Artist in Residence – Interview with Sara Stadtmiller and Gary Mellon

Today I am sharing an interview I did with photographer Sara Stadtmiller and artist Gary Mellon. This is an interview series I call Artist in Residence.

I heard this great quote 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:

This interview is with my friends Sara and Gary. Sara is a photographer and Gary is an artist in several mediums and it was such a treat to get to talk to both of these inspiring individuals! Sara talks about her business expanding into a new space, the variety of work she does, and the challenges of juggling work and family life during the pandemic. Gary talks about the variety of artistic roles he’s played, his motivation and drive to create, and the benefits of creating for others. They also discuss their latest project – a “quarantine gallery” group art show that they’ve organized in the windows of Sara’s new studio space, bringing beauty and something positive to the neighborhood and to their own lives too. Finally the duo talks about applying creativity to other aspects of their lives to make all kinds of things work.

You can find the gallery show here: http://www.srsphotographer.com/outside-looking-in-a-quarantine-gallery/

Sara’s website is: http://www.srsphotographer.com

And be sure to follow Sara on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sarastadtmiller/
and Gary on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gamellon/

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