tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84679196934915854202024-03-13T03:50:30.908-07:00Nomad NouvelleAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-6818856961299268922014-03-17T23:17:00.000-07:002014-03-17T23:17:26.758-07:00Sharing is Caring, kids. Art can be created for one person and one person alone. However, most artists hope to share, and even profit from the work they create. Of course, let's not forget the performance artists, the ones who thrive off the energy and connection of an audience. Artists often use art to challenge perspective and change lives, and in this way, sharing their work is absolutely essential.<br /><div>
There are a million ways to share art, from doodling on a public bathroom door, to performing in a massive theater for thousands, or hanging a piece in someone's living room, or art gallery. But one that has quickly moved into the forefront of discovery and creation is social networking. </div>
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I know, I know. It's become an overused and annoying hot-word. Who doesn't have a Facebook, or Google + or <i>something</i>? Despite the increasingly negative connotation given to such things, artists are being discovered every day. The very definition of fame has changed immensely. Here at Nomad Nouvelle, we track down a good chunk of our artists through social media networks, spending more hours than we'd care to admit flipping through photo albums and creeping on News Feeds. </div>
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Ten years ago, an artist could feel <i>seen </i>if he found himself hanging a piece in a busy gallery. A singer felt seen when the bar was packed with a line out the door. These things, of course, have not changed for many, but with YouTube and viral marketing, there are plenty of performers who have been viewed by the thousands before ever setting foot on a stage, and this is certainly not limited to any one particular genre of art.</div>
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Kids on the streets peddling fliers and hand outs have been traded in for event invites and countless reminders from every network possible. All in all, it can feel a little overwhelming, even for the people who are supposed to benefit from it. Countless artists have told us in their interviews about how much setting up posts and writing a million messages every day can get beyond wearying.</div>
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This goes both ways, as people even avoid liking their favorite artists or adding their arts active friends all because the clog it causes. When each weekend becomes sorting out which one of fifteen different events you want to go to, the whole thing seems too much energy. After all, isn't it supposed to be about having fun and getting a quick glimpse into the lives of those you care for? </div>
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On the flip side, I see huge potential for art with social media. There are musicians who can collaborate without ever having to meet; a handy trick when you're separated by an entire country, if not an ocean. Dancers teach lessons over Skype, and painters, sculptors and all manner of other craftsmen can sell their wares. This very blog would not exist if it weren't for social media. </div>
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As much as it has the potential to suck the soul of out you, social media has done a lot for the world. Some bad, of course, but I think largely, it has improved the way art is viewed, how many people get to see art who would ordinarily never see it, and even, at least to some degree, the ability of artists to find others to work with, and importantly, an audience that connects with their specific image. </div>
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So next time you're secretly reading Facebook instead of working, like a new artist, share a new page, and hey, maybe even give us a shout out. ;) </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-57213114262082561172014-03-06T17:23:00.003-08:002014-03-06T17:23:38.113-08:00Elias Caress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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People love to be entertained. In fact, if you're reading this right now, you're only proving me right. But who better to entertain yourself with than a self-described variety artist? Elias "Lefty" Caress is exactly that man. A true performer, you might just find yourself laughing away at any of the number of shows he does around the Salt Lake area.</div>
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Magic, juggling, comedy, and a wild west show are the mainstays of his repertoire. Having gotten his start as a palm reader at parties, he delved into the world of juggling and magic and hasn't looked back. He tells us that this all started as a diversion from his day to day life, a way to stay sane in a world of mind numbingly dull work. What a way for a diversion to turn out. Check out more from this talented individual!</div>
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<b>The Interview:</b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How would you describe your work? </div>
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<b>Elias: </b>I am a variety artist, a term usually reserved for live entertainers. I perform magic shows more than else, I also work on comedy, I juggle, and I have a wild west show.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How did you first get involved?
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<b>Elias: </b>I was once an engineer. That's a very boring job! I got involved in entertainment to keep myself sane.
I fist learned to read palms when I was a kid, and I was hired to give readings at parties. That's where I met jugglers and magicians, where I later got the idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>At what point did you decide to start performing?
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<b>Elias: </b>I love performing. I did it on nights and weekends when I had a job. A friend got me a few gigs performing card tricks and cowboy stunts at parties, then I got a regular show at renaissance fair.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What were your goals when you began?
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<b>Elias: </b>At first, I just wanted to have fun. To get away from my boring 9 to 5 life, and I loved making other people happy.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What are they now?
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<b>Elias: </b>I still like making people happy. It's hard for some of us to understand the power of simple amusement. There are people who are stuck in a rut, in a routine. A little fun can mean the world to some of these people. Once a man told me he was planning to kill himself, but decided he wanted to live after he went to a festival and had a good time.
More than making people happy, I'd like to make people think. I'd like to make people examine their paradigms and their beliefs. That's a tough thing to do, but it's my goal. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you get stage fright? If so, how do you deal with that?
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<b>Elias: </b>I do get stage fright. I actually like stage fright, and sometimes I'm disappointed if I don't get stage fright. I think that stage fright adds to the exhilaration you feel after the show (assuming you do a good job on stage).
The best advice on stage fright that I've ever heard came from magician David Copperfield. He said that you should rehearse your show until you can perform it in auto-pilot, without even thinking. At that point your show will not be negatively impacted by stage fright. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What are your biggest struggles?
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<b>Elias: </b>Right now, the business end is my business occupies most of my time. When you make a living with your art, you have to make your art pay. Not to mention taxes, accounting, expenses, logistics, etc.
Also, the artists ever present struggle for inspiration and creativity. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you ever struggle with the balance of day to day life with your art?
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<b>Elias: </b>No, my art is my life. It's what I do all day every day. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How about the business side of your art and the actually performing and putting together of shows?
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<b>Elias: </b>Actually, the business side does help with creativity. Now and then I'm asked to put on a show that I otherwise never would have thought of myself. Like a historical magic show, or a corporate pirate act.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you feel your work is respected?
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<b>Elias: </b>Yes I do. Respect is earned, if your work isn't respected then you haven't earned it. I hope that doesn't sound rude, but I have worked very hard all day every day for years to earn respect for what I do. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How have you found the performance scene in Salt Lake?
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<b>Elias: </b>SLC has a very bad reputation in the rest of the world, I think most of the rest of the world would be surprised by the scene here in SLC. There are very creative and fun-loving people here. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How have those closest to you reacted to all this? </div>
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<b>Elias: </b>Most people understand what I do and support me.
But I do have a semi-funny story about that! When I quit my job to entertain full-time, my parents didn't support me in the slightest. They constantly told me to get a real job or I'd loose everything, they always belittled everything that I did. But they had never actually seen me perform. Eventually they did come to one of my shows, and they loved it. Ever since then they've shown nothing but support and confidence for what I do.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you find yourself preferring the creation side to the performance side or vice versa?
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<b>Elias: </b>I do back and forth. Sometimes I love creating new things, and I always love performing new things. But most of the time I love performing for than anything. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> If you could tell your beginner self one thing, what would it be?
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<b>Elias: </b>Most successful entertainers began early in life. They have a big advantage over me because I'm sort of new still. I sometime wish I could have started earlier, but I think that even if I had I would be wondering about all the other things I've never tried. </div>
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To get more info on this talented artist, check out his website at: http://www.eliascaress.com/</div>
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Have anyone else you'd like us to chat with? Let us know in the comments below!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-79426332599990386862014-03-04T10:29:00.001-08:002014-03-04T10:35:47.928-08:00The Struggle Is Real by Aubrilynn<br />
Commonly, as an artist, there are some real struggles that you face. While they vary for every artist in some way or another.. They are almost inevitably going to be an issue for any artist out there.<br />
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First of all, trying to balance your day-to-day life with your artistic talents. Many artists have other facets of their lives. Whether it's a family, a full time job, schooling or something else. A lot of artists fight to keep the balance a healthy one, but it can definitely become difficult or discouraging. Not just at first, but throughout your life as an artist. I'm sure many of us have found it hard to be at work when we know the art is calling, but that brings up another common struggle, finances. <br />
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The battle of paying for your love of the art, especially before you are paid for it. Having to go to work, to make money, to supply an art form, that you are just a little bit too tired to do because you had to go to work today. Whether you're buying paints, cameras, instruments, or anything else.. You're still having to sacrifice a bit of that money for your art.. Which is entirely worth it! Some artists are lucky enough to make that dollah through their art. <br />
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But now, who are we trying to impress here? Do we stay true to our art? The way we intended it, created it, and loved it.. Or do we try to make it pleasing to crowds so that we can hope that maybe, just maybe, we get hired on for a gig or a commission piece? There are always constant trends circulating, what the masses finds enjoyable at the time may be based off of what is popular on Tumblr, or suggested videos on YouTube. There are folks at the forefront of every artistic outlet, and often time, those are the ones who have made it. That get paid to create art every day! <br />
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From personal experience, in performing art, it was always difficult to make the decision of, "Well, do I want to learn to dance like her? Or do I want to dance like me?" It seems there is an obvious answer, right? But what about when you know you'll be profiting from the first choice. Many artists evolve over time, it's the beauty of life. Growing and changing, but I've found it a struggle to keep in mind if I'm growing into a better me, or growing into rip-off of that girl on the internet.<br />
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Every day, artists are facing and overcoming challenges. They're taking on difficult situations and bettering themselves as artists. For each one of us, I think it's important to fight through the struggle. Even when we find ourselves a little to busy, practice at home. When we feel exhausted from work, remember what it's for. If you have lost touch of what your art is, how it started, what you want it to be. Remember that it's going to be okay, sleep it off. Wake up, and make something that's fucking brilliant.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-161397117322132572014-02-25T00:30:00.001-08:002014-02-25T00:30:49.701-08:00Heidi Lyn-Butterfly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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I'm not sure anyone in the SLC area really embodies sheer performance art the way Heidi does. A self-described shape-shifter, she seems to be able to perform almost anyway she sets her mind to, and has quickly evolved into a renowned performer in almost every circle. It helps that she's worked with countless other artists and has brought her crafts to the forefront of her life focuses. </div>
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Even the way she words herself is a refreshing breath of air in a world that can quickly become stale. She has a way of finding something exciting in everything. This might just be her natural charisma, a trait she clearly has an abundance of. It is no surprise then, that she has found herself at the heart of the ever growing and changing art scene in Salt Lake City. I know we here at Nomad Nouvelle, and certainly plenty of others are going to keep a close eye on her career! </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How would you describe your art?
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<b>Heidi:</b> I would describe my art as eclectic and ever~evolving. I am a bit of a shaper~shifter and as I delve deeper into what ignites my passions and inspires me, my characters evolve and I am constantly transforming and exploring the many facets of performance art. Everything from Mermaiding to Stilt~walking to dancing with Wings and Hoops and playing with Fire...there is an infinite world of possibilities! I absolutely LOVE embodying all types of characters! I connect the most deeply to the ideology of the Butterfly and the Mermaid for sure though! <span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -17px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=":)"></span> </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What first got you into art? </div>
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<b>Heidi:</b> I have always loved all forms of dance and performance art. From a very young age I was inspired by the Circus Arts, Mermaids, Fairy Tales, etc. I also have a deep love of literary arts and story~telling so I love to imagine whimsical stories and bring them to life! </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> At what point did you decide to start doing art a little more seriously?
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<b>Heidi:</b> I decided to start taking my art a little more seriously when I literally joined the Circus <span class="emoticon emoticon_wink" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -119px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=";)"></span>. I joined up with an amazing group of performers in San Diego called Charmed Life Entertainment led by the amazing Jennifer Quest aka HoopCharmer. She hired me for my first "real" gig for her monthly show called "Circus." The knowledge I gained from working with this group of professionals has helped me tremendously not only in my performance art but also in my life in general and prepared me for when I met Jennifer Tarasevich and began working with the Fabulous Voodoo Productions here in SLC which then led to the creation of the Voodoo Pearl Mermaids and the story continues... <span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -17px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=":)"></span>. I have had the pleasure of working with so many talented groups and individuals who have become like family to me! </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What were your goals when you first started?
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<b>Heidi:</b> My goals when I first started were simply to inspire and share joy and happiness through creative expression. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What are they now? </div>
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<b>Heidi: </b>They are very much the same...only on a larger scale <span class="emoticon emoticon_wink" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -119px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=";)"></span>. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What steps do you typically take between the original thought of an idea and the final execution(performance) of it?</div>
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<b>Heidi:</b> Hee~hee! Great question!
