Who Is ‘jetsonorama'?

Jetsonorama is Chip Thomas' public artist name. In addition to being a photographer, public artist and activist, he spends most of the time on the Navajo reservation in Arizona as a physician.

Today, as I scrolled through Facebook, I noticed a short documentary produced by KQUED Arts (see below) and I couldn't resist thinking about a few things.

The Commitment For Public Art

It is easy to be in awe of Chip Thomas' commitment when you take a look at Dr. Thomas' dual role of not only being a physician, but also a documentary photographer. What's our excuse for not finding a local cause, charity or organization where we too can give back to our community in our own special way: making art for them?

These murals aim to reflect love and appreciation of the rich history shared by the Navajo people back to Navajo people.

The Documentary

You Can Make It Happen

Dr. Chip Thomas is part of the Justseeds artists cooperative and manages The Painted Desert project. His GoFundMe page is very close to reaching its goal of raising $6000 to fund mural opportunities and youth arts education on the Navajo Nation.

Please donate liberally to make it possible for public artists like Chip Thomas and others to continue pursuing their life's mission.

What's Our Role As Photographers?

Assuming we aren't always in it for the money, do we use our skills in a way that makes a direct impact on other people? As a family portrait photographer in Connecticut, I would like to think that I am transforming the lives of children and their parents. But does what we do get measured and if so by whose standards?

Sound-off below in the comments. I am curious to hear your take on this subject. And, if you are working on a personal project, please do not hesitate to contact me. Ok?

The following words are by Xavier Vega, an alumnus of Avon Old Farms School, an all-boys college preparatory school in Avon, Connecticut. He delivered them on May 19th, at the opening and dedication of Ordway Gallery on that school's campus:

It is always the path of the artist to have to create his or her own. Never is an artist given anything in this world but their talent – rarely do any of us truly possess it naturally. In a world where hard work is equated to physical labor, artists live in a perpetual limbo of social acceptance. When one decides that one will draw, sing, dance, paint, sculpt, or pursue any other vein of art, they are immediately undercut by the social pressures that so consume their peers.

“Oh, you’re going to school for graphic design? … That’s great! … So are you going to minor in business.”

“You’re an artist. So what is it you REALLY do, you know? Like what’s your job-job?”

It is always the path of the artist to have to create his or her own. I hate to burst any bubbles, but Avon Old Farms School is no different. And this is no fault of the administration or the educational staff, but the blame lies instead in our culture. It lies on the way we treat young men in society. To many, our life should culminate in some hyper-masculine expression of what is thought to be a success: work on a railroad, go to Wall Street, join the military, and the list goes on.

Let me assure you that I do not seek to discredit how valuable physical labor is – physical laborers and corporate workers are the very backbones of this country. Nonetheless, not every man is fated to pursue such a path. Once again, not every man is fated to pursue such a path. For those of us who refuse to do so, we often turn to art, and this will breach the very subject of why I make this speech. For young men like myself or the incredibly talented Graham Deckers, the jungle of success has an artery to its core cut with a machete of deeply-felt emotion, hours and hours of time, and most importantly, inward faith. We must believe in ourselves 101% because our peers often do not do so.

As a young Puerto Rican man from a very humble background, I realize that paramount to my success was my ability to believe in myself when nobody but my amazing family did. For them to even take the risk of believing in me is a huge cultural and social step in a positive direction, and I’m eternally grateful. When your son is the art kid, I imagine it can be terrifying – Who makes a living off of painting? How do you make a living off of painting? All questions reasonably created by our social climate, and that are no more than a reflection of our attitude towards artists.

So then, if you take anything away from this talk: support artists. Be a patron, buy that painting, because what most artists need is simply that – support. Never tell a young man that art is out of his grasp. Condition the young people around you in such a way that they appreciate the arts, understand how difficult they are, or even feel comfortable enough to pursue them. The change starts with the people in this crowd, who I know are intelligent enough to help destroy the wall that keeps boys from pursuing art. You and only you can assist in cutting a path for the next young man who decides to pursue a career or have a passion for art.

I want to thank Mrs. Pinton for being the catalyst to my career as an artist and for accepting this original work in such a space. I also want to thank my parents for being my biggest supporters, and want to thank my little sister, Brianna Vega, for reminding me that there is always tomorrow, and that balance is the key to success in all that you do. Thank you for your time and please enjoy the show.

*Please note that while Xavier's emphasis is on young men, be assured that his message is equally applicable to young women who are interested in pursuing a life in the arts.

A Little Navel Gazing

As the weekend arrives, I figured I ask this important question of you – are you living a creative life?

You may be a painter, a sculptor, a dancer, a musician or even a photographer and you may consider living a creative life.

But even that's rather myopic.

A creator is creative. The act of creating something, anything you are being creative. But there is always that special something that makes your heart sing when you do get into making it.

What is it? And what stops us from pursuing it?

Play Essential For A Creative Life

To answer that and other questions I want to introduce you to Melissa Dinwiddie: artist, performer, happiness catalyst and creativity instigator.

What's interesting is I met Melissa at Michael & Amy Port's Heroic Public Speaking tour, where we were both learning a new skill – public speaking; something that takes practice, experience, guts and some amount of creativity to do really well.

As we talked about each of our professions, I was immediately intrigued by Melissa's bold statement: “When you play, it is a world changing act!” I had to know more and insisted that we connect online to chat about this idea of play being critical for living a creative life.

The Interview

Want to learn more from Melissa? Subscribe to her podcast – Living A Creative Life. If you love Melissa's energy, join her Creative Sandbox.

More On Being Creative

Curiously, just as I was finishing up with this blog post about living a creative life, I came across Dave Conrey's recent video – “How To Be More Creative” (see below):

Check out Dave's podcast and vlog, too!

So, tell me whether it is this weekend or the following week, what are you going to commit to yourself to live a creative life?

Brooke Shaden is a fine art photographer based in Arizona. Her photographs are dream-like, ethereal and definitely complex in tone. I'll be the first to admit that each work of art has the capacity to draw you in and hold you hostage.

From her own website: “Brooke works to create new worlds within her photographic frame. By using painterly techniques as well as the square format, traditional photographic properties are replaced by otherworldly elements. Brooke's photography questions the definition of what it means to be alive.”

Brooke and I got a chance to speak recently, in advance of her presentation right here in Connecticut. She will be speaking about her work, at the behest of CTPPA. Find out more about that event here.

We spoke about her work, of course, but also her background. You'll find out how and why her degrees in film and English have helped her create artwork that is filled with intent and meaning. And, you'll hear about how she is a philanthropist, donating her time to a wonderful causes all over the world, including one in Calcutta, India. In fact, if you would like to donate camera gear or money, she is appealing to your generosity here.

A small sample of Brooke's incredible work. For more go here!

Want to keep up with Brooke, then bookmark her blog, Promoting Passion now.

UPDATE: Brooke Shaden is coming back to Connecticut! She will be here on November 21st and 22nd to lead a workshop called Storytelling & Compositing Intensive at the New Britain Museum of American Art. For more information about this opportunity to learn from Brooke, contact Heather Whitehouse at 860-229-0257, ext. 203 or whitehouseh@nbmaa.org.