Jen Norton

Name: Jen Norton
Website: http://www.jennortonartstudio.com

What do you do?
I paint. My subject matter is the everyday moments that reflect our commonality. These days, I feature food, family recipes and food-related occasions in order to explore food as a means of fostering communication and to honor family traditions.

Where can we find your work?
a. Start with my website: http://www.jennortonartstudio.com
b. I also have an Etsy store, which you can also get to thru the shopping tab on my site:http://www.etsy.com/shop/JenNortonArtStudio?ref=si_shop
c. FB fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jen-Norton-Art-Studio/43248608987
d. twitter account: @nortonstudio
e. If you want to see my work life, it’s best to check the “show schedule” tab on my site. I hang work in local venues and do outdoor fairs and I post it all there. Right now I have work in Sherman Cellars tasting room in downtown San Jose, Wisteria Antiques & Gardens in Soquel and at the Presentation Retreat Center gift shop in the mountains above Los Gatos. I’m not in a permanent gallery right now...still looking for the “perfect marriage” on that one!

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
The joy of painting and putting all my thoughts down in tangible form is the beginning of the inspiration. Over time, the message behind what I paint has gotten more focused and personal, so I am now more open to various form factors and design options beyond painting. The possibilities of that add a whole new dimension of creativity. When things get tough creatively, I remind myself (perfectionist that I am) that I do not have to have all the answers up front to start...I only need to start. I switched from watercolor to acrylic years ago just because of this reason. I needed to know I could change my mind mid-stream. I will also go back through journals and sketchbooks to regain my focus. Usually whatever I put down there meant something to me at one time, and I may find meaning again when I’m unfocused.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
The most important thing to remember is that all art, including visual, is a form of communication. Therefore, your message, the content, is top priority. What are you all about? What do you need to say to the world? Your technique should fit the message, not the other way around. For example, the guys who draw “Life is Good” use very simple line and show simple, everyday imagery. Their simple message and simple technique match. You simply get it right away. I paint food, which could be a simple subject. But I want to show deeper meanings behind what we put on our plates and who we share it with. I love to make large, delicious, complex paintings of this simple subject so the viewer will look at it and say, “Wow...I never knew swiss chard was so beautiful!” I want to elevate something you may take for granted to eye-stopping Fine Art (with a capital “F”).

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Gosh, where do I start...way to many to name. I love the post-impressionist painters because I think that’s where things started to get interesting. Cezanne, Van Gogh, Mary Cassatt for their use of color and texture to depict the everyday, ordinary; Milton avery for his use of simple shape (I wish I could be that simple), American illustrators like Gary Kelley or the Balbusso twins because their work is simply beautiful, writers Barbara Kingsolver and Laura Esquivel because I can feel their stories, singer/songwriter Amy Grant for expressing connection and common emotion so eloquently,Ketra Oberlander and Dorothy Varacel for leading inspiring lives after tragedy struck, my daughter Emma for being more amazingly awesome than I ever was at her age. Pour me a glass of wine, and I’ll come up with more!

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Hmmm. Off the top of my head, the time-traveling heroine Claire from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series because she’s like a medical McGiver who was drawn through time to find what clearly is the most awesome manly man who ever lived. :-) Although she’s had to survive some experiences I’d rather leave out of my life, given the choice.

When do you get your best ideas?
Waking up in the morning, while driving, falling asleep at night. The trick is to remember them long enough to write them down. I wish I could clear my mind enough during a normal day to get the same level of inspiration, but life is just too darn busy. Maybe when I retire...

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Acrylic paint on canvas or paper, lots of texture-creating stuff like tissue paper, bubble wrap, rollers, old credit cards (they’re my #1 tool, and new ones come to me in the mail for free all the time!)

