years of playing, I have found the true “Ray Furuta”. It takes time.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Work Hard, never give up, and find inspiration – constantly. ALWAYS be open to learning, and exploring new facets of your creative ventures. Be humble, modest, and friendly, having the right attitude is the best way to develop relationships with colleagues and fellow artists.

Ketra Oberlander

Name: Ketra Oberlander
Website: aopstudios.com

What do you do?
As a fine artist I paint in acrylics; as founder of Art of Possibility® Studios, I run the only art licensing business exclusively representing artists with physical disabilities in the world.

Where can we find your work?
The most interesting place to see my work is in the film “Broken City” (coming in 2013, Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, Catherine Zeta Jones). I’ll have 3 paintings in two different sets.  To see originals, by appointment.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Asking what inspires me is like asking a fish to describe water. As for maintaining my spirits through adversity, my work is part of a larger message to help others, and that commitment to service carries me through the challenging times. If I saw my work only as The Me Show, so what? It’s got to be bigger than me; it’s got to elevate humanity.
     

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I don’t see these as opposite ends of a continuum at all. I think if a piece matches my intention, then that’s successful. I’d note, though, that my most popular work isn’t necessarily my most successful (by my definition). There’s a point at which I have to trust the audience response to my work and move on.
  

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Gov. Ann Richards; she was a great lady. My husband. And although he’s not “people,” the cat has a tremendous influence on my daily life. He’s a laid back dude, the Jeff Bridges of cats, and he reminds me to enjoy the journey.
 

 If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Friends would probably vote “Beaker,” the startled lab assistant to Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, but I’d like to be any fictional character with a red cape. Superpowers optional. I just want the cape.

When do you get your best ideas?
At precisely the most inconvenient moment.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
The usual suspects: canvas, brushes, slow-dry acrylics.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I began painting at 40 in a local adult ed. art class and thought it was totally fun. Although I had guidance, the class was more like shared studio time. I still paint with friends and think that I would have been far less realistic about the business of fine art had I gone to art school right out of high school. Lucky for my I studied literature because that has such tremendous earning potential. Would you like fries with that?

What would your creative work taste like?
I have utterly no idea. This is the first “gotcha” question I’ve had in a long time!

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Rabble rouse, iPad games, garden, loaf, pontificate.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience? 

How can one NOT create and share? 

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?  
Decide what YOU want from your work, then pursue that goal. Revisit that goal every two years because we grow and change. What matters to you now may not matter later and if you’re just in a habit and not paying attention, you’ll digress and waste time that could be more full in your life.

Matt Gonzales

Name: Matt Gonzales
Website: See below

What do you do?
I am a musician/producer. I am a multi-instrumentalist but my passion lies within the guitar. I’ve also been a promoter/booking agent/sound engineer for 5 years at South First Billiards and other venues/festivals such as The SJ Taco Festival, Moveable Feast, Pagoda Lounge, Johnny V’s, and much more. I am the live music coordinator for an awesome organization called Bring It Back Tour, which has a stage on the Warped Tour this year. We have also had a stage on the local festival called Left Coast Live. I have also taught guitar at San Jose State for their first ever guitar club. I also have worked at a local elementary school for an after-school program. They had a mariachi group consisted of many kids and I helped them hone their skills in guitar and voice. I have been a freelance writer for El Observador bilingual newspaper. As of 2011 I entered the filmmaking world and became a documentarian. The documentary I am currently working on is called “Scenes Are Temporary, Movements Are Forever” and we concentrate on the local art renaissance taking place in San Jose.

Where can we find your work?

Youtube:
With Anya http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa5yTDRuDno
With Aivar http://youtu.be/8VELSNTnXUc

Facebook:
Documentary
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scenes-Are-Temporary-Movements-Are-ForeverDocumentary/205272262892909

Projects I work with
Anya and The GetDown: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anya-the-Get-Down/268384336515832
The Blank Manuscript: http://www.facebook.com/BlankManuscript
Raul Y Mexia: http://www.facebook.com/RaulyMexia?ref=ts

Article for El Observador Newspaper
http://news.el-observador.com/2011/11/18/ufc-139-como-en-los-viejos-tiempos/

Bring It Back Website
http://bringitbacktour.com/index.html

              

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I am mostly inspired by everyday life and the random occurrences that take place within it. It could be almost anything I see or hear and I’ll get an idea for a song. My creative process is very simple. I like it that way because it allows me to lay a solid foundation for the intricacies I will put in later. I was in a horrible car accident 2 years ago. A drunk driver hit me and almost took me out the game. But I survived and it was at that moment that I truly started to appreciate life and how delicate it is. It was also at that moment where I learned to never give up and fight through whatever is thrown in front of me. Nothing in life is permanent. There will always be change. There will always be struggle. You just have to have the right mindset to deal with those obstacles when they present themselves. Nothing is easy so be prepared to work hard. And after you are done working hard then work even harder after that.
      