The creative process is always an interesting journey..sometimes it happens very fast...sometimes it takes a lot more planning and thought. I like to write ideas down, create story~lines, gather inspiration from a variety of outlets allowing it to morph and shift along the way and then just make it happen <span class="emoticon emoticon_wink" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -119px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=";)"></span>. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Do you prefer creation to performance?</div>
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<b>Heidi:</b> I love all aspects of the creative process but I am certainly a bit more partial to the performance as that is the culmination where it all comes together <span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -17px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=":)"></span>. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How have those closest to you reacted to your work?
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<b>Heidi:</b> From those who know me and truly love me, I have had nothing but the utmost support <span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -17px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=":)"></span>...especially from Chad "Rockstar"..my love who is also a performer himself! </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How about the general arts community?</div>
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<b>Heidi:</b> In my experience, I feel like the general arts community is very receptive and open to new ideas and art forms. <span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -17px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=":)"></span> </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Do you feel that the arts receive the proper respect in the Salt Lake area?</div>
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<b>Heidi: </b> The Art Scene in Salt Lake is definitely becoming more prevalent and respected. There are so many amazingly talented artists and performers in this Salty City! </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you struggle to maintain a day to day life vs art life?</div>
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<b>Heidi</b>: I do my best to incorporate as much art into my daily life as possible or I tend to go a little crazy <span class="emoticon emoticon_wink" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -119px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=";)"></span>. When I'm not creating...I'm thinking about it..Art is all around us and I feel healthiest and happiest when it is infused into my life and part of my every day existence. ~}i{~</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How about the business side vs the art side? Do they conflict for you at all? </div>
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<b>Heidi:</b>That is a learning process that I am still navigating but I feel really good about it all. I have had many valuable learning experiences and am constantly learning how to balance it all! <span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -17px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=":)"></span></div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Do you ever get anxious about a performance? If so, how do you deal with that?</div>
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<b>Heidi:</b> YES!!! I honestly get nervous little butterflies every single time I perform! It is so worth it though! I calm myself by taking deep breaths and focusing on what I am there to do...which no matter what type of performance I am doing...the goal is simple..to inspire love <span class="emoticon emoticon_heart" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -221px -129px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title="<3"></span> . This helps me to not overthink things. <span class="emoticon emoticon_wink" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/Ds4uSxMcRiQ.png); background-position: -119px -146px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=";)"></span> </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>If you could tell your beginner self one thing, what would it be?</div>
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<b>Heidi:</b> I would tell my beginner self what I tell myself all the time... "A rising tide raises all ships." This quote to me means that there is room for all of us and what benefits one benefits us all. We all have a unique and beautiful expression to share with the world! ~}i{~ </div>
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Check out Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pearlmermaids & https://www.facebook.com/pages/Voodoo-Productions/157917574241074</div>
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Have anyone else we should chat with? Let us know in the comments below! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-62971143477304050272014-02-19T22:04:00.004-08:002014-02-19T22:04:50.005-08:00Nomad Special Edition: Juana Ghani, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back into the fold of things with Juana Ghani. This week we've talked with more of their members to give you the best complete imagine of this fantastic band. Truly, they are a great bunch of people with an ability to have fun and put on a show you won't forget. I can't recommend them enough! </div>
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<b>Tanya:</b></div>
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Tanya is the kind of bubbly person who seems to emit sunlight through every pore. With a shock of golden hair and a smile that could take over any room, she is one of the few who seem to be counted among the truly happy and content.</div>
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She can usually be found either dancing around the stage with a tambourine, or banging on a gigantic drum that seems too big for her. Easily, she owns them both, and countless stages have been lit up with this wonderful energy that only Tanya, a gypsy spirit and happy soul, can bring. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> So what first got you into music?</div>
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<b>Tanya: </b>Well, I love music, but I'm not really a musician. I've always loved music and I've always dreamed of being in a band. From being a young child, I've always listened to music. My parents played lots of music- usually John Denver, Neil Diamond kind of stuff, but I've always loved it. I go to every concert I can possibly go to. I was never trained in any kind of instrument, so it's kind of funny that I'm in a band, but it's a dream I've always had. So I'm really happy. </div>
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In terms of this kind of music, I would say that belly dancing really introduced me to this opportunity and a different style of music than what I was used to, which was more mainstream and pop and alternative.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How did you get involved with Juana Ghani?</div>
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<b>Tanya: </b>Well, the fact that I'm a belly dancer, and my boyfriend at the time, now husband, was talking with Leisl and Brian about starting this band, and I would go to the rehearsals, while they were making up songs as they went, and I got to sing songs, and Brian would just bug me until I would start hitting the bass drum. I was embarrassed and thought there was no way that you'd ever get me to stand on a stage and do something like that since I had no experience with it, but I was there enough that they convinced me to try it. I think I added a little something to it, and no one else would do it, so that's how I got into it. I think I was the fifth member of Juana Ghani. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Aside from joining, what attracted you to them?</div>
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<b>Tanya:</b> I had worked a little bit with Leisl through belly dancing, because she sang with No Blood to Spare, which is a band that played some music for us dancers. Leisl was wonderful. I loved her voice and I loved her attitude about music and dance, and her different fun lifestyle. So that really did attract me to doing something with her. And then being at the rehearsals, I thought the music was really fun and different. If I could be a part of it, and get over the embarrassment, I was definitely intrigued by it. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you prefer rehearsing or performing?</div>
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<b>Tanya: </b>Oh for sure the performance side. Rehearsals are fun, but getting on a stage and seeing people dancing and having a great time, it's just this big family. Rehearsals are kind of a family thing too, but there's so many members of this band that there's very few times that we're actually all together. Typically that's more at a performance, and we can hang out before and after. Just hanging out on the stage together is so much fun. Rehearsals are fun for me as a nonmusician, because I'm amazed at all the stuff they come up with on the fly. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Do you ever get stage fright? </div>
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<b>Tanya: </b>The only time I get stage fright is when we are playing a new song and I'm not feeling very confident, and then I just hit the drum very soft and pretend like I'm doing something It's not really stage fright, I'm just a little nervous about something new. The songs we've been playing for a long time, I feel really confident with. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What's your favorite part of being in Juana Ghani?</div>
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<b>Tanya:</b> My favorite part is the family element. I really, again, stemming from the belly dancing side, there is this family feeling of people that relate to one another by sharing interests. It's a different community than anything else. I'm a professional working in education and I'm a mom, and to get together with an alternative community that is not anything I would have ever pictured for me is really cool. I really like it, and it keeps me young. I love the people. The dancers we've had dance with us are just so great. It does feel like a family. I don't know if that's always how bands are, but for us, it's definitely that way. The other part is really going back to having always loved music. I just think it's so cool to be on that end of it. Being onstage and watching people and seeing how happy they are. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What about the larger arts community? How do you enjoy it?</div>
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<b>Tanya:</b> My experience with music is maybe a bit more traditional. I do like many varieties of music, but a lot of the bands that we go and see are somebody that I never would have chosen. People that open for us or that we open for, and the like. It's been pretty cool to get that experience and to see musicians that I would probably not have experienced otherwise. Some of the cabarets we have done, with the aerial performers and the fire performers, have been so different. I love that people have found things they're passionate about, no matter what age they are, or what they do outside of that. Watching them just go for it is inspiring. There is drama, but I'm not really the kind of person to get dragged into that, so I just look the other way and smile. It's not typical in our band, which is great.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> So for you, what have been your biggest struggles? </div>
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<b>Tanya: </b>Time. I work full time, and I'm a mom for three kids, and I'm a wife. The time commitment is hard. I've had to give up some other things for it. I don't really dance anymore, I don't have the time to practice. Even with the time commitment that's required, I don't get to that as much as I should. I miss some practices and some performances, because I travel or have other commitments. Also just building my skills and confidence in feeling like I'm actually contributing. When I'm performing, I feel confident and it's great. There's other times, though, where I'm just thinking, "What am I doing here?!" That separates me from the other musicians. Everyone else is legitimate and they've had years of experience. This is just brand new for me.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What are your goals?</div>
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<b>Tanya: </b>My goals would truly just be to get better at drumming and more kinds of percussion. I do want to take some lessons, so it's not just me hitting on the beat. I do play the tambourine as well, but there's so many other percussion things out there that I know I should be able to contribute to. As I get more experience and take some lessons and try some new things out, I think that will happen. I would like to start dancing again, because when I first joined them, that was, I think, part of the appeal. I could dance and play. There are some songs that I'd really like to dance to. Putting the dance back into the music is part of what I do in Juana Ghani. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> If you weren't doing this, what do you think you'd be doing? </div>
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<b>Tanya:</b> If I wasn't playing with Juana Ghani? I don't know. I did get a little bit bored with belly dancing, and I needed a bit of a break, so I don't know. I kind of like to think I'd be doing that, but I'm not sure. This has filled that desire to be performing and be creative, and be with an art community. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Kita: </b>What other arts have you tried then? </div>
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<b>Tanya: </b>The only other performance art that I've been involved in is belly dancing, and I didn't do that until I was thirty-four. I've never done any other sort of performance. I've always been more of an athlete and sports type of person. It was such a great experience for me. There's no way I would be in Juana Ghani if it weren't for belly dancing, specifically Kismet. Yasamina Roque was our dance leader, our mama belly. She taught me to be confident in dance, and in myself, and being onstage and performing for others. She introduced me to the whole art community, and so many of the people I met through Kismet are now involved with Juana Ghani in one way or another. This includes my husband. I would not have met him if it weren't for Kismet. so I feel very blessed. </div>
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An intellectual with a heart of gold. Is there really anything else to be? Tony has a mellow demeanor that gives him a flexibility few possess. Any mood seems to suit him, and he can always been found picking away at his mandolin and singing along with every song.</div>
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I met Tony years ago as he drummed at the Kismet School of Dance, here in Salt Lake. At the time, I never would have guessed that in a few years I would see him as one of the key members of a premier band in Salt Lake City. Leisl and Brian both tell me that without this man, Juana Ghani would not exist in it's current capacity as it does today. All I can say is thank goodness for his desire to find his bohemian roots once more.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What first got you into music?</div>
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<b>Tony</b>: Well I was young, I was eighteen. I started in a band called Station Identification. I think it was probably fun, and the friends. I played bass and guitar in a guys attic in upstate New York. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Are you from upstate New York?</div>
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<b>Tony:</b> No, no, I was going to college there. I'm originally from Colorado. Denver. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How did you get involved with Juana Ghani?</div>
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<b>Tony:</b> Leisl sang for an industrial rock band that I was in for the Arts Festival. That was in, I want to say, 2009. It was the band called No Blood to Spare, and we did belly dance drums and industrial guitar and synthesizers. She sang for us and then I posted something about how I had just gotten a mandolin and how I was channeling my bohemian ancestors through the mandolin. She told me to come and hear the songs Brian had, and so I went down to Riverton and that's how I got into the band. I love the songs Brian comes up with, I still do. That's probably one of the most amazing things about our band, is the songwriting he does.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What's your favorite part of working with them?</div>
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<b>Tony:</b> My favorite part, well, changes. I like recruiting other members. It started with just the three of us, and we were meeting all these talented and very diverse people these weird instruments. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know the accordion player and pulling him in. That, and learning the songs. It was my favorite thing at the beginning. The mandolin is not my native instrument, so learning the mandolin was a big part of it for awhile. Now, I think, vocals and the audience. The audience is, I mean, you've been to some of our shows. They're incredible. The belly dancers are great. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>So do you prefer the performing or the creation side of things?</div>
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<b>Tony:</b> Right now, most of what we do is performing. Brian kind of goes in cycles where he'll write a bunch of songs and we'll learn them. We'll kind of go into show phase then. We've got shows every week, and we played our first wedding, about a week ago. Who knew? Weddings could be fun! </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: It can't be your first wedding! </div>
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<b>Tony: </b>My own reception, that's right! So yes, it was our second wedding! </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> So do you ever get stage fright?</div>
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<b>Tony: </b>Not anymore. Not even a little bit. I think the nerve receptors for stage fright burned out a long time ago. I mean, I say that, and then watch, I'll panic one day. But I don't get stage fright at all anymore. I don't know why, but I don't. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How have you enjoyed your time in the arts community?</div>