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I have a Fine Art degree from Santa Clara University, but honestly, my life since has really been what’s crafted my work. I was just too young and socially immature to take real advantage of what was offered to me in college at that age.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like?
The most fabulous chocolate brownies ever...and you could enjoy the whole pan and not get sick or fat.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Read, take my dog to the dog park, travel (when we can afford it), eat whatever fabulous cuisine my husband cooks up with a glass of wine.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I was painfully, debilitatingly shy as a kid. My poor mother...they told her I was “retarded”, whatever that means. Thankfully, she didn’t believe it. I loved to sit and draw all day (safe form of expressions), so I was always encouraged to do it. I really don’t know how to NOT think like an artist. I spent the bulk of my earlier career as a graphic designer, which meant I had to learn to defend my work to clients who were paying lots of money. That experience really taught me a lot about having solid thinking behind your work and helped me develop a tough skin.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
First of all, create, create, create. Even if you have another job, don’t let laziness or fear keep you from making art because it’s the only way to break through your own ego-driven desires and get to the heart of what you’re meant to do. Art is not a get-rich-quick endeavor. You have to be called to it. As you create, in the back of your mind always be thinking, “why am I drawn to do this?” “what am I meant to express?”. We are content providers, and the world never has enough good content. Take that job seriously.

Tim van den Berg / Session Kat Photography

Name: Tim van den Berg / Session Kat Photography
Website: www.sessionkat.com, http://www.facebook.com/SessionKatPhotography

What do you do?
I am a semi-professional photographer, concentrating in humanity and juxtapostioning
human-situations, youth sports, and natural subjects.

Where can we find your work?
Various coffee shops, nightclubs, and my website: www.sessionkat.com

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
My creativity energy is typically spontaneous. With camera nearby, moments can be captured. I always look with the eye of a camera and many times log ideas and locales for a return visit. When I struggle for inspiration, I have learned to relax and not worry over output. There is always potential to create. Patience and foresight may be the only vehicle sometimes. When the time is right, it will be apparent to capture and complete.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
Content is 90%. Technique chiefly important, but it is the subject that speaks. Technical proficiency is judged. A human expression, and cloud’s pattern is viewed.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Edward Hopper. Jim Brandenburg. Clark Little.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
A time-traveler.

When do you get your best ideas?
When I see them.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Nikon 18-200mm lens. Aperture v3 software.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I’ve taught myself fundamental rules of photography. Trial and error my forte’, which I find forces me to work harder at capturing an effective subject and content. Composition driving the finished product. Know enough to know what to do, and what to not do.

What would your creative work taste like?
The buffet at Fresh Choice.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Play with my kids, volunteer at schools, and express sarcasm towards pop culture and contemporary news media.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I’m still learning. Accessing my talents is up to me. It is a choice. It is work. Sometimes easy and impulsive, other times a drudgery. My Facebook fans have built my confidence tremendously as I’m now inspiring people from around the world, between ages of 10 – 100.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Just do it, and do it some more. Study art from the past. Never throw ANY works away. Give your art to others. Believe in yourself. Love your mistakes.

Safe and Sound

Lacey Bryant

Name: Lacey Bryant
Website: www.laceybryant.com

What do you do?
I'm mainly an oil painter. I've experimented in a variety of media such as polymer clay sculpture, knitting, installation, watercolors, block printing, chalk on sidewalks, etc. I always come back to oils, though!

Where can we find your work?
I show at a few galleries on a regular basis. I'm a part of group shows at Cactus Gallery in L.A., Studio Gallery and Modern Eden Gallery in SF, Tasty Gallery in Seattle, Psycho Donuts in Campbell as well as a few shows at other venues here and there. I also have an ongoing display at KALEID Gallery in Downtown San Jose, where I also keep my studio. I will be having a solo show at Modern Eden Gallery opening on January 21st in 2012 as well. I also try to put pictures online from time to time, my website has links to the places I post as well as information about current shows.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get
tough?
I'm inspired by a lot of things. Often something I read will bring pictures to my mind, other times just watching or talking to people or going for a hike in the woods will inspire me. I develop a lot of my ideas in my sketchbook, when I don't know what to do I will just start with a face and the rest will usually come from there. My work is mostly about giving form to intangible things like emotions so I often think about how I might give form to a particular thought or feeling that I'm interested in when I'm doing other tasks. My mind is constantly wandering. I love to look at art books, seeing work that really amazes me makes me itch to try to make something of my own. I don't feel so much like I need to be motivated most of the time, the desire to paint is sort of a compulsion for me. I couldn't stop even if I wanted to. If I'm feeling a bit blocked, sometimes I will play with a different medium for a bit. When I'm feeling stressed or tired I try to keep in touch with the excitement I feel for all of the fun things I get to do!