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I think it’s most definitely a balance of the two. If I had to choose between them I would say technique/process because you have to present your art in a professional manner. It’s all about Quality over Quantity.
   

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
My mother has always been a positive light in my life. She had a rough childhood so she learned how to be strong at an early age. My Dad grew up not having much either. Ive learned to appreciate the little things. Ive also learned how to be strong. All my other heroes are dead. Jim Morrison, Rudy Madrid, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, John Coltrane……etc
  

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
I would be V from V for Vendetta. In fact I plan on actually being like him. Just without the blowing up of federal buildings and all. My bombs and bullets will be in the form of Song and Lyric.

When do you get your best ideas?
Shower and Toilet. I swear to Bog.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I use my Iphone. Every time I get a melody in my head I record it as a voice memo. I sing it out and then figure it out with a guitar or a keyboard. Then I add lyrics and all if it’s a good idea. I keep it simple.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I picked up a guitar at 14. My grandma had just died and I remember her always telling me that she wanted me to learn. She was always pushing me but I was too young to really get a hold of the idea. So I went on the Internet and learned a couple chords. I never looked back from then. I picked up keyboards along the way. I have also taught myself how to set up a sound system and record audio. I am a huge believer in being self-taught. I feel that when you do learn something the way you want, it liberates you from constraints of formula and tradition. There is nothing wrong with the two but I am an artist that wants to push boundaries and innovate. In my opinion an artist is restricted by what they are taught by someone else and it takes the fun out of learning whatever you are doing artistically. I do believe in guides though. Rudy Madrid taught me a lot when I was young. I was playing in bars as early as 16. He taught me how to be a professional musician. Tune your guitar, don’t play loud, and listen to everything around you. I was too young to really fathom who Rudy was and we lost contact when I was 20. When he died in 2010 there were so many articles on him and even SJSU did a dedication to him. I didn’t realize what a legend he was and I am truly appreciative of everything he showed me. I have taught guitar in the past and I stressed to my students that I was only going to show them the door. It was up to them to walk through it. I want students that truly want to learn and be self sufficient in doing so. I want to be more of a guide than anything.

What would your creative work taste like?
SUSHI

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I never stop creating. It is a 24-hour job for me. But on downtime I play pool, listen to music, and watch documentaries.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I think it’s just a series of repetitions. Practice makes perfect. Its cliché but it’s very true. I learned how to just go out there and give it my all. I’m not worrying about who is there or the size of the audience. I am envisioning how it is going to sound. I am thinking about every note and how the music is going to make me feel. I get in this zone. I’m outside of myself. When I get on stage there is nothing that can touch me. I am in my element. This is where I thrive. My soul is content. If you project positive energy, then that is what you shall receive.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Be Independent. Be Yourself. Work Hard. Learn everything and anything. Don’t give up. Innovate over imitation. And…………..fuck what everyone says, no one can stop your inevitable greatness.  

Vida Killz

Name:  Vida Killz

Website: www.vidakillz.com
               www.organizedthreat.com

What do you do?
I am a poet/emcee, an audio engineer, producer, and a photographer.

Where can we find your work?
Last year I wrote/recorded and released an EP every month, the site for those albums is: www.vidakillzepproject.bandcamp.com

I also post music/beats/remixes monthly on my soundcloud:
www.soundcloud.com/vidakillz

random older music:
www.vidakillz.bandcamp.com

Youtube here:

www.youtube.com/vidakillz

My photography blog (still working on it)
www.creatingmicultura.tumblr.com

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
My main artistic expression, poetry, is typically created through tough times. I tend to write through tough times therefore writing acts as a sort of motivation. In high school I learned of stream of consciousness writing which is what the majority of my poems are and I have found that I birth the best pieces when from emotionally charged situations.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I think they all play a significant piece in creation. I base the importance of each per project, whether it be a song, photo, beat, etc. Some songs I chose to record with my SM57, to give the song a more raw feel and typically to match a raw subject matter. Other songs I record with my condenser microphone for a more polished sound and feel.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
One of my number one influences is my best friend and partner. She’s inspired numerous of my poems and songs. Aside from that, my main inspirations can range from the wind to a conversation with a stranger. I like to think that inspiration has no restrictions.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
The Owl, Hedwig.

