Todd Elliott, aka "Toaster"

Name: Todd Elliott, aka "Toaster"
Website: http://toaster.bandcamp.com/

What do you do?
I make music under the poorly chosen name "Toaster". Occasionally, I DJ/make sound collages/goofery, but I'm primarily focused on producing music.

Where can we find your work?
http://toaster.bandcamp.com/ and http://soundcloud.com/toaster-1 .
I occasionally post mixes to http://www.mixcloud.com/toastergroup/

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Music in general is undergoing an interesting set of changes; the tools to make and release it have become incredibly democratic, and are becoming more and more so over time-- just recently I was reading about a bunch of artists creating a specific kind of music ('drag'), and with a few minutes of searching, I was downloading a bunch of releases-- all legitimately, some paid, some free, directly from the artists themselves. I can't think of a cooler thing. The ability to do this all without needing record labels, etc., or that record labels can form around an aesthetic, not a need to make money is a great source of motivation.

When things get tough-- if I'm not inspired or whatever, I usually just take a break; making music is a compulsion, of sorts, and if I step away from it a bit I'll just sort of find myself back at it. I'm usually quite prolific; but not all of it's good. Reminding myself that good stuff can come out of bad stuff keeps me going.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
The finished product. With music, process can be very interesting. but you typically have to explain it to people in order for them to 'hear' it. I'm happy to discuss process with people, but it's not always possible to do so, which makes the product more important by default.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
John Cage, the dudes in Autechre, Scanner (Robin Rimbaud), the people who make up Throbbing Gristle, Pink Floyd, a small stable of other electronic musicians I know through twitter. Cage and Autechre taught me to think about music in vastly different ways; Pink Floyd was the source of my interest in things avant-garde, and their production 'tricks' taught me to really *study* tracks-- they are the ultimate source of my music obsession. Throbbing Gristle taught me that even the most resolutely uncommercial thing can find an audience, if it's good enough. (Not that what I do is resolutely uncommercial, it's just inspiring to see that occur).

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth. He learned the way.

When do you get your best ideas?
I get my best ideas after a 2nd martini; I do the best executing of them after a second cup of coffee.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
A variety of softsynths (too numerous to list here), Abelton Live, Maschine, a Machinedrum, an Octatrack, caffeine, gin, vermouth, olives, cats, beer, hamburgers.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Self taught. It's affected it in that it's made development a tad slower; eventually I had to hunker down and learn about things like key and whatnot, I probably would have been able to do more, faster, if I'd learned that up front.

On the other hand, being self taught means that I take the time to get to know and understand things that I might take for granted with a more formal background, and I'm always building on that-- I suppose it's true for anyone who loves what they do, formally taught or not.

What would your creative work taste like?
Well, it's not a food, but I'll say cigarettes (if they weren't bad for you, anyway). Something you take in, which adds some hard to describe, but pleasant thing to your day, and then you let go of.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Hang out with my wife. She's pretty cool. I also play a whole lot of video games.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
As I said above, making music is something of a compulsion for me; I'm not sure I have any sound advice as to how to access one's creative talents. If you're doing something creative, and you need to keep doing it, you've accessed your talent. As for the confidence to put it out, I'll tell a story:

I used to belong to a mailing list that discussed John Cage's music. One of the people on there was a fairly famous pianist who had interpreted a lot of Cage's works. I thanked him for working on a specific CD of Cage's music. He railed about it, claiming the record company had picked the works for him, that it was all 'aural wallpaper' (why that was bad, he never did say), that real fans of Cage's work hated that CD because it de-emphasized Cage's more radical side in favor of more pleasant, new-age-y sounding things, and so on. The person who had performed the work hated everything about it, aside from the fact that he was apparently paid musician's union scale to make it.

The thing is, that CD introduced me to Cage's work, and I bought more of it, including his most experimental things; I still think of it fondly. Your perception of your own art as an artist is skewed. Do your level best, put it out there, and let people enjoy it, and don't worry if it sucks, if it's good, or it's somewhere in between. The next one is what you should be paying attention to.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Do something creative (in your chosen field) every day. If you write, write. If you paint, paint. If you cook, send some over to my house, please. I'm hungry.

Lisa Mejia

Name : Lisa Mejia
Website: www.facebook.com/StariBellyDancer

What do you do?
I am a Belly Dancer, specializing in Tribal Fusion and Cabaret Fusion styles. I am also a henna tattoo artist, painter, costume designer, and jewelry designer.