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<b>Tony: </b>Oh it's amazing! I think it's kind of a well kept secret. Most people, when you say you're from Salt Lake, they think of Mormons riding in horse carriages or something. Or that we're stuck in the 1950's or something. Really, though, we have an amazing arts community here. Juana Ghani plugs into dancers, and a variety of performers and visual artists. It's amazing. and constantly surprising. People like you, people like Wallace, people like Fvorboda, and Yasamina. I never would have expected to meet them here. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>So what first attracted you to this group? </div>
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<b>Tony: </b>The songs. I was thinking about this coming over here. Brian has a way of writing songs that, as soon as I've learned them I feel like I've known them my whole life. It's very unconventional composition. Having played in lots and lots of bands, I've gotten used to conventional songs. I was kind of bored with the regular way of doing bands. The music is very original and challenging. But then, once you learn it, I feel like I've been playing it my whole life. It's a very natural feel. He's a very gifted songwriter. I'll be honest, I was ready to go down and meet this lady with purple hair and her husband and think, "Well, that's great, and they're nice people, but not all that musically interesting." I've been just on this wild ride ever since.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What's your biggest struggle?</div>
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<b>Tony: </b>When you add members to your band, the complexity of dealing with artistic visions, and also the logistics of getting everybody to the same show or on the same page, it goes up dramatically. With as many people as we have, there's a lot of organizing and logistics. If it's just you, or a duo, or a trio, it's very different from having to worry about groups. Don't get me wrong, we've got great people, but it's a natural human element that the more people you have, the more time you spend just organizing. Leisl and Brian do most of that, but it's a struggle for everyone. We've had a little bit of turnover in the band, and sometimes you feel like you're going back to square one and getting everyone on the same page. If you want to call it a struggle, then I guess it's a struggle, but it's more of a challenge everyone has to deal with. They're all great people, so the trade off is that you get to meet all these crazy people. I never thought I'd play with a saw player. That's the fun part.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What are your goals with music?</div>
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<b>Tony:</b> I seem to be on this journey away from mainstream pop, which is kind of where I started. The bands that I was in in New York were power pop and. not conventional rock, but more rock oriented. Really the only things that interest me are outside the mainstream now. So whether it's gypsy music, or whether it's African rhythms or world music in general, that's kind of my focus now. And trying to make stuff that doesn't sound like anything you've heard. Juana Ghani really fits that hole in my soul in regards to that. Weird is good.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Are the people you feel closest to supportive of what you're doing? </div>
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<b>Tony:</b> Yes! My wife plays the bass drum in the band, and my young kids scratch their heads sometimes. They're not really sure what's going on all the time, but they're generally supportive. I would say yes. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How involved are you in the process of writing songs? Brian was saying he would sort of start it and then hand it to everyone else to do their own thing. </div>
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<b>Tony:</b> Well, I get input on a couple of levels. I mean, I've never had Brian say, "Play this." I really get to write my mandolin parts. Leisl is sort of on the vocal arrangement end of things, and she'll hear a harmony, she's got a great ear for that. We've done songs with like, twelve different vocal tracks because she has all these ideas. She'll make suggestions too, but I feel like I can really do whatever I feel is appropriate to the song. It's very satisfying creatively. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> It's such a big sound that the band has, being as there are so many musicians and tracks going at any one time. Do you ever struggle to get something you want out there heard? </div>
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<b>Tony: </b>Absolutely. There's sound, and then there's sound. By that, I mean, there's the way it would sound in your imagination. That part, usually, I can imagine all the pieces working together and it's fine. But because a lot of the instruments that we work with are acoustic and a lot of the clubs we go into don't have really sophisticated sound engineering and equipment and such. It's a challenge of ours. I should probably go back to your question about struggles. That's definitely one of them. Just with that many instruments, and especially instruments that aren't easy to amplify like the saw, or some of the stuff that Bryan does with percussion that isn't easy to mic. We're on a crash course, right now, figuring out our sound stage so that you can hear it all! At practice, we can hear great. It's absolutely a big issue that a band this size faces and a band that uses acoustic instruments faces. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> If you weren't doing this and going in this direction, what do you think you'd be doing right now?</div>
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<b>Tony: </b>Well there's no question that I would be playing music. Even in spite of what I said about unconventional music, I have a big sort of funk, neo-soul sort of thing that I love to do. I love to play guitar in those kind of settings. Even though I like to play off of pop, and I'm in the phase now, there are some alternative pop sounds that intrigue me. It would probably be one of those. It all depends on the people. You find these creative directions and energies that have to do with who you're associating with. It'd probably be something like that. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What other arts have you tried? </div>
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<b>Tony:</b> Well, I'm a writer, for what that's worth. I do occasionally write poetry, and I find certain visual arts appealing, but I'm not very good at them. Brian and Leisl have a big theatrical streak, and our shows are a lot more than just listening to music. They're about watching all this crazy stuff happen onstage, and I've gotten more interested in play writing and such. </div>
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<b>Bryan: </b></div>
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A slender, tall man with long dark hair and big inquiring eyes, Bryan finds himself at the heart of a number of musical projects in the Salt Lake area. A true musicians musician, he has a passion for music that seems to find itself all over his life. Bryan is easily one of the smartest people I have met, and he uses this intelligence to master instruments and give life to a fantastically sharp wit. </div>
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For Juana Ghani, he can usually be found on some form of drum or another. This is no large surprise, as he also runs local doumbek group, Tabla Arabia, an all drummer group. Those that know Bryan describe him as a genuine human being. I can say that despite his quiet nature, he is one of the most performance oriented people I have come across, and Juana Ghani definitely seems lucky to have him.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What instrument(s) do you play?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan: </b>With Juana Ghani, I play Middle-Eastern percussion instruments,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">including the dumbek/darbuka (goblet-shaped hand drum), doholla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">(larger, deeper version of the darbuka), and riq (Egyptian</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">tambourine). For our past couple of gigs I've been playing my drum</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">set. We recently worked a new song (Mori Shej) into our set; for that</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">one, I play a tin whistle. I also play guitar, but not with Juana</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Ghani.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /><b>Kita:</b> When did you first start?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan:</b> I started learning percussion in 1997, and started playing a drum set</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">a few years after that.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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<b>Kita:</b> What got you to start?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan:</b> I was friends with Graeleaf, who taught percussion for Kismet at the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">time. I actually ended up renting the back room of his house for a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">while, so it was easy for me to join the classes he taught in his</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">living room on Saturdays.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /><b>Kita: </b>When did you join Juana Ghani?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan</b>: I joined them in 2011.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /><b>Kita:</b> What were the circumstances?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan:</b> Chris Futral was already a member at the time. He invited me to jam</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">with them at one of their rehearsals. Kelsey Covington (who later was</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">one of the producers of the Gypsy Cabaret shows) was also telling me I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">should check them out. So I showed up to a rehearsal one Saturday</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">afternoon, and after that, I just kept going back. I agreed that I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">would play whatever shows with them I could, but I couldn't guarantee</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">that I'd be at all of them because I was already part of other</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">projects. As it turns out, I've probably made it to more than 90% of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Juana Ghani's gigs.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><b>Kita:</b> What other projects have you been/are you currently involved in?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan:</b> I have an all-percussion ensemble called Tabla Arabía. That's</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Arabic for "Arabic drum". We started playing together in late 2006.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We usually play at belly dance shows, and we've opened up for Juana</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Ghani a couple times (at the Woodshed and at Bar Deluxe).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">- I first played with Kairo by Night in 2004 at Cafe Med; Raj and I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">were filling in for Angus and Bryce while they were out of town. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">officially became part of that group in 2006. We play a lot of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">popular Egyptian songs (arranged by our keyboardist Dave Weisenberg),</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">and Dave has written several original pieces.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">- Raj and Tarek have been playing as a duo for about 20 years at the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Living Traditions festival; I joined them, along with Adnan, to form a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">group called Bazeen in 2006.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">- I often play with Desert Wind when they have a gig that calls for</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">extra percussion. When they're not playing jazz or classic rock, they</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">play their own original Middle-Eastern-flavored compositions as well</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">as popular Jewish folk music with Arabic percussion. It's more</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hasidic than Klezmer.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">- I have several friends that rehearse together once or twice a week</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">and play backyard "concerts" every summer. We call ourselves the Red</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Eye Donnas, and I'm on lead vocals and guitar.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">- I also play my drum set with the house band at Keys on Main for</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">their "live karaoke" show every Wednesday.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<b><br />Kita:</b> As an artist, what have your biggest struggles been?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan: </b>Trying to collect instruments and other gear has probably been the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">greatest challenge because of finances. And finding a place to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">practice isn't easy; I hate to disturb my neighbors, so I don't often</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">play drums at home.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /><b>Kita</b>: Has working with Juana Ghani changed your interests in music at all? Expanded, perhaps?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan: </b>My tastes in music were already pretty broad, encompassing just about</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">everything from Mozart to Megadeth, as well as Arabic, Turkish and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Greek music. But I hadn't previously had much exposure to eastern</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">European influences. Through my friends in Juana Ghani, I was</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">introduced to the music of Gogol Bordello and Firewater.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /><b>Kita: </b>Do you typically prefer the process of rehearsing/learning/working on new stuff to performance or vice versa? Why?<br /><b><br /></b></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan</b>: I'd say I enjoy both about equally. I enjoy being part of a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">collaborative creative process with musicians who have a passion for</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">it. I like the idea that we're creating something nobody has ever</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">heard before (but they soon will). I also like to play music for a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">lively, energetic crowd of people who have a passion for that. It</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">feels pretty good when we can get everyone in the place on their feet.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /><b>Kita:</b> What were your goals when you first started in music? What are they now?<br /><b><br /></b></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan: </b>I very first started in music when I was in 7th grade. One of my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">elective classes was beginning band, where I decided that I wanted to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">play the baritone sax. (I was too small for that instrument at the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">time, so I started on the alto sax, and later switched to French Horn,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">though I haven't played either since 9th grade.) I suppose I band</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">class because music appealed to me more than any of the other choices</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">that were available to me. In December of that same year, my dad gave</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">me an Ovation guitar and an amplifier for Christmas, and signed me up</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">for lessons. I suppose I just wanted to make music, because it was a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">pretty big part of my life through the radio.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My goals now are simply to learn to play better, and pick up new</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">instruments like the bouzouki and bass guitar. I'd also like to write</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">songs; I've written some lyrics, but composing melodies has been a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">challenge for me.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><b>Kita</b>: When you first started learning music, could you have or would you have ever predicted this was where you'd be now?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan: </b>When I first started, I didn't know much at all. I knew there were</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">some songs on the radio that I liked, and I wanted to learn to play</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">them. My father had some friends who were musicians; when they were</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">guests in our home, they'd sometimes show me a thing or two that I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">could play on my guitar. But I had absolutely no clue that I'd ever</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">get into percussion. I had no idea that I'd settle down in Salt Lake</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">City. And I could never have predicted that I'd find a group like</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Juana Ghani here and become an integral part of it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /><b>Kita: </b>How does day-to-day life work with everything arts wise?<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Bryan:</b> Sometimes I feel that daily life is monotonous. Going to work at the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">same time every day, doing the same things, sitting in front of a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">computer for hours on end--it really does feel like a "daily grind".</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It wears me down, clouds my brain, quashes my creativity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">But I really can't complain, because it's not a bad job at all. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">work for a small local business who's not accountable to some</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">corporate headquarters; I work for someone who cares more about people</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">than the bottom line. And my employer is a big supporter of the local</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">music and art scene. The hours are pretty flexible when I need them</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">to be, which means my job has not interfered with my music projects</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">much at all; I've rarely had to miss a performance because of work.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">In that, I'm very fortunate, because music is the only thing in my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">life right now that keeps me (mostly) sane. It gets me out of my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">apartment when I'd otherwise just stay home alone.</span></div>