When do you get your best ideas?
My best ideas come after intense thought meditation sessions.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I use a lot of different materials and tools, the main are: pen, microphone, computer and camera.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I am self taught on most of my avenues of creation. I am working on my music technology degree, which definitely benefits my output with mixing and mastering. I think both of which have influenced my work, for the better. I’ve been able to create without any pressure of a structure to follow, which at times allows my art to be very odd, yet raw. I enjoy it though.

What would your creative work taste like?
Funfetti Cake with vanilla frosting.

 When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Enrich my mind, by doing homework, reading, watching movies, conversing.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
Honestly, writing was an escape from a lot of negative thinking I was having in which I felt that I didn’t have anyone to talk to about. So after feeling overwhelmed for a bit, I decided to pick up a pen and I haven’t turned back. Being comfortable with performing came with time. Sharing via online or in person was just something that came with the territory. I feel that my music is how I communicate with people and how I feel most connected, therefore, if I do not share I end up feeling detached from reality.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Persevere and never apologize for what you create. 

Karen Honaker

Name: Karen Honaker
Website: www.karenhonaker.com

What do you do? 
This year has marked my 50th year being a painter.  I got my fine art degree using oil paint, but switched to watercolor when we moved to San Diego 30 years ago. 

Where can we find your work? 
Changes all the time depending on the economy, but my website, www.KarenHonaker.com, continues to be the place to see my latest work.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
When you use everyday objects to create painting compositions, every moment is a possible painting.  It is that constant search that makes life interesting.  

   

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
The content/finished product is more important to me.  It does not matter what technique is used when the product conveys your own voice.   

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
 Being surrounded by local artists and seeing their work inspires me every day.  The artists who take my workshops, also, take me to new artistic heights.  Just seeing my artistic influence come out in their paintings is my greatest inspiration.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Lil’ Red.  You need to be from Nebraska to understand that one!

When do you get your best ideas?
Usually while swimming or walking my dog.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I use transparent watercolors and a particular kind of watercolor paper that allows me to suspend my pigment on the surface.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I have a BFA from University of Nebraska.  My degree taught me how to maintain a studio of my own while creating a body of work needed for the end of the year.  However, they should have added marketing classes, something I have had to learn on my own all these years.

What would your creative work taste like?
It would be smooth to the tongue, but spicy when swallowed.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I love spending time with my dog, Daphne, a mini Schnauzer.  Travel is very important to me, and finding some time for some golf fills up my extra time.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience? 
When you begin painting at the age of 6, my creative side just feels natural to me.  My creative outlet is painting, but if you have that side of you that is begging to “come out”, it will in some form.  It is just who I am.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
 Listen to your insides and fulfill that creative edge or your life will only be half full.  Do not stop no matter what anyone says. 

Fernando B. Rodriguez

Name: Fernando B. Rodriguez

Website: www.aztecofthecity.com (currently unavailable)
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Aztec-of-the-City-Comic-Books/189033157811973

What do you do?
I do all of the writing and self-publish the 32 page black and white comic book, Aztec of the City.

Where can we find your work?
They can be purchased by mail and are available at most comic book stores in San Jose, CA. We're awaiting nation-wide distribution sometime this summer. Hopefully, June. There's an Aztec of the City Comic Books page on Facebook 2 view updates and appearances, and we're in the process of changing hosts 2 the website. Once we obtain the barcode scan, the book will be 4sale through amazon.com as well.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Stan Lee and the Marvel Universe is what inspired me to be so passionate about comic books and storytelling and things have been very rough the past 5 years doing the book from Mexico, but I stay motivated through just being thankful2 God N Christ Jesus 4their blessings, love and guidance. Everyday it seems, a new door opens. Plus it helps having an 18 year old son, I love and miss so very much 2keep things in perspective and continue motoring forward with this comic book dream.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
Definitely the finished product. This volume 3 version looks spectacular and I couldn't be happier about it. So far, everyone loves the story and cover and that's always exciting2hear. The very first Aztec of the City looked terrible, like a rough draft and not a clean, crisp, clear finished product.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Stan Lee was my hero as a kid. I was in awe at his brilliant imagination, creativity and storytelling prowess. Bruce Lee inspired me too. A minority, who struggled for recognition and opportunity in film when Hollywood refused2 open their doors2 his culture, his vision, his dreams.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
The Silver Surfer has been a longtime favorite. Traveling through the spaceways and galaxies of worlds unseen with unlimited cosmic power. But being Namor, the Sub Mariner, Prince of Atlantis would be kinda cool too.