Where can we find your work?
I perform at coffee shops, restaurants, and belly dance festivals (sometimes as a solo dancer, but also with my troupe Raks al Khalil). I also do henna tattoos, at our vending booth (for MejiaArts) at local farmer's markets, art venues, and art festivals. I design and make most of my costuming and jewelry that I perform in.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I'm inspired by other belly dancers, as well as Flamenco dancers and Bollywood dancers. I sometimes have a difficult time staying motivated to be creative (especially during the months of January and February), but I'm usually able to break out of it, by spending time with my husband who is in a constant state of creativity.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
As a dancer, I would say the finished product because I get that rush of energy from performing live and seeing people enjoying my performances. But as a costumer/henna tattoo artist, I would have to say the overall process of creating.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
My husband inspires me to keep going even during my darkest hours. I'm also inspired by the ladies in my belly dance troupe Raks al Khalil, and my Mom, who has always encouraged my creativity.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Maya, the courtesan/dancer from the Mira Nair film "Kama Sutra-A Tale of Love"

When do you get your best ideas?
In the morning, or when I'm really bored at work.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Fabric, sewing and beading needles, coins, chain swags, fine silk veils, a bellydance sword, and my body.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
My first dance teacher was my Mother (who was a belly dancer in the 1970s). I have taken several classes in many styles of dance throughout my life, including Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Bellydance, Flamenco, and East Indian Odissi. For the past 6 years I've been a member of the San Jose-based belly dance troupe Raks al Khalil. I learned how to do henna from a friend of mine, a couple of years ago. She was from India, and taught me about the traditional mehndi designs. I took many classes in costume and jewelry design while I was in college.

What would your creative work taste like?
Really good homemade hummus and pita bread, followed by Greek honey yogurt.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I love to read books and watch movies, spend time with my wonderful husband, play with our feisty little bunny rabbit Lucky, and travel.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I used to be very timid and apprehensive about my creativity (mostly because my Dad and his family were not encouraging my creative aspects-they wanted me to be an investment banker....blech). Once I got into college and was surrounded by other talented writers/artists/musicians/dancers/etc., I was able to overcome my shyness and my apprehensions, and just put everything out there.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Do what you love to do, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it.

Paul Kimball

Name: Paul Kimball
Website: www.carelesshearts.com

What do you do?
I sing, play guitar, and write songs for the band Careless Hearts.

Where can we find your work?
You can find our recorded music in the digital music stores (iTunes, Spotify, Rhapsody, eMusic, etc.) and in the cool local record shops, like On The Corner Music and Streetlight. But the best place to find our music is in the space right in front of the band during live performances, which we do frequently all over the Bay Area, and occasionally beyond.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Things getting tough IS what inspires me. When I am struggling in some situation, or wrestling with my own feelings about something, music and lyrics are usually how I attempt to sort it out. But it's also where I turn when I think I have solved something, and in those cases it's a desire to share any insight I think I have, to hopefully help other people feel a little less lonely while they sort out their own situations.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
Content and finished product are more important. I know a lot of people who can play guitar with far greater skill than I can, but when they try to write a song they get hung up on a million little things and can never call a tune DONE. You just have to finish it, then start writing the next one. I had an art teacher who told our class that we would have to do 1,000 crappy drawings before we'd do our first good one, and I think it's the same with anything in the arts. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll get to the good stuff.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Maybe a bit surprisingly, but lately I've been really inspired by folks working in modern comedy, like Doug Stanhope, Marc Maron, and Louis CK. These guys are fearlessly digging deep into themselves, and they pull things out that others are bound to connect with because of the integrity with which it was harvested. I find myself trying harder to do the same under their influence.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Sherlock Holmes… Dude was just too badass. (Or maybe Buckaroo Banzai.)

When do you get your best ideas?
When I sit with pen or guitar in hand and actively ignore the voice in my head telling me how lame I am. When I successfully shut that voice down I can produce all sorts of interesting ideas.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Notebooks of all shapes and sizes, the Voice Memos app on my iPhone, the beat-up guitar in the trunk of my car, the gorgeous Martin acoustic in my studio, and an old Mac running an old copy of Garageband.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
A little of both. I studied some music in college, took my first guitar lessons at Blue Bear in SF, took voice classes for a while… Never had any discipline in any of it until I finally felt like I had something to say. But I learn more from playing with other people and by just throwing myself headlong into writing than I ever learned in school.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like?
In my dreams, it would be as delicious as crawfish étouffée.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Shower the people I love with love. And I also really like to sit in my hammock in the shade and read.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I was one of the millions of kids whose lives was saved by punk rock. What keeps a lot of people from being creative is an assumption that you need sharp skills before you even start. Bands like the Minutemen revealed that for the bullshit it is, and helped me feel good about sucking in public. Do enough of that, eventually you stop sucking.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Whatever you are doing to lower the stakes for yourself, stop doing those things as soon as you can. Get out in front of the people who scare you the most, and then pay close attention to whatever happens next. Chances are you're in much better shape than you think you are.