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I don't think I can separate the two, they are equally important in my eyes. I think you have to love every moment of the process in order for that love to come out in the finished product. There has the be a willingness to do what it takes to make the best picture you can make even if it takes lots of time and patience. Technique is important as it is the tool that you use to convey the meaning of your work. On the other hand, what is form without substance? The content of the work is the ultimate point, isn't it!

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
There are so many! I love the work of Henri Magritte, Jenny Saville, Henri Matisse, Dorthea Tanning, Alice Neel, Gustav Klimpt, Egon Schiele, Zak Smith, Henrich Klay, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Henry Darger, Arther Rackham, Jim Henson, Kurt Vonnegut, Vladamir Nabokov, Niel Gaiman, Shel Silverstein, I could go on. I subscribe to Hi-Fructose Magazine, so it seems like every time it comes in the mail I have several new favorite artists of the moment, too. I love Victorian death photography, children's picture books, science fiction books & b-movies and the passionate artists that show at the gallery where I work.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Perhaps Door from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere or Alice in Wonderland.

When do you get your best ideas?
I think about things I want to paint while I'm stuck in traffic or working at other jobs or while I'm laying in bed trying to sleep, so pretty much all of the time. A lot of my ideas occur while I'm messing about in my sketchbook.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I use oil paints on my handmade cradled panels a lot. I also love painting on found wood, especially cabinet doors and cigar boxes. I like flat brushes and a glass palette. When I work with clay, I'm especially fond of Puppen Fimo polymer clay. I also like to build installations with cardboard and found objects. I love to play with different mediums so I've got a pretty eclectic collection of art supplies!

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I have an Associates Degree in Fine Art with an emphasis on painting but I didn't get really serious about making art until a year or two after I'd graduated. I think it took a little life experience for me to develop my voice through my art. I spent a long time developing techniques and learning about color and such before I really figured out what I wanted to say with my art. Much of my learning has always been on my own, if I'm
interested in something I read about it and experiment.

What would your creative work taste like?
Bittersweet chocolate or beets. Sometimes tart cherries. (But it would smell like fall leaves burning.)

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I like hiking, gardening, baking, reading, watching old movies, playing video games, spending time with my friends and family and snuggling with my black cat Hecubus.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
My mother was great about giving us access to all kinds of art supplies when I was a kid (not to mention some things which I saw as art supplies that maybe weren't). I loved to decorate our house for Halloween and volunteer to paint sets for the children's theatres I was involved with. My little brother, Jeff was my partner in crime, always egging me on. His delight in my silly creations made it so much fun to try and come up with things to
entertain him. I was very shy about showing my work publicly at first until my friend Lara Sophia and I started showing together and even making art together. We were able to give each other the moral support that it took for us to start putting our work out there. The work we're each making now is very different from each others, but it has all been built upon those early experiences and I don't think our work would have developed quite the same without that collaboration.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
You have to be willing to work very hard to accomplish things you never thought possible! Make a lot of work and make it good work, don't slack off (and you know when you're slacking). Be willing to experiment, you never know when you might find your new favorite medium. Come out of your cave once in awhile and talk to other artists. Your community is one of your greatest assets-it is a source of inspiration and encouragement. Set goals for yourself and stick to them. It really helps to have a project. Don't quit! If you're serious about making art, then stick with it past the ugly duckling phase and give yourself a chance to grow. Don't compare yourself to other artists and think that you will never measure up. You are the only you there is, find your own voice and don't try to fit in or be anyone else.