When do you get your best ideas?
I get them all the time. They come randomly. When I'm on a 6-7 mile run, kickin' it at home on the couch chillin'2 a movie, walking down the street, while reading, trying2get some sleep. Mostly I guess, when there’s a little tranquility, quiet. Sometimes, whenever I'm in a reflective mood. Trying2 sort things out about life, love, loss, happiness, pain. 

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
The old blank 8-1/2 X 11'' papers with pencil. I prefer 2 erase, rather than scribble over with ink. From there, it gets transferred on-line2 share and direct the artist doing the actual job of turning my sketches, my roughs, into a good work of art. I used2 draw and I can draw, but nowhere near as good as the few others who have worked with me like Kasey Quevedo who did volume 2 and Ernie Polo, the Mtn View-based talent behind this new volume 3.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I created, penciled, and colored my very first comic book hero in the 6th grade. The Super-Sonic. Some things I would write in class ended up in the principal's office wall in junior high and after making my own sports pages, distributed2 all my classmates at Washington Elementary and Peter Burnett Jr High, I became San Jose High School's first ever Editor-In-Chief my junior year of an 8-10 page bi-weekly newspaper, the Herald. A title which had always been reserved for a Senior. As a little boy at home, my mom shared my uncle Agustin Rodriguez' book of 120-something poems in Spanish that he had self-published in Morelia, Michoacan. I think more than anything, that little book on her dresser of my tio's poems, planted the seed that self-publishing was what people did that wanted2 share their art. I was 1988 NorCal 10K champion in track at San Jose City College and didn't take advantage of the scholarships offers2 continue at either Chico St, Cal-Poly, Southern Oregon, Northern Arizona and a few other small division 2 and 3 schools. Choosing instead 2coach at San Jose Academy, where we qualified for state as local bay area CCS Divison 4 Cross Country Champions in 1990-91. I think life's journey of a wonderful childhood, street smarts, good friends, family and decent grades all have affected my spin on the universe I have created in an Aztec hero reborn in modern day 2019 San Jose, CA.

What would your creative work taste like?
Delicious and satisfying, leaving you wanting for more, month after month.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I'm training2qualify for the World Masters Track&Field Championships held every 2 years for athletes 40 years and older. The next finals are in Porto Alegre, Brazil, July 2013. At the moment, in my age group, I'm ranked #25 in the world but am working hard 2 move up into the top 10. I like playing hoops and when my son Luis, is here every summer, we throw the football around daily at Medano Beach. I'm really good at chess and unbeatable in scrabble. I love to read and read everything. Garbriel Garcia Marquez, ''100 years of Solitude'' was magical. Words in that story were like candy to me and I couldn't put the book down to save my life. When I got hit and run over by a small car in 2008, I spent a month in the hospital recovering with Leo Tolstoy's, "Anna Karenina'' at my bedside.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I truly believe and remember with great fondness, all of the tackle football games we played at Washington Elementary with me at quarterback, calling plays and mixing things up so we all would score touchdowns. You know, in football as quarterback, you throw interceptions and are forced to get past those costly mistakes and keep throwing spirals that find their mark and you win and lose either way. But yeah, I think sports is a great teacher of struggle, unity, challenges, sportsmanship and in many ways the best confidence building game there can be. And well, my mom Lilia Sanchez Rodriguez, passed away at a very young age, and my father too, but I never knew the man. They divorced when my younger brother and I were 4 and 2 years old. She worked very hard, made friends easy, was giving, caring, loving and used to beat our ass too. Whoever I am, is cause of her. She was very stubborn and didn't allow anything2 get in her way. The creativity has been there since kindergarten and I would freely, happily, put things out there. Drawing the bat signal, Speed Racer's Mach-5, Spider-Man or just making things up in a story.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
I tell people about one of my  favorite movies, ''La Bamba'', when Bob Morales shows his brother the freehand drawings and mentions the art contest and Ritchie Valens, says, ''Yeah, do it man, go for broke!!'. And to remember that at some point, the art becomes the business and therein lie many more hurdles.