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<b>Chris:</b></div>
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A Georgia boy who found his way to Utah, Chris is one of the biggest personalities in the Juana Ghani family. A mop of curly brown hair, a pair of sunglasses, and a drum is all Chris seems to need for a good time. This is a man who likes to laugh, and boy does he. </div>
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An imaginative character with a fondness for pushing himself to his limits, musically speaking, Chris made himself a part of the performance in a way drummers seem to struggle with. He has a stage presence and a knack for finding himself getting so into the music, that his whole body seems to move with it. No matter where this wanderer finds himself, I suspect his was a soul made for the stage.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How did you first get involved in music?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> My uncle played drums from middle school on through college and then with an Air Force marching band. He introduced me to drums at around six or seven. I began taking band in middle school and lessons from various instructors. From then on, I was in band all the way through college and was in all of the concert, marching, jazz bands and pit bands that I could be in as a student. Then of course were the obligatory garage bands and house party bands ever since high school.</div>
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Kita: How did you then get into Juana Ghani?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> On Facebook I first became friends with Leisl, then after chatting with her there a bit and her and Brian seeing me with perform with a former band at the Utah Renaissance Festival... they invited me to audition and one thing led to another, and I've been here ever since.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How did you end up in SLC?</div>
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<b>Chris: </b>Moved out here with a friend from north Georgia and fell in love with the West and the SLC belly dance, burlesque and music scene. Now, with three kids here and lots of music and outdoor activities to keep me busy... I never see myself moving.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What were your goals when you started playing music?</div>
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<b>Chris: </b>Get better and better and have fun (and get chicks). </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Have they changed at all?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> Not really, but I do now realize that the ladies don't go for the drummer, so now it's just to get better and better and have fun.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What have your biggest struggles been as an artist?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> That the better I get, the more I realize how much more there is to learn. And the plateaus that go along with getting better. Sometimes I just seem to get stuck and can't seem to find anything to help me progress with my skills. Often, when this happens though, something new comes along to give me a nudge in the right direction to throw off my frustration. That is what happened when I started playing for belly dancers and then when I started playing with Juana Ghani.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How has being a part of Juana Ghani changed your perspective as a musician?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> Working with such a large group where there is still so much collaboration is new. I really enjoy that. And being able to imagine taking old world flavors and making them new and fresh. That has really helped me with the the belly dancers that I work with.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What other projects have you been/are you a part of?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> As I mentioned, I have been a part of innumerable middle school, high school and college bands, both in school and in garages and house parties and all ages venues. Until Juana Ghani came along I played with the gypsy band Yom al Had. I currently spend most of my time outside of Juana Ghani drumming for Kairo in her classes and on any stage we can find. She has really pushed me as a musician. Other girls that I have drummed for have been wonderfully talented, but we would often take the stage with little practice and just wing it. With Kairo, she has resorted to using a cd for a performance here and there, because a piece we had been working on just didn't come together... after hours of practice. So we would put off 'til another opportunity came along and it was more polished. That level of expectation has really added to every other project I have been a part of in the last few years. Otherwise, Juana Ghani keeps me very busy... which I love.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Do you typically prefer rehearsal/creation or performance?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> Juana Ghani practice is always fun. We all get along wonderfully. Brian and Leisl write most all of our songs. Brian puts together great demos of their ideas, that we get to listen to, and once we hear them we come to practice with your own contributions... and boom... most every time it becomes a part of the song. It is a great way to work, especially with such a large group of musicians.</div>
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Of course I prefer the stage more, but our live shows would not be nearly has fun without the practice time.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> What's been your favorite part of your experience with Juana Ghani?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> My amazing band mates. I am a much more disciplined musician for having been in their company these last few years. And how busy Mizz Leisl keeps us. She finds fun show after fun show for us. I haven't been this busy as a musician since I was in school. </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Do you ever get stage fright? How do you handle it if you do?</div>
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<b>Chris: </b>Not so much. Maybe a little when something totally new is going on... a new JG song, a new dancer I'm drumming for. I would also say that I come closest to stage fright at big belly dance events like Spring Fest, when I know the audience is full of real enthusiasts that know what is on and know what is off. Also when emceeing a burlesque show, it takes me a few minutes to get into my groove. In most any stage situation... I always seem settle into a groove and forget any nervousness.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How have you found the arts community in SLC? </div>
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<b>Chris:</b> Wonderfully diverse and wonderfully supportive. The Atlanta scene was too big to really get to know anyone, it was dog eat dog. It wasn't nearly as much fun. I like seeing other musicians and performers and rooting for them and know that most of them are rooting for me/us.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: How do you feel you and Juana Ghani have been received in SLC? </div>
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<b>Chris:</b> Couldn't have hoped for better. A very pleasant surprise.</div>
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<b>Kita:</b> Are there any new things you'd like to try as a musician?</div>
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<b>Chris:</b> Nothing immediately comes to mind. My plate is pretty full right now, between Juana Ghani and belly dance. I have a lot to learn to get better for both of those endeavors. </div>
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There's something to be said for having a signature look, as I'm sure most every musician can agree. Few have mastered the art of sticking out without ever losing a sharp and polished edge like Nick. With passions that seem to include drinking and mastering somewhat rare and obscure instruments, it's an absolute no-brainer that he should fit in with this crowd. </div>
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The accordion and the hurdy gurdy seem to be his weapons of choice, not to mention his Derby hat, a part of his aforementioned look. And really, could you have a band with the word "Gypsy" in their description without an accordion in there somewhere? </div>
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<b>Kita:</b> How did you first get into music?<div>
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<b>Nick</b>: I first started playing music in my teens; I was inspired by Bob Dylan to pick up the guitar and harmonica.<br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> How did you end up in Salt Lake?</div>
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<b>Nick</b>: I was born here in SLC, I have lived throughout the west, and went to school back east in Pennsylvania, then spent some time in the Bay Area in California. But Salt Lake is always home, and one of my favorite places in the country.<br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> How did you find yourself in Juana Ghani?</div>
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<b>Nick:</b> By accident, really. I had responded to a craigslist ad by the mandolin player, Tony, to play in a folk band he was putting together. That fell through, but he invited me to come out to a Juana Ghani rehearsal. The rest is history, I guess.<br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> What were your goals when you started playing music?</div>
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<b>Nick:</b> Just to have fun and learn a new instrument.<br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> How about now?<br /><br /><b>Nick</b>: It's about the same, I still like having fun and learning new instruments, but I have a strong pride in the performance aspect; I want to play my best and put on a good show. There's always more work to be done there.<br /><br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> What have been your biggest struggles as an artist?</div>
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<b>Nick</b>: Balancing playing music with the everyday is the biggest struggle, I think.<br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> How has being a part of Juana Ghani changed your perspective as a musician?<br /><br /><b>Nick:</b> It's definitely opened me up to different musical styles that I might not otherwise have been exposed to. Also the experience of having to work with so many musicians in one band is quite unique.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What other projects have you been/are you a part of?</div>
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<b>Nick</b>: I also play with Hectic Hobo, a wild west gypsy rock band. In addition, I occasionally perform with my Irish folk band, Bonnie Mad.<br /><br /><b>Kita: </b>Do you tend to prefer rehearsal/creation or performance?<br /><br /><b>Nick:</b> That's a hard one. I'm not sure I prefer one over the other; I love both the process of creating and the process of sharing it with others.<br /><br /><b>Kita: </b>What's been your favorite part of your whole experience with Juana Ghani?</div>
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<b>Nick:</b> The opportunity to perform and meet so many wonderful people.<br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> Do you ever get stage fright? If so, how do you deal with that?</div>
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<b>Nick:</b> I used to get stage fright pretty badly when I first started performing, but I don't anymore. I think it's just a matter of repetition; I've played so many shows now that it's not a big deal.</div>
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<br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> How have you found the arts community in SLC?</div>
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<b>Nick:</b> I think it is small but passionate. I think that if you work at it, you can find the right community that is willing to support and cheer you on in your artistic endeavors.<br /><br /><b>Kita:</b> How do feel you and Juana Ghani have been received in Salt Lake?<br /><br /><b>Nick: </b>I think the reception overall has been pretty positive; Juana Ghani is certainly different than the standard rock band, so it is exciting to see people open to listening to different styles of music.<br /><br /><b>Kita: </b>Are there any new things you'd like to try as a musician?</div>
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<b>Nick:</b> There are always new things I'm interested in; learning new instruments, playing music with new people, it's really just a matter of trying to find time for it all.</div>
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Check out Juana Ghani on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juanaghani.official?fref=ts</div>
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And their website: http://juanaghani.com/</div>
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Have anyone else you'd like us to chat with? Let us know with a comment below!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-6977635059817333422014-02-18T00:48:00.003-08:002014-02-18T00:48:57.871-08:00Kipper Brothers' Puppet Works<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3nabM6Mhypj8y8ZNrcCGGGOzQBm1iHcvD4owLWHC1UKWDyCYTocBb_qSUtHTKCNaCaVcQBYKciwe7nDcuTERvQ-xM8vMZG5kkYzDCDUKI1DFab85Je_xuWHf0QjH3Znimp-BECI9Vh4/s1600/kippers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3nabM6Mhypj8y8ZNrcCGGGOzQBm1iHcvD4owLWHC1UKWDyCYTocBb_qSUtHTKCNaCaVcQBYKciwe7nDcuTERvQ-xM8vMZG5kkYzDCDUKI1DFab85Je_xuWHf0QjH3Znimp-BECI9Vh4/s1600/kippers.jpg" height="314" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This week, I found myself in what is quickly becoming a familiar stomping ground- The Arts Hub by the Utah Arts Alliance. I was there for, of all things, a puppet show. Rather, I was there for their rehearsal. The Kipper Brothers’ Puppet Works is a Salt Lake local company, designing, building, and working with puppets. They are made up of Shelby, Eva, Bonnie, Madison, and Russell. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Perhaps one of the rarer art forms we’ve ever worked with here at Nomad Nouvelle, I had almost no concept of even how to begin an interview, and yet, as I sat and watched their rehearsal, I could see a vast range of art packed into one fantastic and funny show. Acting, writing, and sheer craftwork being amongst those skills included. A funny, intelligent, and charismatic group of people made stories come to life before me. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Their leader seems to be Shelby Rickart, a fearless amazon of a woman, tall and smiling, who tells me she’s only really been making puppets for about six years, excluding a few childhood projects. Still, six years seems to be all she’s needed, as the work is top brass. It’s a small field, and yet, she’s quickly taken her work into some of the strongest in the area. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUd-2y5VuDjyJQhaBUJlUni8S6BJDVUFZzYQHeXWiSheJ31gzpx_S1xK4U4ZhCq9d9YJLNz3srWKRaXBg9JFTilJRLUshgcASysZXFZb5Kyo_JVbP_tYVZaUSvQZ20rrfaWCH7V7jh-wc/s1600/Kipper2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUd-2y5VuDjyJQhaBUJlUni8S6BJDVUFZzYQHeXWiSheJ31gzpx_S1xK4U4ZhCq9d9YJLNz3srWKRaXBg9JFTilJRLUshgcASysZXFZb5Kyo_JVbP_tYVZaUSvQZ20rrfaWCH7V7jh-wc/s1600/Kipper2.jpg" height="320" width="280" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> So how long have you been doing all of this?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This has been going on for about two years, the Kipper Brothers’ Puppet Works, but I started making puppets when I was a little girl. I grew up with Cecil and Lamb Chop. But I didn’t really get into them much, and then about six years ago, I started making marionettes. I wanted to figure out how they worked. Then I wanted to make this puppet and that puppet, and eventually I thought, “Well, it may be fun to try and have a company.” I found this space, and the suddenly I had all these puppeteers and it just seemed like it was meant to be. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How did you find your puppeteers? It seems like it would be a small pool to pull from. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I just found one through an ad. The others just came to me through other things I was working on at the time. The universe said, “Yes, it needs to happen.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> How do you come up with your story lines?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Most of what we do right now is for kids. We started out doing “No Bully” puppets. There’s three “No Bully” shows. We have Monster School, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, and then we have a Zoo After Dark. Those are the very first ones that we did. Then we wanted to do some Halloween shows, so we have Georgie the Ghost, which was a story book that I had when I was a little kid. There’s also the The Witch Who Wasn’t, which was also a story book. There’s been some songs and funny things. We have a Christmas one, too. There’s Home Is Where The Ice Is. Sometimes you get a show from just thinking about a puppet and what you want to make. You can create a story around them. We want to do some bigger shows, and a more adult show, too. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1p77543b0nEv08HpcBxVxW4sG_wFYq4l-rzwxi6u0lU0RU-aOgPFw138Kg1Qd68e3BsopdcQt8d4fTaDrKY6KPcYc1H3BC0c1k_puwr6hMLPQG3NOH_S6uM3GKNsKGFai4qFkNQYCjM/s1600/Kipper3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1p77543b0nEv08HpcBxVxW4sG_wFYq4l-rzwxi6u0lU0RU-aOgPFw138Kg1Qd68e3BsopdcQt8d4fTaDrKY6KPcYc1H3BC0c1k_puwr6hMLPQG3NOH_S6uM3GKNsKGFai4qFkNQYCjM/s1600/Kipper3.jpg" height="320" width="299" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you started getting into puppetry, did you want to perform with it, or did that just kind of happen?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I thought I’d try it. There was a group that was together for a few shows about six years ago, and then it just kind of fell by the wayside. Then I retired from teaching, and I had the time to really put into it. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What have been your biggest struggles?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Sometimes a puppet is a struggle. Trying to make one. I think getting the word out that we’re here is one. We do shows at the library, and we’re busy, but I think we could be a little busier. Finding the right length for a show is another. If it’s too short, then the librarians get upset, but if it’s too long, you’ve lost the kids. Learning what’s a good formula for a show, and what they like or don’t like.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is your favorite part of all of this?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Making them. I love making them. I like writing the scripts, but making the puppets is my favorite. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsBcChw2mAGSocufGr63Hnzzu2Yh5rSZxsP8z_h6tkxqtO81seNO34KNPgRtxeyOXq-qrzwmQNT_gQcShUrV9w6aZk14fNwLpZJ9tBPzvZ5CrFjdfTN-w6HxmTp_IB8OSUhwf8snQ2CA/s1600/Kipper4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsBcChw2mAGSocufGr63Hnzzu2Yh5rSZxsP8z_h6tkxqtO81seNO34KNPgRtxeyOXq-qrzwmQNT_gQcShUrV9w6aZk14fNwLpZJ9tBPzvZ5CrFjdfTN-w6HxmTp_IB8OSUhwf8snQ2CA/s1600/Kipper4.jpg" height="320" width="292" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Do you find that you enjoy the arts scene here?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes! I love being here. I just got hooked up with the Urban Arts Gallery to sell puppets, and it’s great. It’s really nice to be here, and the whole atmosphere of the Arts Hub is creative. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you find that your particular brand of art gets respected?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Yes. People like puppets. I think sometimes they think puppets are for just kids, but there’s more to it than that. Last summer, I went to a puppet convention back in Philadelphia, and very few of the shows were kid oriented. They were more for adults, and the things they were doing were awesome. The lighting and the kinds of puppets they were using. It was just, “Wow!” I think you have to get away from the idea that this is just for little kids, but you really have to build an audience for it. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Do you ever get stage fright?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Less than when I’m not behind the stage! I get nervous if we have not super well rehearsed. That’s happened, but a lot of it is improv. We have the script on a tablet, but then, if you get away from the script, it’s okay. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Is it hard to be in a scripted show?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t think so. I think the scripts work. Some of us are more dependant on the script than others, but that’s okay. Once we’ve done a show about three times, we can kind of do it away from the script more. It’s a little easier then. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> From the beginning concept that you might have in your head, to the finished puppet, what goes into making it?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shelby:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It depends on the puppet. There’s ones that are basically just on a stick. That’s pretty easy. For something a little more complex, you have to start with the mouth and construct everything around that. I don’t always know what I’m going to end up with. So it really depends on the puppet. You have to think about how it’s going to be operated. It’s all logistics. Sometimes you’ve got a puppet in one hand and a prop on the other. It’s all about who’s doing what. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To get more info on this great company, check their website here: </span><a href="http://kipperpuppets.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://kipperpuppets.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Call 8015544257 to book a show, or email </span><a href="mailto:Kipperpuppets@yahoo.com" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kipperpuppets@yahoo.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-66413412485112874752014-02-13T21:39:00.000-08:002014-02-13T21:39:03.716-08:00Nomad Special Edition: Juana Ghani, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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<b>Juana Ghani </b>has quickly become a Salt Lake City favorite. Shows are a weekly, if not more regular thing for them, and it's not hard to see why. A little bit ragamuffin, gypsy, punk, and always a party, they seem to have an energy that doesn't quit. And it's not like any concert you've ever been to before.<br />
Belly dancers, burlesque artists, fire performers, and ten colorful musicians take over any stage, dancing, singing, and inviting you to be a part of that crazy mix. In a notoriously quiet and aloof town, they've managed to make themselves a splash of fun that everyone jumps into. Bars and restaurants are packed to the point of having people line up down the streets, and dancing outside the restaurants until the early hours of the morning.<br />
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Read on to see part of what this crazy bunch mix. This week, we present Leisl, Brian, Byron, Jeff, and Jennifer. Next week, keep your eyes peeled for Tiffin, Chris, Nic, Tnny, Bryan, and Tanya. And don't forget the ouzo!<br />
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<b>Leisl & Brian: </b><br />
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Brian and Leisl are the kind of people who stick out in any situation. We met them in a crowded coffee shop on a stormy, thundering night. People were chatting loudly, and there was plenty going on, but as soon as they walked in, all eyes were diverted straight to them. And it suits them. Easily, they ordered and hugged us warmly, before jumping straight into the crazy stories we've shared below. </div>
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Leisl has a warmth to her that seems to find itself in everything she does. In a way, she has adopted a wise woman stance, a mix of otherworldly evoker and maternal healer, and a healthy dash of arts savvy. Combine it with her theater background and natural managing abilities, not to mention that killer haunting voice that tears through the air like lightning, and you've got the perfect headwoman for Juana Ghani. The purple hair definitely adds a spice to the flavor, though. </div>
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On the other side of the Bonnell coin, is Brian, the man whose very appearance reminds me of swashbuckling pirates and back alley rogues. He's constantly full of fantastic stories, and his brain seems to work a million miles an hour, always creating, always performing. Yet he's always kind, and easy to approach, and one can easily see the camaraderie he's developed with not just his fellow musicians, but the entire audience. </div>
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If it weren't for this couple, who I can call nothing short of a power couple, Juana Ghani, one of the premier bands of the Salt Lake Valley would not exist. On top of this, one of the most unique, loving, and outrageous couples would be sorely missed. So thank goodness for these two and their combined genius. Most of the musicians we interview know of them and speak very highly of them. The world is definitely a brighter place for having them.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> What inspired you to create a band?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl</b>: It was his idea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> I played music for (coughing fit) number of years. I’ve done it here, I’ve done it out of the state and so it’s just kind of been a part of who I am and what I do. We didn’t really set out to start this band, it started us, more than anything else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> How does that work?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>I got turned onto a lot of different music from what I had traditionally listened to for most of my life. Stuff like Tom Waits; he was one of the big people that really changed my point of view. I was playing in more rock and roll, heavy metal types of bands. I was just really yearning for something different. I’d rather just not play anything at all, then continue with what I was playing. So we messed around with some stuff, we did a production of the Rocky Mountain Horror Show, but it wasn’t a rock band. We put together the production with about fifteen actors, and we were a live band, and we did the whole show, with dialogue and costumes, and everything. It was really exciting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> And we took it into bars, so it wasn’t a theatrical production, which is what I was used to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> So we played at Club Vegas, and it was just such an exhilarating experience, to be playing something that wasn’t just a rock and roll band. There was the visuals, the theater, the really cool music, the fun, kitchy story. So we did that for a year, and that kind of planted the bug of wanting to do something that was still just different from what we had done before. In the mean time, finding bands like Tom Waits, and discovering Gogol Bordello, Fire Water, I so fell in love with this music. I would listen to it nonstop. I immersed myself in it, this kind of European, thoughtful, life music. A short time after that, I had put together a studio in my basement. I hadn’t been writing songs in a couple of years. After immersing myself in this style of music so deeply, when I started writing songs, that was just what was coming out. I would write songs without trying to conform to anything. You know, if the song ended up being twenty minutes long, that was fine. If it had bagpipes in it, that was fine. Just whatever, there was no limitation to this. Whatever the rhythm might want to be, whatever the ethnicity might want to be, just whatever it wanted to do. Then I would just record this stuff, and kept writing this stuff. This music just came out. I wasn’t necessarily searching for it, more than it found me. I was just lucky enough to capture it and record it, more than being responsible for writing it. It was like catching a shooting star as it came by. And it just evolved from there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> From that point, how long did it take to solidify into being a band?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>That kind of grew organically. During all of this, while he was doing that, I’d left theater. I’d been acting for years and decided that it wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore. I was losing track of who I was, because I was so busy playing all of these other people. And then I ended up having foot surgery that laid me up for awhile. So we took advantage of the percocet. Not that, he was taking it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> That you knew of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>He was taking advantage of me being on the percocet. He started bringing me these things and I started writing lyrics to these things, out in this unfiltered phase. So all of that was coming in. So we decided to start bringing in some guest musicians to help create it. I’d been doing some guest vocals with No Blood to Spare, and that’s when I met Tony. We talked to him first. We’d been at rehearsal for No Blood to Spare, and he mentioned something while he was playing his mandolin, that he felt like his was channeling his bohemian ancestors. It was, “Oh! Why don’t you come over sometime?” So he was the first. He came in, and then he found Nick through a craigslist ad, and brought him in. And then things just started kind of growing out from there. So what started out as just a diversion grew into this huge sized family that we’ve got now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>Stepping back from that a little bit, when we first started putting it together, I’d spend a month or so on a song. I didn’t try to do anything, I wasn’t limited by a budget or a schedule. I wasn’t limited by band members, I wasn’t limited by anything except whatever it was that I felt at the time. And so, I was able to spend a lot of time on these songs initially. So we’d finish them up, and I’d find a little piece of artwork to go with it. It was just like a pebble into a lake, throwing it out into the land of the internet. We passed it around to a few friends, a kind of, “Hey, look what we’re doing,” kind of a thing. And I guess she sent it to some podcast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> Big Town in England was the one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> And we suddenly started getting contacts from people in England that were starting to give us a lot of feedback about these songs that weren’t anything other than our wine soaked imaginations. We started getting a lot more information and even some reviews on some of the stuff. It started to turn around to where people were asking us when we were going to be playing. And it was two of us. I was playing all the instruments, and she was singing. But more and more we were getting asked, “When are you guys going to be playing?” We thought, “I guess we should get a band together for this kind of thing.” So it really was something that came without us, that pulled us into it more than we were searching to make it happen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> So how did you come by the name of Juana Ghani?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> Well I was a merchant marine back in the forties, and I traveled through Singapore and Taiwan, and ya know, through one of these drunken nights of looking at the moon and wondering when I’d ever see home again, this gypsy fortune teller came across and was just mentioning this name over and over and over. I ran into her, and it knocked me back, and I stepped on this rat that was about as big as a cat. It was amazing, it had this big tail that someone had cut off right at the very end, and it was just disgusting. This rat took off, and dogs chased after it, and I was just coming down off this tequila and heroin hangover, and all I could think was, “Juana Ghani, Juana Ghani, what did she mean?” From then on, it was just stuck in my head. So then I got back into the states, and it just stuck with me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> Did you just make that up on the spot?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>Yes! That was so much better than what I had. It’s our new official story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>Okay! Or there could be more about that time we were caught in the brothels in Czechoslovakia. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> We don’t talk about me getting caught in the brothels in Czechoslovakia anymore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>Madame Ghani.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> Do we have to worry about Interpol knocking down the door?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl</b>: Not for that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> How do you decide what songs to play overall?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian</b>: Again, they kind of come to us. You know, I can’t really sit down and write a song. It’s more that it keeps me up at night and keeps playing in my head until I’m forced to go and do something with it. So the songs have come to us that way too. It’s not really a conscious decision about what to do. As far as the writing goes. There’s a few traditionals we like to do. We’ve come across that in various ways. Movie soundtracks sometimes have these surprising little songs in them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>Following links in Cyrillic on Youtube. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> Yeah, going down the Youtube rabbit hole and just looking at bands you really like, and who they like. Discovering that stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>That’s how we get the traditionals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> And the more we found this Eastern European, Russian, Gypsy, Italian kind of sound, the more we started looking for that. We discovered some really cool songs, songs that had been around for a hundred years. Some people know them, most people don’t know them, but you know them even though you don’t know them, if that makes sense. Something just resonates with you. And those are the kind of songs we are attracted to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> And then to put the set list together, we like to take all of these and find different ways to weave them together to tell a story. A lot of them have a similar theme that are really just different levels about either the descent into insanity or the rise out of insanity, hope for the future, escape, there’s a lot of anarchy in it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> I’ve noticed you kill a lot of ladies off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> We did kill a lot of people, but it’s not always meant to be a lot of killing. A lot of it is hypothetical, a lot of it is metaphorical. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>There is a lot of death, and madness, and suicide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> If you take “The Incredible Sadness of Sonja”, on the surface, it’s all about that descent into extreme depression that ends up ultimately in her suicide. If you get into it metaphorically, it’s about the death of wisdom, true wisdom, through obtaining too much knowledge. You go to school and you learn and learn and learn, and you’re feeding yourself with all of this stuff that you’re getting in the media, and all of this knowledge that you’re putting into your head, and you forget what your true wisdom is, and where the true answers really are. And that’s what that song is really about. We’ve had a lot of people who say, “Oh that’s about me!” No, it’s really not. It’s the death of wisdom, intuition, because of gaining too much knowledge. So nothing is ever what it seems. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>Since you guys are in charge, what is it like to manage so many people? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>The phrase, “Herding cats,” comes to mind. It gets really challenging to try and coordinate that many people who have that many external lives and that many other obligations and try to bring them all together, and then to go out and pull all the dancers into it too, and the other artists. It gets tricky. It’s worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> It’s a constant evolution in communication. You know, things work for awhile, and then they don’t work at all, and then sometimes they’re just extremely frustrating. When it’s clicking, it’ll work extremely well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> Does the music and everything else you’re doing bleed over into your day-to-day lives?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>Kind of the other way around, for me. The every day life leaks into the music. We’ve got some new songs that are really quite autobiographical, at their core. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian</b>: It really becomes an outlet of reality, more than the other way around. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> When you run a band, there’s certain business aspects you have to do. How does the business part work with the music?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> I stay away from it and let her do it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>We try to find new and unique things to throw out there. Anybody can have a tee shirt, but who writes a book? So he wrote a book that goes along with our CD and the music. The shot glasses… We like to do shots. So it makes sense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> We are a drinking band, so a lot of lyrics and merchandise are sort of centered around that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> As far as the general business, like booking and everything, I’m a Capricorn, so it makes sense. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> It’s been kind of a learning process. When we first started, we had this opportunity from this wonderful purple haired belly dancer who was doing this charity show, that kind of gave us our first break into this scene. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>Yeah, do you remember what her name was? She was really cute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> So she really did a tremendous amount for getting us in, and once she did that, and people started getting to know us and we started getting to know them, they gave us a little bit more behind us to be able to go to different clubs and venues. It’s daunting to go to a club and say, “We want to come play, and we have fourteen members in our band, and we have five dancers, or more, and you’ve never heard us before, and we don’t do rock and roll, but you want to book us.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> But we promise we don’t suck!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>Like I said, with the belly dance community who raised us so much, it did everything for us as far as giving us the option to play and become what we’ve been able to become. We owe a lot to that community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>When you started, you said it was pretty vague as far as goals might go, but what about now? What would your goals now be?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>I still want to play with Gogol Bordello. I still want to play at Zygette Festival, in Hungary, in the Roma tent. Personally, I want to sing with Annie Cobatch someday. And Romano Drom, I love his voice. But with the band, really, I just want it to stay fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>I would say, from my experience, that you guys are pretty well known these days. So did you guys expect or could you ever have predicted how far you’ve come?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> No, I didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>Especially where we never knew the objective when we were just starting out. It’s been really wonderful. I feel incredibly lucky and honored to be here, to have people know and recognize what we’ve done. It’s really cool, but it’s really hard to explain. Someone had told us they used one of our songs and choreographed a dance to it. What could be more amazing than that? I was so honored. I didn’t find out about till afterwards, but the fact that someone had done that was just so touching. I never would have imagined anything like this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>So you credit a large part of what you’re doing to the belly dance community, but what about the larger arts community? How have they been?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> I think they’ve been absolutely wonderful. We’ve got a show coming up in Ogden, next week, that we’ve got an artist from Salt Lake that will be coming up, and she will be painting live, there, while we are performing, and then she’ll be giving her painting away by the end of the night. The whole thing will be inspired by the energy of the night. So being embraced that way. And being embraced by the whole burner community on top of it. They’ve been absolutely wonderful too. I have nothing bad to say about any of it. It’s all so open and heartfelt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> That’s the thing that’s been really neat with this music and this community. Before having done this, I would have known nothing about something like this existing, or maybe just heard little snippets here and there. The whole artistic community, whether it’s dancers, or other performers, musicians and other artists…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>We still need to get a chef to come in and cook live while we’re performing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> It’s just been phenomenal. How many incredibly wonderfully talented and generous people are in this community. I’m just so proud to even be a small pocket of any of this. The passion that happens here is amazing. It used to be that Salt Lake was kind of a joke to the world, that we were kind of locked away in a little dark corner that never knew anything until the rest of the world had gone by for five or six years. And there’s some really cutting edge art in modeling, and fashion, and music that’s happening here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl</b>: It’s almost like the rest of the world is catching up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>Yes! We’ve caught up to the rest of the world, and I really see that this city is going to become known for something very soon. You know, there was the grunge in Seattle, the metal in L.A., I do feel that this town is going to create something. Whether it’s music, or art, or performance, I don’t know. But there’s so many talented people here. I’m blown away by what this town has to offer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> What, for both of you, is your favorite part of what you’re doing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>Tea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> The ouzo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>Yes, the ouzo is amazing. Vodka. I do like vodka. There’s really good vodka up in Ogden. The Five Wives vodka is my favorite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> So out of everything we do, the funnest thing we have to offer is the drinking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> Yeah, no. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>No.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> Seriously, I like that he’s pushed me into writing. I’d never written a song before. I wrote poetry when I was really young. I would write it and hide it under the bed so that nobody would ever read it. But he’s pushed me to doing that, so finding out that I do have these words and these expressions in me and that people like them! People relate to them. I have people come up to me and hug me and say that! I start bawling. I’m such a cry baby. So I’m the one crying at them, “Oh thank you, thank you!” It’s just really kind of sad and embarrassing sometimes. I like that challenge and that discovery that I had that in me. I had no idea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> Just being able to make a difference is neat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>The random hugs in the produce aisle at the grocery store are kind of fun too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>I wanted to talk to you guys about that. So you have gotten recognition like that?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> Yep! And always when I’m looking my absolute worst. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>Yeah, it’s in the weirdest places. The museum of natural arts, up at the U, we’ll run into someone. We walk into Settebello’s and the hostess there knows us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>The checker at Harmon’s. He had to drag me up and down and introduce me to all of the other checker’s. It’s kind of weird. It’s cool, but it’s weird. And [Brian's] mom says, “I can’t take you anywhere! You and your purple hair!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>Yeah, the purple hair helps. Even if nothing else is memorable, the purple hair tends to stand out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> You can relate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>So, you both mentioned that you were pretty much done with your other work before this happened. So if Juana Ghani had never come to be, and you had never stepped on the rat without the tail, what would you guys be doing right now, do you think?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> Cooking. Cleaning. Laundry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> I’d probably still be playing. I always have, so I don’t see that ever changing. Maybe the level of playing may not be as much. Maybe it would be more. It’s hard to say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> Honestly, I may have been sucked back in to theater, but I don’t know that I’d be happy there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>Do you guys get nervous on stage?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>No, not really. I get excited. But nervous? No. At first, we did a little bit, because some of the bands we played with. It made me a little nervous that way. When we first started playing, we were playing with a band called La Decollatage, and they’re just amazing. The players, and the band itself was very cutting edge. And I kind of placed them up on a pedestal a little bit, since I really admired them and the music they played. So playing a show with them, I might get a little bit nervous, but not so much nervous to play, but just that I would play well enough that people I admire would not think I was a bozo. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita:</b> So what all goes into an average performance for you guys?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>Well, you know, it starts with making the contact with the venue or having the venue make the contact with me, which oddly happens more often than not. Then checking with everyone for availability, making sure we’ve got enough of the band that’s able to go and do the show, then confirm the date, negotiate the fees for it. Then lining up the dancers, putting together the set lists, and sometimes just putting together a simple forty-five minute set list can take me days to get it just how I want it to be. Then we get together with the band, and play the, “Oh let’s change this, and substitute this song for that one,” game, and then figure out who’s dancing to what. And then reconfirming with the venue, make sure everyone’s still on board, set up the times to come do the load ins, the sound check, set up all of that. It takes me two hours to get ready between hair and make up, and twenty minutes of putting on jewelry. And the other five minutes to get all the skirts in the car. Then we get there and do the load in and set up, do the sound check, and it takes hours just to do one set. And then after all of that, you’ve gotta tear down, load up, and go do the schmoozing and the dancing, and have fun. And all the drinking. And that’s the hardest part.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>There’s that side of it. There’s also the more artistic side of it. You’ve got shows that are just strictly bar shows. And then there’s other shows, bigger festival shows, and bigger event shows that we’ve got to put together, and we always think we want to do more than we’re actually able to do. It’s frustrating, because there’s decorations, and art work, and banners. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl:</b> And all the PR!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian: </b>And trying to choreograph everything that’s happening onstage with what the dancers are doing. I have all of these ideas, and never have enough time to pull them all together. But pulling together the band to act as an organic unit onstage, and to have that play around the dancers that are there. I’ve always liked to have dancers come onto the stage and interact with the band on the stage. So there’s a lot of thought that goes into that. What the audience members might look up and see. We’ve always wanted it to be more than just a bunch of people standing up onstage making music. We’ve always wanted it to be more of an event, or a happening. Something that’s a feast for your eyes, and your ears, a real feast for your sensations. It’s bigger than just music. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>So what’s the recording process like?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl: </b>That was another first for me. So I think it’s really cool. I don’t know any of the technical stuff. They just sit me in front of a microphone and say, “Now, sing.” So we record that, and then they say, “Now, harmonies!” And then I make up harmonies. I find myself now, because of that experience, everything is coming at me in harmonies. Conversations can be five or six part harmonies with little counter melodies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> Recording is a fairly big part of what we do. In previous bands, we would all just sit in one room, and someone would throw out an idea. And then someone else would add in, and then someone else would, and it all became this collaboration, which was great. But I always struggled with it, because I could never enunciate my ideas well enough before the people around me would get tired of trying to understand what I was saying and would go on with it. So when I write music now, I start out by recording it. I can get a groove going, try something out, and if I don’t like it, I can go back and delete it and try something else. Different instruments, or different rhythms, and basically, I’ll record a demo of just me doing it, and then that gives her a chance to just write the lyrics and the melodies. And when we do that, it’s time for a presentation for the whole band. So it’s a song, but it doesn’t have everyone else’s flavors present in it yet. So once that goes out there, the rest of the band just fills their parts in there, and that creates what we play. So there’s that aspect to recording. And then the actual recording of a CD, which is pretty much the same, except everybody is already doing their own parts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leisl</b>: And we really already have all that figured out by then.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> It’s a fun experience, because you really get to hear what you’re doing. When you’re playing live, you get to hear less than half of what it is that anybody does. And so, being able to record is getting to listen and say, “Oh wow, you do that? I really need to pay more attention!” And then it’s just little technical things, like the mixing and mastering. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>So do you find that it affects the writing at all, knowing that you have so many other people who have to be added in?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brian:</b> No, not really. It’s just everyone has their crayon in the box, and you put the picture out on the table, and everyone gets to color it the way they see it should be. </span></div>
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A wiry man with a mischievous smile, Byron definitely has perhaps the most interesting instrument I've ever come across. The saw. Yes, an actual saw, that he draws a stringed bow across. The sound is haunting, different, and gets the hairs on the back of your neck standing straight up. Normally, you might be inclined to think this is a bad thing, but somehow, the genius that belongs both to Byron and Juana Ghani makes this work.<br />
He is quiet at first, but there's definitely a spark in his eye, and you know that he is every bit the mad artist he is onstage. Don't make the mistake of assuming him to be one-note, either. He can switch up instruments without so much as a batting of the eyelash. Like many artists, he tells us that his obsession is a lifelong one, and we certainly hope that it doesn't end anytime soon.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Kita: </b>How did you first get into music?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Byron: </b>I can't really think of a time when I wasn't into music. I recall buying my first album when I was around 10. It was 'revolver' by the Beatles. In middle school I started out on trumpet because my uncle still had his from school and let me borrow it. I did not last long and moved to percussion which I played until I graduated high school. My first band was in high school with my cousin Nathan and my good friend Fezma. We played bluesy vampire rock and covered the Doors, Leonard Cohen and mostly originals.<br /></span><div class="im" style="color: #500050;">
<b>Kita: </b>How did you end up in Salt Lake?</div>
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<b>Byron: </b>I was going to school in Cedar City at SUU where I was in a folk band for awhile and decided if I wanted to play music I needed to move to a bigger city.<br /></span><div class="im" style="color: #500050;">