Night Taste By Lacey Bryant

Frances Marin

Name: Frances Marin
Website: www.francesmarin.com

What do you do?
I mostly paint and draw, but also sew and print.

Where can we find your work?
You can see my art on my website www.francesmarin.com. I show at libraries, bars, galleries, shops, wherever. I’ll have work in an upcoming group show at Empire Seven Studios (http://empiresevenstudios.blogspot.com/). The opening reception will be Friday, January 13, 2012 at 7pm. Also, I’m in a group show at On the Corner on January 27th.

I recently did an illustration for a magazine called Made in San Jose
http://www.madeinsanjose.com/ and I designed a t-shirt
http://www.kfjc.org/fundraiser/store/girlieshirt_2006.html some years back for the best college radio station, KFJC. It’s available still. I think?! I also just finished a zine with my boyfriend called Ladies and Gentleman Quarterly. You can buy it at The Arsenal for $2. We are hoping to make another issue around February or March of this year. I want to do a silkscreened cover and sew the pages together this time.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Both manmade and natural things inspire me: stacks of records and books, animals and their symbolism, buildings, plants, patterns, structures, history. I like aged colors and using scraps of wood to paint on. I am a very nostalgic person and I think that shows in my work with the colors being diffused and unsaturated, like a faded photograph.

It feels easy to stay motivated in my small and crowded studio. There’s so much to look at and think about.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I love the feeling of being done with a painting, but the process is when I’m zoning out, doing a lot of thinking and figuring out. I love that part.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Tania Aebi. I read her book when I was 15. She dropped out of high school like me, but unlike me, sailed a boat by herself around the world with her cat. I hope to get a boat and learn to sail someday.

I love artwork that is loose, carefree or kind of slanted like the illustrations of Miroslav Sasek or drawings of Mingering Mike and Ben Shahn. These artists put a lot of feeling into their work and it shows. A lot of the art I like looks effortless or like it was really fun to make, like Karin Mamma Andersson, Peter Doig or Egon Schiele. I also like art that tells a story like the work of Pieter Bruegel, Raymond Pettibon, or Los Carpinteros.

I also have incredible friends with incredible talent and they’re pretty influential.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Brian Sweeney "Fitzcarraldo" Fitzgerald. I admire his determination. Plus, I can relate to his questionable decision-making. He’s the main character, played by Klaus Kinski, in the Werner Herzog movie.

When do you get your best ideas?
When I’m left alone. Also, on road trips.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Ink, paint, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oil, paper, thread, wood. Lately, it’s mostly scraps of redwood or pine and acrylic paint.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Educated. I have degrees in art and library science. Words and images are fascinating to me, so it was perfect for me to study those two things. My education was kind of spotty, I dropped out in my freshman year of high school and was on and off again for years with college, mostly because I was more into music. It’s funny, the reason why I went back to school for art was because I was sick of my job at a record store and when I started looking for other work, I didn’t want any of the jobs I saw…so, school it was!

Art school was confusing for me. Sometimes it makes you think too much because you start to contextualize everything. I’m now about 5 years away from it and it feels good. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot about sculpture, photography, printmaking, drawing and painting, it’s just that it’s more pure when you aren’t getting graded for it. Still, it was good because it made my work more dimensional and layered.

What would your creative work taste like?
Kale, bread and butter, rice and beans, persimmons and coffee.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Read, listen to records, camp, walk, bike, and take photos. I love coffee. I love drinking it alone or with people close to me.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I was really creative when I was young and never outgrew it. When I could I would fake being sick to stay home from school to draw in bed all day. I would draw anything and everything:Garfield, horses, fashion, lizards, cars. I also made my own books, embroidered, crocheted, knitted.

When I was in college early on, I had a professor, Erin Goodwin-Guerrero, tell me I should pursue painting. That definitely got me going. I’ve done shows since I was in school, but am working a lot harder at it in the last year.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Learn about everything you can, not just about “art”. Be disciplined and selfish with your time. Stop making excuses. NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR IT! Don’t be too attached to the work you make. I recently gave away a ton of old paintings and canvases for friends to paint over. That felt great. I know they’ll improve whatever I had on there.