Jane Peterman

Name: Jane Peterman

Website: www.janepeterman.com

What do you do?
I paint large nonobjective abstract paintings.  My favorite format is 52 x 54 inches which is how wide my hands can reach.

Where can we find your work?
At the moment in the Statewide Exhibition of Painting at the Triton Museum, online on my website, www.janepeterman.com, and by visiting my studio, 4030 Transport, Palo Alto, CA 94303.  I'm also represented by BayVAN Artist Registry for 2012, www.bayvan.com. 

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
One of the things I did to combat a severe depression was a nurturing arts class one weekend a month for two years.  We did simple exercises that emphasized the process of making art such as drawing a piece of fruit after touching but not seeing it or drawing the creation story on 6x6 inch pieces of paper after hearing Genesis verses read one at a time.  We always sang.  These experiences were deeply fulfilling and I try in my art practice to recreate that glorious soul nurturing feeling.
      

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I'm a process painter.  It's all about the touching of the pigment to the surface and what happens after.  Bringing a painting to a finish is actually pretty difficult after the fun of exploring at the beginning.  The last 5 percent takes great discipline for me.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you? 
Being self taught I have had the freedom to explore art history in a rather random and disorganized way.  I have a long list of artists I've admired and studied but I think the ones that are most important are those working from a spiritual place.  The book, The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985 Maurice Tuchman (Editor)   affected me strongly.  A few names of artists important to me are Rothko, Kandinsky, Gabrielle Munter, Alice Neel, Agnes Martin and Richard Diebenkorn.  Local  rtists I admire include Squeak Canrwath, Ines Storer,  Ruth Asawa, Tim Craighead and Patrick Dougherty.  I could go on and on...

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Jack of all Trades but master of at least a few?

When do you get your best ideas?
Sometimes ideas come to me outside the studio, but mostly they from  standing there in my studio, looking and trying to figure out what's next.   Last spring I was painting a canvas while the earth was bursting forth with rich growth. After I finished the painting (my studio has no windows)  I realized that the painting reflected what was happening in nature.  I named it “Spring Refreshment”. 

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I love to use plastic sheets as printmaking plates, slathering on paint and making marks in the wet paint, then applying the plate to a canvas in process.  I use a lot of palette knives, scrapers and pointy tools.  Everything is an art material in some way.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I am self-taught in art.  I did a lot of painting in the beginning supplemented by reading books about composition and design and then plowing through a bibliography of about 30 books recommended to me by workshop teachers and trying to apply what I learned to my painting.  There is a freedom in pursuing a course of interest outside a university class but you can fail to learn things you should know.  I'm weak on art history before 1880.

What would your creative work taste like?
Beef Bourguignon.  Meaty, rich flavorful, hearty.  At least I hope so.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I like to cook and ride dirt bikes.  I get to cook more than I get to ride dirt bikes.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I think artistic talent is within everyone and we who get to tap into art making daily are very lucky.   Because I came to art making by experiencing the process when the product was not important I didn't judge my early results and just kept making more stuff.  The reward was in the doing.  I think that a good way to work.  I'm quite distressed that schools sacrifice art first in their attempt balance budgets.  Art feeds the soul and every child needs it.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?  
Just do the next thing, whatever it is.  Make another piece of art, get a business card, make another piece of art, take pictures of your art, make another piece of art, do the next thing.  Just keep going.

Coyote Slim

Name:  Coyote Slim
Website: http://www.coyoteslim.com/

What do you do? 
I play old-timey blues – what some folks call Delta blues although a lot of what I play originated in Texas and I sing about California.   I call it “old-timey stomp-down farmer music.”  I’m also an arborist, a supporter of local sustainable agriculture, and an advocate for the rights of Native Peoples.

Where can we find your work? 
On my website, on youtube, CD baby, and itunes.  As far as live performances, I often perform at local farmer’s markets.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough? 
I am inspired by life.  A lot of people think the blues is sad music, and it can be, but blues songs are actually about getting over problems and celebrating life.  When things get tough, you have to remember that it’s all part of a cycle – good and bad, night and day, drought and flood. And beer. . . The thought of a cold beer at the end of a long day at work can be an inspiration to just get through and keep working.  And of course, you have to work to have beer money.  Like I said, it’s a cycle.
      

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process? 
Neither.  What’s important is the authenticity and soul of art.  If you can’t relate to the song you are singing or story you are telling, regardless of whether you have actually experienced every little thing in that song or story, you’ll come off as a fake.  As I’ve gotten older and experience more of life, the old blues songs make a lot more sense to me.
   