Kim Christman

Name: Kim Christman
Website: http://kimchristman.blogspot.com/

What do you do? I’m learning seamstressing in college, paint, draw and run an online vintage store called Condor Cave.

Where can we find your work? On my blah-g and I currently have an exhibit at Curl Up & Dye beauty parlour in San Francisco, see the flier. I have another coming up at On the Corner record store 11/18/2011 in Campbell CA.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough? Women in roles is huge for me, be it fantasy or reality. Labeling or grouping of women “The facade of association” from witches to nuns, princesses to maids, etc. Persona, duty and the specific style of dress that goes along with it. Vulnerability, impending doom, confined spaces. I’m no raging feminist but certain subjects concerning women, historically and currently fascinate me. Endangered species, cult heroes, Egyptian art, catholic paraphernalia. The look in one’s eyes, what there saying or not saying have all had inspiration. Motivation is a car sometimes stalled on the side of a road, for me it sparks up suddenly and I must go with it at that time. It can be a combination of my love for the arts and being disenchanted with what’s going on in the world. The media puts a bad taste in my mouth, the modern portrayal of women in popular media is enough motivation for a lifetime. It’s fake and dehumanizing (they love it though) like a rat being hand fed cheese. If you don’t relate, you can’t sit and complain, get off your ass and do something different.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process? I feel all of it is important, from start to finish. Having the idea or concept and going through the process of formation. When I start with an idea, part of the motivation is to see the end result because it’s never really how I imagined it. The final interpretation is a special thing.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you? Germ free adolescents, hard boiled Barbara Stanwyk, Raymond Pettibon, Egon Schiele, I’ve always absorbed art through music, film and styles of paint. The aesthetics of the expressionism era and Soviet art of propaganda are amongst my favorite.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be? I would be Medusa; she was an innocent curious girl who became a victim of circumstance and lived life under a curse. Kind of like me. I’d love to turn all kinds of assholes into stone and have the most beautiful head of snakes. I’d also love to be a Mermaid, they lived a much more carefree existence.

When do you get your best ideas? When I’m in a disconcerting state of mind is when I feel compelled to drive myself most. An undesirable yet enlightened force. Usually when I’m desperate; struggling to survive, the build up of poverty, hunger, longing and restlessness. That sort of energy has to be directed somewhere. I go through the motions with the art and it distracts me. When completed I feel a sense of rebirth and those trivial day to day stresses fade. I see beauty in most things, being in nature, colors and shapes, the changing of seasons all play an effect on my mood.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work? Acrylic, watercolor, gouache, chalk, variety of inks, pencils, fabric, recycled goods

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work? I’m self taught. I’ve never taken an art class, except in high school. It’s affected my work in positive and negative ways. I struggle with certain techniques. I never had a teacher tell me it was wrong or do it like this, which I’m grateful for, it’s influenced my art to come from a personal place. There are flaws, unevenness, that isn’t necessarily done on purpose, it’s how it comes out and that style is an interpretation of the piece, it fits into what I’m trying to convey, whatever it is. When it comes down to it, I believe above being self taught or educated, one must possess imagination and life experience, although kid’s art is the epitome of pure.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like? Blood orange juice and vodka. A bloody screwdriver?

When you are not creating what do you like to do? I scheme on how to get out of this town. Travel or stay in, I know how boring. Relax, cook and escape through books, music and sleep. I whip it up once and awhile.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience? Frances Marin and I had a DJ night called Red Alert. I started out drawing/designing the fliers for it, the music we played had an influence on the art. I didn’t want to cheapen ourselves or disrespect the music by copying already made graphics (although out of laziness I did a time or two) no matter what though it was cut and paste, none of it was ever computer generated. It was a start that drove my desire.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures? Don’t make art for zen, well, do whatever zens you but from my experience creating can take it out of you. It can cause anxiety and takes time. If it’s in you, you won’t need advice, the desire will be present and you won’t have a choice really. Work hard! Keep a journal of ideas, turn your computer off.