Portrait by Bryan Lopez

Pete Anderson

Name: Pete Anderson
Website: http://petesfloors.wordpress.com/

What do you do?
I am a hardwood floor artisan who appreciates traditional materials with modern finishes.

Where can we find your work?
My work is in people's homes and buildings located all around the west coast
http://petesfloors.wordpress.com/

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I know that the process has an end with a reward.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
The technique ensures a product with integrity.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Roy Underhill, the host from the TV show "Woodwright Shop" is in inspiration. He shows how he creates projects with traditional tools.

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

When do you get your best ideas?
From traveling, visiting old houses and buildings

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
Wood, saws, scrapers, sandpaper, lambs wool

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I apprenticed with a life long floor contractor who shared his knowledge and techniques.

What would your creative work taste like?
Crisp, sweet and has to have a long after taste

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
Gardening, pruning trees, fishing, golfing

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I break the process down into parts that are important to the end goal. I try to keep it simple

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Keep the time you spend, fun and look for more challenges.

Laura Callin Bennett

Name: Laura Callin Bennett
Website: www.LauraCallinBennett.com

What do you do?
I make small acrylic paintings of rabbits, birds, and women. I am working on a series of one hundred paintings.

Where can we find your work?
The best place to find my work is at Kaleid Gallery. There is a wall of my art there, which continually evolves and changes as I add new paintings and drawings. I also show in different galleries in San Francisco and Berkeley. Two of my paintings will be in the Tiny Show at Studio Gallery in San Francisco, November 3 - December 23 2011. The paintings are called “Squirrel with Acorns” and “Love in the Forest.”

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I don’t get blocked about art-making. I just like to draw all the time. If I am not drawing it is probably because something un-artsy has gotten onto my art-making space. For instance, there might be a pile of mail on my drawing table. So I have to deal with the mail first before I can keep going with drawing.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I feel like the finished product is most important. I love the process of making art, but if the end result doesn’t look good, I will set it aside and move on to something else.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
The artwork of Margaret Kilgallen had a strong impact on me. When I was a student at Stanford, she was there getting her master‘s degree in fine art. I remember walking into her studio. It was like coming into a world of strangely compelling folk art, made by unknown folk. I stood there trying to memorize the colors. She had her own quirky color scheme - rust red, cream white, mustard yellow, sage green. In my work I see the echoes of her style in flat colors and strong outlines.

At that time I only knew that I really liked her art. It was only later, after her death - she had cancer, she was only 33 - that I found out about where she stood in the art world. She was part of the Mission School, she was married to Barry McGee, she showed at Deitch Projects in New York, her art was in the Whitney Biennial. Sometimes I get the impression that to be a successful artist you have to be a guy with a big ego, but Kilgallen was not like that. People remember her as a kind and selfless person. There are still traces and memories of her all around San Francisco.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
I sort of identify with Peggy Olson, the young advertising writer on Mad Men. I mean, I wouldn’t want to be her exactly. Some of the things that happen to her, I wouldn’t want those to happen to me. And I wouldn’t do some of the things that she does. But in general, as the story goes along she is figuring out how to interact effectively with people, in order to be successful as a creative person. That’s something I think about a lot.

When do you get your best ideas?
I often get good ideas when I am working on some kind of “assignment,” like making art for a show that has a specific theme. It’s interesting how having a bit of a constraint on the subject matter of the art actually leads to more creativity.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I start with stiff paper, like cardstock or Bristol board. I paint the background and other colors with acrylic paint. To draw the black outlines, I use an old-fashioned pen - the kind you dip into a bottle of ink.

I am always curious about exactly how some artists draw their smooth fine lines, so here are the technical details about how I do it. I use a pen with a Speedball #100 Artist Nib. If you want to use the exact same kind, look for a nib that has these words engraved into the metal: 100 Hunt Artist Pen Round Pointed. I use Calli Jet Black India Ink. I get the ink and nibs at University Art. Sometimes they have to ship the ink from one of their stores outside of San Jose. I’ve also seen similar nibs and ink at that new art supply store, The Arsenal.