<b>Kita: </b>How did you find yourself in Juana Ghani?<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b>Byron: </b>I don't recall if my band was playing a show or I was just invited by Wallace (a good friend of mine whom I have been in many bands with) but I ended up on stage and really had a great time. After that I just kept showing up until they got used to me. :)<br /><br /><b>Kita: </b>What were your goals when you started playing music? How about now?</div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Byron: </b>One of my goals was to always be playing music or at least always be in a band. I enjoy playing music at home by myself but ultimately I think music/art is a communication or conversation that shouts itself from our creative core. It's those beautiful moments when you find yourself in that conversation surrounded by musicians, dancers and a crowd of listeners that I live for. I find now that if I don't play music I start to tip into a bit of unhealthy madness. I much prefer the healthy music madness.</span></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What have been your biggest struggles as an artist?<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Byron: </b>One of my struggles is also what I consider a huge strength of mine. I have Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. This makes it very hard for me to learn read and follow written music. I would always get down on myself because I could see other students around me be able to do it much quicker and easier than I could. Once I realized that being able to write/read music had absolutely NOTHING to do with MUSIC itself and was only a technology for recording/reproducing sound, I suddenly felt free to call myself a musician and I have tried to learn as many instruments as I can. I am lucky I live in a time where I don't need paper to save all the great musical conversation that I have been lucky to have.<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Kita: </b>How has being a part of Juana Ghani changed your perspective as a musician?<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Byron:</b>I don't think that being in JG has changed my perspective musically. But It is wonderful to play with so many talented souls that look at music as a communal experience. I have always loved folk/world group music and it is a really joy to play with all of them.</span></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What other projects have you been/are you a part of?</div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Byron: </b>Currently JG is my only really active project other than Bonnie Mad which is an Irish Rebel Folk band that plays every march for a few shows. I always have a few solo things I like to work on and post online but rarely play live with them. I have been lucky to be apart of some really great projects. Muses of Bedlam, QstandsforQ, </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.600000381469727px; text-indent: 2px; white-space: nowrap;">La Décollatage, Thy Opiate Eye, Ashes of Fall, and a few others.</span></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you tend to prefer rehearsal/creation or performance?<span style="color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.600000381469727px; text-indent: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Byron: </b>Hands down performance. But to me performance is just as much if not much more creative than rehearsal. I enjoy being thrown in to the sea of music and finding a great place in the storm to make a stand. I love band practice but I would rather just be on stage.</span></div>
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<b>Kita :</b>What's been your favourite part of your whole experience with Juana Ghani?<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b>Byron: </b>The friendship.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you ever get stage fright? If so, how do you deal with that?</div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Byron: </b>I don't get stage fright but if I know I am going to be playing a show I can feel something building in me all day long. I try to make sure I have prepared all my equipment and such before it builds too big because I know that the closer I get to the show the more intense I am going to feel inside. Then I tend to forget things and get distracted by the wonderful storm breaking and howling in my body. Also for my day job I work specifically with clients concerning Phobias, PTSD, and trauma using E.F.T (emotional freedom techniques) so I find myself well prepared for any fright that might show up. :)</span></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How have you found the arts community in SLC?</div>
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<b>Byron: </b>The musicians and artists I know in SLC are some of the kindest and most genuine people I have ever had the pleasure to associate with. We are all really lucky to be surrounded by not only talent but character as well. My only wish is that the community did not seem so segmented. I really think if we could find ways to get all the separate communities to get together we would have quite a wonderful revolution. </div>
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<br /><b>Kita: </b>How do feel you and Juana Ghani have been received in Salt Lake?</div>
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<b>Byron: </b>Really well. JG is not what most people listen to in the car. I often hear people say we are unlike anything they have heard before and that thrills me. Where ever we play music no matter if it is in the park, on the street, in the bar, people dance. I think that's important.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br /><b>Kita: </b>Are there any new things you'd like to try as a musician?<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Byron: </b>I would love to tour and have these musical conversations with every corner of the Earth. :)</span></div>
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The newest member of Juana Ghani has only been a part of their fold for a few weeks, but immediately seems to have settled himself into the band with ease. In general, that's how Jeff seems to be, fitting in wherever he wants to easily. With a friendly, happy nature, it's no wonder at all. With a long background in music, his finding his way to Salt Lake seemed to be a strict matter of luck, but whose luck is hard to say, considering the gem that has been found for our favorite gypsy punk band.<br />
An easy smile, long brown dreadlocks, and a set of drums seems to be all he needs in life. When you meet him, you immediately recall images and ideas of troubadours and wandering artists, and according to him, that's not so far off from his own background.<br />
Happily, everyone else in the group seems to speak highly of him, and he of them, so I'm wagering he's here to stay. Check out upcoming Juana Ghani shows to catch him!<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So how did you first get into music?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>I used to hit my schoolbooks, probably in the sixth grade. I put my text books on my brothers bed and some drumsticks and just went crazy. My parents were super anal and constricting about what we could listen to. They would ban certain radio stations and break CD's, so me and my brothers had to fucking fight for our right to listen to cool music. I think it was fighting against what I was told I couldn't listen to that made me love it even more. Punk music was one of the first types of music that I really grew to love and relate with. So maybe rebellion was what really got me into music.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So did that transform into taking classes?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>For the first ten years, I just jammed in the garage with my buddies or along to CD's, so I was all self taught. And then I started getting some musical opportunities which I realized called on me to know more, and display more technique and finesse, so I realized I needed to become more academic, and take a different approach. So about five years ago, I did start taking classes, college courses in drumming. The whole time I've lived in Salt Lake, I've been taking from Lynn Brown at Salt Lake Community College.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How did you end up in Salt Lake?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>Well, I was living in South Dakota, for about three years, just playing in a band and traveling around. That band kind of broke up and stopped making money, so I was broke. I wound up in Salt Lake kind of randomly. My family lives in Southern Idaho, but my car was broken down, and I needed some place that had public transportation, so it was the closest big city with a train.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> So then how did you find Juana Ghani?<br />
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<b>Jeff:</b> Again, kind of randomly. I've been playing in bands since I moved here, just jumping around and trying to meet the right people and find good opportunities, and I had just quit a reggae band that I'd been playing with for about a year, and needed to keep myself busy. I actually ran into a post that Brian had made on this Facebook group, Utah Musicians, asking for drummers to play a lot. That post had been responded to a bunch of times, I had been drinking a few beers, and decided to say, "Yeah, I can play!" Brian hit me up and started asking me about what kind of music I was into and my influences, and it worked out really well.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So as you said, when you started, you were largely rebelling against the restrictions on you, but when you started playing in bands and such, what were your goals then?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>First, my goals were just to never sell out. It was all about the purity of music. That's part of the reason I didn't take an academic approach for so long. A lot of musicians are in the mind frame that their music won't be as pure if it's influenced by text books and studying classical pieces and learning the way that other people have done it. And in some cases, that's true. There's a lot of pure, soulful music out there made by people that can't read a lick of music. Les Claypool doesn't read music, Jimi Hendrix doesn't read music, or didn't read music. My goals were to be fucking pure punk rock, just all music.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Have they changed since then?<br />
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<b>Jeff:</b> Yes, absolutely. My goals now are to make money playing music.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How did the people you're closest to in your life respond to your choice?<br />
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<b>Jeff:</b> There's been mixed responses. My family has been really supportive the whole time. Super supportive. My parents have been really cool about me playing in bands, not making any money, but doing what I love to do. And some people have definitely shied away. They've seen it as something that's not as stable, which is about the same reaction that any artists get. Some people really love and respect that path, and some people think it's foolish.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> So what have been your biggest struggles?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>Probably finding steady, paying work. It's been good sometimes. I've definitely made some money playing drums. It's hard to balance the need to make money with the need to just make art with good people. Sometimes those things just don't coincide. One really cool thing about Juana Ghani is that they are successful without having to be assholes. One thing I've learned from being in the music business is that it's a business. Sometimes dicks get on top. And you do need that business sense, and it's capitalism. In this country, music is as capitalistic as everything else, so that's probably been my biggest struggle. Balancing the music and the art of music and working with great people, but also, doing it in a competitive way and a way that gets you noticed. At least to get some free drinks or something.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How has your perspective changed since starting doing music?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>That's a vast question. My entire universe is different because of music. Better. In every way. Music is a universe unto itself. It's like eating mushrooms, and you can do it every day.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> Being in a band, do you prefer sitting in the basement or wherever they practice, and practicing, or do you prefer being on stage?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>Well those are two different jobs, and they require two different sets of skills to be successful in those two areas. And they're both really important. I like them both equally. There is something beautiful about woodshedding it, just sitting down with your instrument and just sweating it. Putting those hours in and learning to read music. There's beauty in that. But in some ways, that's kind of sterile. I don't think people would really enjoy sitting and watching that process happen, because it's not exciting and it's not fucking glamorous. But there's beauty in it for sure. The other side is a whole different set of skills, being able to be onstage and being able to communicate with the other musicians on the spot, and being able to make it a performance. That's also beautiful and fun, and as a musician, I think it's important to hone both sets of skills. You can overpractice something, but you can definitely under practice too.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So what's your favorite part of being in Juana Ghani?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>Oh, there's a lot of my favorite parts. I love the communal aspect of the music. Not just the fact that there's a lot of people involved in the music, all the dancers and ten musicians, but the whole vibe of the songs, the themes, the lyrics and the melodies. They all really lend themselves to music that can be created to music being created by a whole community. Everyone can sing along. Some of the really bad experiences I've had playing music, is when it gets involved in the cliques and elitists, and that sucks. That ruins art really quickly. So that's a great thing about Juana Ghani. There's a group of great artists, top caliber artists, and it's so not pretentious and so open and inviting, that's my favorite part about it.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So do you get stage fright?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>I still do. I've played over five hundred performances, in the fifteen years I've been playing drums, and I still do.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>What do you think of the Salt Lake arts community?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>I think it's incredible. I've noticed that it's disproportionate- the number of great artists to its size. There's a lot of homes in Salt Lake, be it for whatever reason, that have pianos in them, and that just opens the doorway to music and dance. I think it's righteous, especially for the size.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>I know it's been only for a few shows so far, but when you're performing with Juana Ghani, how do you feel the scene here receives them?<br />
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<b>Jeff:</b> They definitely get received better than any band I've played in here. I've played in six bands, and really gigged, you know. And in fact, I've heard from other bands, touring and the like, that come through here and say that Salt Lake is a really tough spot to get people to dance. If you can get a few people on the dance floor in Salt Lake, you're killing it. And Juana Ghani definitely moves the asses.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Are you currently involved in any other projects?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>Yes. I play in a reggae band with my buddies called Hemptations, we actually played last night and have another gig tonight at the Complex. It's really fun vibes. We write original reggae music.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Is there anything you want to try as a musician that you haven't done yet?<br />
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<b>Jeff: </b>I'm really interested in musical theater. I would really like to be involved in some type of a musical theater type band where the musicians are doing sound effects, and there's a whole story line where there are people are acting and telling jokes.<br />
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<b>Jennifer: </b><br />
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I met with Jennifer in a restaurant right before closing. I've known her for several years, long before Juana Ghani even existed, so to see her was a welcome sight indeed. Catching up over soup and sandwiches, and then later ice cream, was quite enjoyable. However, getting to interview her added a whole new depth to things, as I learned things about her that I never would have guessed. And that's really how Jennifer is. She's got a quiet, mellow, and sweet air about her, and then she pulls out some achievement and surprises you entirely.<br />
As far as Juana Ghani goes, she is their sousaphone player. She tells me her sousaphone is tiny, as they go, and yet, it dwarfs her. She is not a limited person, by any means. Singing, drawing, dancing, and LARPing are just a few of her many interests. With an intellectual air, she definitely seems like the sort of person who easily switches from interest to interest and picks up new skills with ease.<br />
It's no wonder that she found herself in Juana Ghani, and I can vouch that all parties are better off for it. Here's to seeing more of her lovely face, hidden as she is behind that giant instrument, on the stages of Salt Lake in 2014.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> What first interested you in music?<br />
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<b>Jennifer: </b>It's been a long time. I grew up with musical parents. I remember learning a song in kindergarten, so I started with singing. I did some singing in elementary school, and then in the fifth grade, I started on the clarinet. I started to learn with my hands the wrong way, and I didn't realize they were the wrong way because we started with just the easy simple holes, and it wasn't until we started with the keys on the bottom and my pinky wouldn't reach that I went, "How do you do this?" So then I learned it again. And then I got to teach some newcomers, so I had to stay one lesson ahead of them all the time, which sort of spurred me into practicing a little more. I was pretty good, a pretty high chair all the way up until high school, and then people from more schools came in, and I wasn't as good as everyone, so I had to try even harder. Then I came to college, and I got clobbered. It was really really competitive. That's when I decided that was probably not what I was going to do for my major after all, but it was fun. I joined the marching band, since I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to give up music altogether, I went for the music education program for a little bit. And that's when I took the class where I picked up the sousaphone. Less literally, and more figuratively, I couldn't pick it up to begin with. I had to put it on the floor, and then prop it up and then stand into it. I got much better, and then the next year I got to be section leader. I kept singing through some of that. I did it through high school, not so much in college. I did pick it up again.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> How did you get involved with Juana Ghani?<br />
