Today I am sharing an interview I did with author, educator, and artist Danny Gregory. This is a new interview series I am calling Artist in Residence.
I heard this great quote on the web recently: “On the bright side, I am no longer calling this shelter-in-place. I am now an artist-in-residence.” It got me thinking about how times of adversity and challenge are often what inspire action and creation for us artists.
I decided to seek out some peers whom I admire and ask them how they are using this time to be working artists. What has changed for them? Where are they finding room to create at home if they previously worked in an offsite studio, out-of-doors, or are now sharing a home studio with other working-from-home family members? What are they creating now – is it influenced by the current situation or on a similar path as before? Are they feeling called to action or struggling to create?
Everyone is responding differently to this crisis. Let’s learn how others are coping with their new status as Artists in Residence.
A little bit about this video: I met Danny through Sketchbook Skool, his online educational platform that is a great resource for workshops, inspiration and advice. In this interview Danny talks about his experience sheltering in a state other than his own, cobbling together art supplies to continue his practice (including a surprising donation of supplies from a Sketchbook Skool student coming to the rescue), and using technology to fill in the gaps. He discusses the changing nature of his online business in response to the situation and the increasing need for online support communities and the responsibility he feels towards artists and their personal growth. We talk about talent, obstacles, motivation, and hard work. We do a bit of joking too, so definitely tune in until the end.
You can learn more about Danny (including a link to Sketchbook Skool) here: https://www.instagram.com/dannyobadiah/