I actually draw with the nib rolled over so the concave side is facing up. That way, the two metal points of the nib don’t splay apart when the nib is pressed against the paper. The result is a smooth, consistent line.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
Formally educated. I have a bachelor’s degree in art from Stanford. My minor was Human Biology, so I took some biology courses that definitely influenced my art. I was able to take classes taught by some really interesting artists, like the printmaker Enrique Chagoya. And I gained some insight into how people like curators and art critics think about art - what kinds of books and articles they read, what their vocabulary means, what kinds of themes they think about.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like?
Some of my paintings are little and sweet. Those ones would taste like mini cupcakes with pink icing. Some of my artworks are a bit darker, like the one shown at the bottom of this page (Peregrine Falcons Hunted Passenger Pigeons). The darker art would taste like black licorice.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I like working at my job. It’s at a store that sells art supplies, picture frames, and custom framing. Between the job and making my own art, sometimes my time is artsy all day long. In my spare time, I like to keep up with biology news by listening to podcasts from the journal Nature and This Week in Science.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I’ve been drawing forever, so accessing my creativity was no problem. What I lacked was practical, nuts-and-bolts knowledge about how to exhibit my art. That changed when Anne Sconberg sent me an email that led me to a class called “The Business of Art”. It was put together by San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affairs. I went to the class and learned answers to questions like “What is a call for entries? How do you find out about one, and how do you submit art for it?”

They don’t offer the class any more, I guess because there is not enough money to pay the instructors. I wish they could bring it back, because it was so helpful to me and many other artists.

It feels a bit weird to write about a government-sponsored art class as the tipping point in my little art career. Other artists might tell you origin stories that are decidedly more epic. But honestly, I just needed someone to give me some practical information about how to show my art, to de-mystify the question of how to get into galleries, and that opened the whole door for me.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Vague advice is unhelpful, so I won’t tell you to “follow your dreams” or anything like that. Instead, here is a specific example of something that worked for me. The first time I ever showed and sold one of my paintings was at Works/San Jose Gallery, for their annual Benefit Auction. I found out about that opportunity by going to San Jose’s South First Friday Art Walk. On the walk I found a flyer for the Benefit Auction. I followed the directions on the flyer and submitted my art.

So my advice is: Go on your town’s monthly art walk, look at all the flyers and postcards, and pick up any that look interesting.

If that doesn’t work for you (for instance, if your town doesn’t have an art walk, or you are too young to wander around downtown in the evening) send an email to Laura at LauraCallinBennett dot com with the word “advice” in the subject line. You can ask me a specific question if you want. If you are shy you can just leave the body of the email blank and I will make my best guess about what advice to send to you. I am intensely aware of how ignorant I used to be about some art-related things, and I am grateful to the people and resources that helped me learn more. I’d like to pay it forward by helping other young artists learn too.

Peregrine Falcons Hunted Passenger Pigeons

David Mejia

Name: David Mejia
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mejia-Arts/122796911150958?ref=ts

What do you do?
I love to paint watercolor portraits of people. I write, draw and publish my own web comic called “BALLMAN”, and contribute artwork to local galleries. I will often draw portraits for people at the MejiaArts booth at local arts and crafts venues.

Where can we find your work?
You can email me at mejiaarts@yahoo.com. ‘Ballman’ appeared online at www.drunkduck.com/BALLMAN/. My latest art pieces are on display at Kaleid Gallery 88 So. Fourth Street, San Jose, Ca. My work can also be viewed on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Mejia-Arts

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I have a relentless passion for drawing, which keeps me working, even on bad days.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
The process is the most important part. My mind must be balanced and fluid.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
My uncle who is also an artist inspired me, initially. My mother and grandparents always encouraged me. Today, my wife encourages me. I was also inspired by notables like Charles Schultz, of Snoopy fame, Joseph Campbell, who studied mythology, and Jim Morrison, the Lizard king.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
If I could be any fictional character I would be Clint Eastwood character from the Spaghetti Westerns, because he always cool and focused.