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you? 
An artist named CeDell Davis is the most inspiring man I’ve ever heard.  I’ve never met him, but seen interviews on video of him.  A man from an impoverished Southern background, he was crippled by polio and trampled in a bar stampede.  The bad luck this man has experienced is horribly depressing, but he didn’t let it stop him from playing music.  He can’t walk, and he can’t lift his arms higher than his shoulders, and he can’t fret a guitar.  He relearned how to play guitar using a butter-knife as a slide and kept playing music.
  

If you could be any fictional character who would you be? 
I’m not altogether certain that I’m not one right now.

When do you get your best ideas?
My creativity has never been limited to a time of day.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work? 
Voice and guitar.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?  
I am self-taught.  I guess that’s no surprise to people that bitch about my timing.  I don’t play music by counting, and I don’t understand how one can count and create music at the same time.  I learned and continue to learn by hearing patterns of sound, not by counting.  Like birds sing in patterns, I play patterns of sound.

What would your creative work taste like?
Smoked salmon.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Be outside – pruning trees, hiking or spending time with friends, going to pow wows.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?  By just having the balls to perform publicly in the first place and building confidence over time.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?   Take positive criticism, and never stop learning, but don’t let negative people get you down.  Learn your limits but never be afraid to expand your potential and do new things.  Don’t let people tell you that you should do something else because you don’t fit their preconception of whatever it is you’re doing.

Yao-pi Hsu

Name: Yao-pi Hsu

Website: www.yaopiphoto.com

What do you do?

After 34 years in bioscience research, I retired and now pursue photography.

Where can we find your work?

- A member of Los Gatos Museum Gallery: 24 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los

Gatos CA.

- Main Gallery of Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA.

- Annual Silicon ValleyOpen Studios in May.

- Annual group shows of Santa Clara Art Association, Fine At League of Cupertino, Allied Artists West,
  Pacific Art League.

- Summer Fair at Triton Museum, Santa Clara.

- Many community exhibition sites.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things

get tough?

The joy and reward of being in the right place, at the right time to freeze the moment and to capture the beauty of our surroundings are invigorating. I delight in capturing the extraordinary beauty of an ordinary subject and in creating something new that is already there. After more than ten years of photography, I have no problem lacking motivation or inspiration, the only frustration I have is the lake of time.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or

technique/process?

I think the content/finished product is more important than the technique/process. I view photography more as a form of art. By all means technique is important in the beginning to build skills for higher quality work.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?

Ansel Adams, Art Wolfe and many world famous photographers just to name a few, their work inspires me. The instructor who influenced me the most is the late Tom Sparaocino, a tenured professor of San Jose City College. He also taught art classes at adult education for Santa Clara Unified School District for 25 years. I studied with Tom for fifteen years until his death last year. I learned basic painting techniques of various mediums and he shared his knowledge of photography with me. I valued his guidance, encouragement and feedback .

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?

I don’t know.

When do you get your best ideas?

The best ideas come at different times and occasions: observing nature, talking to artists, and viewing many different artists’ work, driving in the car...etc.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?

Cameras, computer and Photoshop.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has

influenced or affected your work?

I got my MS degree from UC Davis and worked 34 years in the bioscience research field. When I was young I liked drawing and art, but career and family took my time. After my two daughters left home and I retired I began exploring visual media. My two award winning photos from a trip back to China inspired me to pursue photography. Although not formally educated in photography, I’m self-taught and have attended a six month correspondence class from New York Institute of Photography. Art and science each take a turn in how I understand the world around me. As a fine art photographer, I apply the same principles I used in scientific research: search and research, examine and reexamine, and explore concepts from different perspectives. I explore the world around me, as I look for a reflection, angle or perspective that represents how diverse and abundant the world expresses form and beauty.

What would your creative work taste like?

Lots of my fans told mythat my photos look like painting. I want my photos to evoke viewers the feeling and emotion that I experienced.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?

Knitting, crochet, crafts, visiting daughters, grandkids and travel.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence

to put it out there for everyone to experience?

First and most important is to have passion in what you are doing. In the first few years of photography, I concentrated on learning and sharpening my skill. Once I got comfortable with my skill, creative ideas emerged. In my first creative work, “Profound Memory,” I combined seven layers of photos. This piece got the Award of Excellence in photography from AVArt Fest at the Triton Museum.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?

Follow your instinct and intuition, if you like the process and you like the product, go for it.