Some want in Some want out

Kim Christman

Michael Foley

Name: Michael Foley
Website: http://www.onibatsu.com

What do you do?
I am a painter, Illustrator, photographer and general smart ass

Where can we find your work?
My work can be found online through my website (http://www.onibatsu.com) which links to the many social sites where I post often. I regularly show at the Kaleid Gallery in San Jose. Also I frequently show in different galleries in San Francisco and Los Angeles currently.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I find myself inspired often by very random things. wondering around I watch people and pay close attention to the mundane, this is where you will notice a lot of people’s quirks. Sometimes it might be something going on in this world, something happening in the community or something completely internal that needs to come out. Things get tough? It seems it has been quite tough for longer than I can remember, to be honest it has become a very helpful inspiration. If life was comfortable and perfect it would be hard to create anything honest. There are many times when I am not motivated, when I feel a block, so I move to another medium which requires me to think and work differently, it actually has helped me to come back and tackle the piece I was stuck on refreshed and able to finish.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
You know I used to be more about the finished product. Perhaps because I have met so many people who claim to be “Artists” and always talk about being an artist and rarely ever make anything. Really they are merely playing a character, because when they do make something with full drama and flayer it tends to be some trite cliche. Seeing this utter crap inspires me to work harder and not to be just like that. However over the years I have become more 50/50 towards the finished product vs technique. There are some loose and sketchy work by artists that I love immensely. Look at Egon Schiele, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Raymond Saunders, Yoshitaka Amano’s loose works where it’s raw, you get to see how they work and I just love that. It inspires me to create and try new things, to look at thing differently. Sometimes it’s the experiment and trying something outside of your usual forte that can be truly exciting. I know there are pieces I have made which were loose and technically not my best but I learned from them a lot, and some of those are my favorites because of that growth.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Irene Hentschke, Maile & Malia Sing, Kendra Jacobs, Lacey Bryant, Hans Zimmer, Christopher Nolan, Danny Devito, Lloyd Kaufman, Hideo Kojima, Akira Yamaoka, Mike Patton, Cevin Key, Yoshitako Amano, Egon Schiele, Klimpt, Raymond Saunders, Jim Lee, John Kricfalusi, Jackson Publick, Amy Tan, Neil gaimen, David Fincher, Jeff Soto, Gumpei Yokoi, Oprah, Trent Reznor, Lovecraft, John Waters, Margaret Cho, Poe, Hayao Miyazaki, Shigero Miyamoto, all for so many different reasons.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
I think I would be Bender from Futurama. Simply enjoying life to it’s fullest.

When do you get your best ideas?
It usually comes when I am not near any art supplies, often at night. I am totally a night person, so I tend to function better late at night.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Right now I am diving into oils. Before that it was primarily acrylic, sumi ink, graphite.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Well I am completely self taught. Everyday I am learning something new and growing. Missing out on the formal art education I do feel like my work is not as refined as I would like, though it’s getting better everyday. I Know quite a few people who graduated from the formal training who are no longer artists and now have huge debt. Their experiences of going to school to be brow beaten into not wanting to create art anymore while incurring future debt seems like I made the right choice. I have not paid a person to mold me into someone else’s style, I am proud to know my lack of funds and stubbornness has been a great blessing in disguise.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like?
like the perfect Cannoli or cheesecake accompanied with the most amazing espresso in the world. A rich complex taste that fills you and gets you excited.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Spending time with people I care about, enjoying life and laughing my ass off. Going to different clubs to see the bands I like play. Seeing a good film. Getting lost somewhere I have never been and exploring what’s around. Reading the piles of books I keep meaning to get to. Traveling (how I miss that one) and playing video games, yes I love videogames.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I used to draw comics all the time as a kid and wanted to be this animator and comic book artist. I used to keep to myself and just draw all the time. As for coming out to showing my work, I’m pretty insecure and truly an introverted person, have been my entire life. I used to let my insecurities keep my work hidden. Eventually I overcame this, I told myself (or insecurity) to fuck off and just start showing my work. Expecting things to be a massive failure. After a few years It has become a lot easier and I am not as introverted as I once was.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
If you are creating just for the fun of it as a hobby, just dive in and make it a treat to yourself. Meet other creative types and get involved in your local art communities. Like learning a foreign language, immersion is the best teacher. If you are planning on making this driving passion your career, have some practical common sense. Ideally have a regular job to stay afloat. I say this because this is a field in which you are easily exploited. I have run into many, MANY promoters, bands and start up companies that ask that you work hard to make something for nothing. Often you are treated as if this will be a great opportunity just for you, the proverbial carrot over the horses head, for the artist the carrot is often called “exposure”. Don’t fall for it. Also don’t let rejection get you down, it’s really hard to deal with at first, but you have to develop a tough skin. Also, keep making work on a regular basis.

Welcome

Hello, my name is Shannon Amidon and I am a local artist and jewelry designer in San Jose. I was born and raised in this city and am proud to be a part of such a wonderful arts community.

There are so many people doing wonderfully creative things in San Jose; art, music, design, writing, publishing, dancing, and much, much more. The innovative and entrepreneurial spirit inst just in the tech areas, it’s in the creative community as well.

My intention for the "San Jose Creative’s" Blog & FB page is to showcase the creative community of San Jose and give them a platform to share their insights, ideas, and thoughts. I have met so many awesome, hard working, inspiring creative’s in San Jose and I cant wait to share a little more about them with everyone.

I am working hard to gather lots of interviews and hope to be launching soon. If you are interested in becoming a featured creative please email me at sanjosecreatives@gmail.com