When do you get your best ideas?
My best ideas come when I’m alone

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I use simple mechanical pencils, paintbrush, and paper, watercolors, micron pens and calligraphy pens. Some times I’ll use the computer.

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I took some school for art, however, I’m mostly self taught. This has made me strong in some areas like tribal designs, and rendering what I see, but not in things like oil painting, or silk screening.

What would your creative work taste like?
If you could eat my work, it would taste like ink and wood pulp.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I love hiking, dancing, philosophizing with friends, making fun of movies, and reading.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
I learned to access my creative talents by isolating myself from the big confusing world, putting on my favorite music and drawing, drawing, drawing, for years. I’ve gained confidence at drawing for the public by making myself draw at parks and coffee houses.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
My advice to anyone starting out in art is, “To hell with other peoples' opinions. Draw what you want.”

Jade Empress

Katrina Marie Loera

Name: Katrina Marie Loera
Website: N/A

What do you do?
I am an art teacher at LeyVa Middle School in Evergreen School District in San Jose.

Where can we find your work?
I participate in a few local art shows per year.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
I am inspired by all of the talented people around me… and of course, my students J When things get tough and I need motivation, I try to spend some time around as many art events and artists as I can…the work of others motivates me more than anything!

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?
I love content…I want my art to speak to you…it is an opportunity for me to have a voice in a positive way.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?
Those who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place…I know that’s vague, but there really isn't one specific person. Most of the people who inspire me are not celebrities or well known in any way…they are just ordinary people who do whatever they can to promote a positive change in the world!

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Wow…tough question…there’s a character in a young adult book called Stargirl…she carries around an ukulele and sings songs at lunchtime… she carries her pet rat on her shoulder, and dresses in dresses from years in the past…her favorite pastime is to give random gifts to strangers or go for walks in the desert and watch the sunrise and set…she appreciates the world around her for what it is with no complaints…she’s pretty awesome…I’d like to be her J

When do you get your best ideas?
I hate to admit it but my best ideas come when I’m alone and there are no distractions. When I am out for a run or ride in the mountains…alone in the wilderness my creative thoughts come pouring out. I cherish this time in nature and it seems to stimulate my creativity.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?
I love to sketch. I never get tired of pencil and paper. I love most mediums that I have tried but I do most of my pieces in oil. If I want to produce more pieces in less time, I will resort to acrylics and I am beginning to appreciate them more and more. My favorite medium with my students is tempera and cardboard. It’s amazing how beautiful these paints can look when applied to recycled cardboard!

Are you self taught or formally educated? How do you think that has influenced or affected your work?
I consider myself mostly self-taught but I guess you could say I was formally educated through the classes I took over the years for my credential. I really wish I could have had the opportunity to attend an art college. There are areas in which I struggle to learn technique. But in some ways, that struggle has made me the artist that I am today.

If your creative work was edible what would it taste like?
Duh…Chocolate (vegan of course)

When you are not creating what do you like to do?
I love to play sports: Ride my bike, play basketball, soccer, snowboard, surf, you name it! I’m an adrenaline junky! But I also love to write poems and stories, sing and play music, perform…so I guess you could say I’m an ARTS junkie as well. Sports and the ARTS are my life!

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?
Hmmm…that wasn't easy…I mean I’ve always done art…but not until I was asked to do a mural for the city did I feel confident in my talent…After weeks of having people visit me at the wall, I was okay with sharing my art…I guess I never thought my art was worthy of public viewing until that experience. I realized that it wasn't about how well I could draw or paint, because art speaks to everyone in a different way and people connect to each other through art…it’s an amazing thing! Since that experience I had the confidence to begin to seek out small local shows to display and sell my art. I hope to do more in the future.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?
Do it for you, not anyone else…Don’t try to create what’s popular, or what you think others will like…take risks…the best art is raw…unjudged…it is your interpretation of your world…so go at it without restraints…

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