JUNE 2018: Featured Artists
"Celebrating the Men in Our Lives"
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We asked each artist the following question:
What has been your biggest challenge as an artist in terms of; (1) the creative process and finding inspiration, and (2) promoting your work? How have you learned to address these challenges? |
Photo Credit: Isabel Gaitan
Roberto Destarac: Photographer based in Guatemala (Click image to view artist's page) |
"My biggest challenge in the creative process was developing proper technical knowledge (on camera and post-processing) to achieve the high standards the artistic community demands and to be able to capture what my eyes see. At the same time, I worked on defining a style. I find inspiration in my home country, Guatemala, with its geographical and cultural diversity. But most of all, my inspiration comes from the people - our traditions and our Mayan ancestry. Promoting work is probably the biggest challenge for all artists. Globalization and the web have made that a much easier task, but one can get lost in the noise and never be noticed. We see millions of photos uploaded to social media with little regard to quality, so standing out requires investment, effort, and patience. To address the challenge, I have turned to experts in the field of marketing. However, I personally do all the post-processing of my photographs and write the title and description for every photo you see on my social media pages and my website."
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Photo Credit: Andrea Watts
Danny Kean: Singer-Songwriter, Producer, Multi-Instrumentalist & Actor from New York (Click image to view artist's page) |
"The biggest challenge to my creative process is the fear of being pigeonholed. People tend to want artists to be one thing or another. I’ve tried my best to follow my heart, but I still feel the pressure to resign myself to a genre. As far as promoting myself and my music…social media has been amazing. However, I was both fortunate and unfortunate to come of age in the last days of big labels, and I got to see firsthand what a machine can do to push an artist and their work into the mainstream with airplay and tour support. But the support I have garnered from people all over the world continues to keep me moving forward."
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Photo Credit: Victor Giganti
Ward Lamb: New York Portrait Artist & Figure Painter (Click image to view artist's page) |
"The biggest challenge for me is to take my current work to a place that is unique unto that moment. I try not to repeat myself with too much style or gimmick. I desire to have my subjects come alive enough to be recognized in a personal way. Promoting my work has always been the last thought when I am creating it. However, as I have evolved, I understand that in order to be a fulfilled artist, I need to find suitable places to present my work as it should be displayed, appreciated and seen. I have learned to pursue and follow up the personal interest that my collectors and supporters show for my work. I have become more assertive in making efforts to put myself in the art communities I am part of. I am energized by the natural beauty and the diverse creative talents in the Hudson Valley cultural community."
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Scott Weber:
Connecticut Musician, Singer-Songwriter & Philanthropist (Click image to view artist's page) |
"My biggest challenge in the creative process is being near my guitar when inspiration hits. I travel for business and am often struck by sights and sounds on the road that inspire a melody or a lyric. I find myself scribbling pictures, words and singing really awful melodies into my phone recorder. When I come back to it later, oftentimes the moment has passed, and I scratch my head wondering "what the heck was I thinking?" I sometimes have a love-hate relationship with my guitar. Some days the music plays itself. Other days, nothing works. I figured out a long time ago that if I go see live music and hear someone else playing the guitar, I usually get inspired. When I launched Acoustic Wilton, we were tied to the Relay for Life campaign and built our audience through the work we were doing to play music and raise money. As we evolved into supporting the students and the music schools, I worked with local media, the schools and the Wilton Education Foundation to build awareness. With Open Road, it's difficult to promote our work because we are a five-piece band playing all acoustic-soulful originals. Finding the right "listening" rooms can be a challenge. Fortunately, the players are all well-connected to the local music community and utilize social media to promote our work."
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