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<b>Jennifer: </b>The impression that I have is that Brian Bonnell was probably clicking through the photos of the Black Box Preview, where Juana Ghani played, and then happened to accidentally click on me instead of going through that, and saw me playing the sousaphone. So I got this random Facebook message saying, "This may seem like a random question, but do you play the sousaphone?" And I wrote back, "Yes, strange-person-that-I-don't-know-who-you-are. I do!" It took several months to cajole me into trying more, and then I went crazy and bought my own sousaphone off the internet.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So do you prefer the technical side of rehearsing, or are you more interested in the performance?<br />
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<b>Jennifer:</b> Well performing is fun, but it's not as fun if you don't know what you're doing. So I like rehearsal, and I like this rehearsal style. Since a bunch of what I did with the sousaphone was marching band and we had to memorize our music to go on the field, I was pretty used to playing without music. And when you don't even start with music, that pretty much means making it up, which is a lot freer. I do like concert band setting as well, where you have all the notes and music, and you follow all the notes and music, and you have it all set out and need to know what everything means, but that is not what this is. So that part is fun. And then actually performing to use it and be crazy around other people is fun. Everything is crazy all the time.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> How have you enjoyed the arts community that Juana Ghani has exposed you to?<br />
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<b>Jennifer: </b>I've liked pretty much everywhere I've been. I've sensed drama sometimes, but usually it's floating up in the upper planning stages, and so I don't really have to deal with it. Usually when things make it down to me, it's already resolved.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> As an artist, in general, what are your biggest struggles?<br />
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<b>Jennifer: </b>Probably practicing. I have a thing where I'm not super excited about people listening to me while I practice. While I was growing up, I would go practice in my room. If my parents ever commented through the door, I was pretty much done practicing. Even if they told me I was great, I didn't like it. I also don't like doing that a lot in my apartment complex either, because there are a bunch of shared walls. So I get to motivate myself, check the time, and tell myself, "It's okay, it's two in the afternoon. People should be awake, I shouldn't be bothering them while I do this." I've never gotten, "Hey! Sousaphone player!" Practicing on my own, out loud, is a tough thing. I can practice the motions, the finger movements, and the words, in my head. But at some point you've just got to make the music. It's less impressive when it's silent.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> Usually. I would be really disappointed if I paid to go to a concert and the musicians just made hand motions.<br />
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<b>Jennifer: </b>But we could look really intense. It would be like one giant symphonic mime.<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> So what are your goals for the next year or so?<br />
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<b>Jennifer:</b> I hope to organize my living space a little better. I have other things I like to do. I like sewing. I'd say costuming, but it's not quite so detailed. But I make some of my own performance wear, which is more difficult when my sewing machine is buried in stuff. Continue to improve in all my music stuff, too. So there's not so much an end goal of being so good, more just being better, in everything. Everything ever. Better in baseball... Okay. No. Not everything ever. Just music.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Would you say you have a hard time managing the band versus the rest of life?<br />
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<b>Jennifer</b>: I don't have a whole lot of day-to-day stuff. I do have trouble balancing time with my boyfriend and art stuff. Part of it is because he's an archaeologist so he works out of state for a couple weeks at a time, during which time I get really into the band, and choir, and LARPing and everything. Then he comes back, and I'm off doing all these things, and he never gets to see me, even though we're living in the same house.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Would you say that he and everyone else in your life has been supportive?<br />
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<b>Jennifer: </b>They want more free time, and they want me to spend time with them, but mostly, they're saying, "Pick one thing you like and then do it. Don't pick everything you like and ignore me."<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: If you weren't doing everything you're doing, what do you think you'd be doing?<br />
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<b>Jennifer:</b> Let's see. Everyone loses their hearing, so I don't have any reason to play music or sing anymore. Well then, pretty much everyone would have to not see for me to not dance anymore. Okay, so if there were some epidemic of brain tumors or something, and I didn't have to be conservative with money, I would travel some more. Buy a house where I could have pets. I like pets. My traveling hamster companion with a very small traveling bag. There are other things I haven't done in awhile because I haven't had any reason to get into them, but I like the idea of woodworking. That's the one that came to mind, and I forgot the rest, so the end!<br />
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<b>Kita:</b> Do you get stage fright?<br />
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<b>Jennifer:</b> Not anymore. And I don't remember if I ever did. I get excited, but it's never gotten to the point of not being able to function. I do get flustered, occasionally, and I'll do poorly for a little bit, until I calm down and think about it again.<br />
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To check out more, friend this awesome band on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/juanaghani.official<br />
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Come back next week for even more!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-28261023890588558312014-02-11T00:59:00.000-08:002014-02-11T00:59:01.165-08:00Bone-Daddy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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In the large, downtown library, itself a tribute to art of sorts, I was lucky enough to sit down and chat with local artist Bone-Daddy. A man of two worlds, he came to Salt Lake in 1997. He tells me the city reminds him of other cities with it's small but passionate art scene, and so he stayed.<br />
You can almost see the art pouring out of him, even though he's only really focused on it in the past year and a half. A man of mixed talents and ambitions, the art spark twinkles in his eyes. Even at the end of a long work day, in a crowded and surprisingly loud library, he shares himself and his work ethic easily. He tells me he barely considers himself an artist, yet I look at his work and hear about the hours of dedication, and I believe it must speak for itself.<br />
His work is urban, but I'm not sure I would call it street. He has found a style that's his, and it's nothing like we've ever seen before. I think his mixing of styles is one of my favorite things about him. You can see the comics influence, but there's more, something almost whimsical, and even something darker, all mixing together to create a one of a kind piece that could easily find itself in any number of fantastic galleries. Hopefully you'll be seeing more of this great artist soon.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So how would you describe your artwork?<br />
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<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>People ask me that a lot, and, really, I get better descriptions from everybody else, because each time I do something, it's always something new. It's always changing. Plus,. I haven't really gotten into a lot of my skills, and what I know how to do, so I just say it's a progress. Just taking it as it goes.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Just seeing where it takes you?<br />
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<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Exactly. And I've only been doing it for a year, and a lot of things have happened. So I want to just keep going.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So how did you get started?<br />
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<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>I have a daughter, and it made me start thinking about a lot of things, like the future, and I started getting into it to show her she can do anything she wants.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5smn1t8o7372p5mnEtvwYCzYE8Q-PcLdCze-vQVdEEmADyhKbflMcpdz5dxWpgIInbGS8OJdzsvHdd6ZqFGVUThAfErBVOx8Kq1Fcw-i3lPyXwPwU3x9ohMC60rshEXfmxCW47mvqdno/s1600/Bone3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5smn1t8o7372p5mnEtvwYCzYE8Q-PcLdCze-vQVdEEmADyhKbflMcpdz5dxWpgIInbGS8OJdzsvHdd6ZqFGVUThAfErBVOx8Kq1Fcw-i3lPyXwPwU3x9ohMC60rshEXfmxCW47mvqdno/s1600/Bone3.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>How did that transform into a more serious thing?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>One of my friends got me into a show, and then I got a bunch more shows after that. Then I got a studio, and I started spending a lot of time there because it's right outside my room. I had my one year anniversary from my first show at the end of the summer. It's been a pretty big adventure, for sure.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>What kind of things inspire you?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>I'm really inspired by 60's and 70's underground comics. That's my main one, since I'm doing a lot of cartoons. A lot of kids books, and hanging out with my godkids, since I draw on them, and basically I draw whatever they tell me to.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>How have you found the arts scene?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>I found a small group, and it's really cool. Everyone's willing to help each other, and give each other resources and shows, and trying to get people more involved. It's really helpful. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. So I'm thankful right now.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>So what are your goals right now then? To do more shows?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Yes, I haven't done any this winter, but I'm planning two underground house shows this summer already. I don't have any dates yet, but it all depends on what I get into.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KKinFRijD_lMPOUM1ugG6ZY1d-6fI35ZHYL4Ubbr1EfmsA5rgu-r971ixneTxTSKcyXzbunS-BHsAmedQ_YdYGGD5l8wqnXEWFirOtcRcL4Y-gV5YNDT-Ie8IosogQtliW-CRwuESFM/s1600/Bone4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KKinFRijD_lMPOUM1ugG6ZY1d-6fI35ZHYL4Ubbr1EfmsA5rgu-r971ixneTxTSKcyXzbunS-BHsAmedQ_YdYGGD5l8wqnXEWFirOtcRcL4Y-gV5YNDT-Ie8IosogQtliW-CRwuESFM/s1600/Bone4.jpg" height="320" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>Were your goals about the same when you started?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>I didn't have any idea what I was doing. I didn't have any expectations to it, I just had a bunch of stuff to get rid of. The shows I was getting into were with friends, so I was just doing it for a good time.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>How have those closest to you reacted?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>They were really surprised because some of them knew me for a long time, and didn't know that I had the ability to do that. I've gotten really good feedback, even some friends have threatened me if I ever stop doing it.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>So when you create a piece in your head, does it change a lot before you finish it?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Yeah, I never know what I'm doing before I get into it. It all depends on the materials I have, because all of the materials I have are either given to me, or found, or I go to different places and go dumpster diving for materials. Even half way through, I still don't know what it's like, and then all of the sudden, the finished product will come to me. I just get it done.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>So would you say you have a big difference between your art life and day-to-day life?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Very big difference. I just got off work, I'm covered in paint, I'm dirty. In my art life, I'm wearing a tie, I'm not all dirty, and it's completely different people from who I hang out with every day. It's a completely different world. I've tried to introduce people from both worlds and they just don't get it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFbvuDm6Un6L2R1FV1L3GkvCrTpmow2OLLUnIL34P4prxdMDFtIWX1sy8y04dLyiESXp2VLlaPsoE_ghn3kqTbhbBbC_NwQ3oPH6Km0mLLcTNVTdE4_NUY8Om57vv0r0X5dSdkrKC3UI/s1600/Bone5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFbvuDm6Un6L2R1FV1L3GkvCrTpmow2OLLUnIL34P4prxdMDFtIWX1sy8y04dLyiESXp2VLlaPsoE_ghn3kqTbhbBbC_NwQ3oPH6Km0mLLcTNVTdE4_NUY8Om57vv0r0X5dSdkrKC3UI/s1600/Bone5.jpg" height="320" width="280" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>Is balancing it a struggle, then?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>It is. Trying to find time, between multiple jobs and my daughter gets intense. And last summer was also intense. I had a bunch of shows, and I'm not going to do that again. It wore me ragged, and I hardly slept at all. Even just finding a time to go out and socialize. The networking is a challenge, too.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>That sounds like a struggle between balancing art and business, too.<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Yeah, even in the creativity stage, I have to really step away from all my daily stuff. I lived in one of my studios for a little while and I couldn't do it. The two worlds were too close together, and I couldn't get away from it. I need to wake up in the world I live in, in order to create. It's kind of like working where you live.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>So what's the biggest struggle of all then?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Trying to come up with new stuff. Every time I do a show, I do something different. It's always challenging trying to figure out something to do.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>Do you ever get anxiety about it?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Yes, I put a lot of pressure on myself, including for shows. I set my goals really high, and then I'm a procrastinator, so toward the end I don't really get a lot of sleep.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>Do you find it hard to get respect as an artist?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>As a serious artist, yes, but I don't really consider myself an artist yet. I feel like I'm just playing around with my cartoons. But in the art world, it's really hard. I haven't done a lot of things, and the fact that they are cartoons. So that's a struggle, being seen as an artist. It is not just a hobby, and I'm not going to stop, and I don't want all this stuff just laying around. I've got stacks of it.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>Do you want to sell more work then?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>I'd like to sell everything I have. It's turned into part of my income, with the jobs I do. They're not great paying, but I enjoy them. Still, I'd like to make it where I can just make a living doing what I love. That's hard too, because I don't have the experience, but we'll see what happens.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>Do you have other forms of art you want to try?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>I want to get back into my preferred medium, which I haven't been able to because I don't have the supplies. I do life size charcoal pieces, and they take me a long time, but I love doing it. I don't have the space and it's a lot of charcoal. There's still a lot I want to learn, everything from printing to sculpture. I've been getting into mixed media lately, so that's been fun.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>So from doing all this, have you found a certain level of recognition that you're happy with?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>I'm happy with what's happened. It's definitely not what I expected. I'm sure there could be more, but I don't see anything going bad.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>If you could quit all your other jobs and just focus on art, is that something you would do?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Definitely. I put it away for maybe fifteen years, and I missed it the whole time. It's something I have to do for myself. It's therapeutic, and I can't stop doing this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CJ2v7OUhnaaFdfqbhTKiNL5rQutmbP9wBCrJLh9FrJ9ZnbJYlQeSdVtL0dftvApAwQg21tY5J5-W9b526uBorAUSrdDpwN0nOTkVngZ6ac8xXQ2xMO7y2k4oabe5EzjRSxPnE_74dUU/s1600/bone6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CJ2v7OUhnaaFdfqbhTKiNL5rQutmbP9wBCrJLh9FrJ9ZnbJYlQeSdVtL0dftvApAwQg21tY5J5-W9b526uBorAUSrdDpwN0nOTkVngZ6ac8xXQ2xMO7y2k4oabe5EzjRSxPnE_74dUU/s1600/bone6.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>From where you started to now, has your style progressed a lot?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Immensely. It was really big and simple, before. Now I'm getting more intricate and getting more painting in. That's why I like my progress, because if you follow it, you can see the progression. I still have some pieces left over from some of my first shows, and they're mixed in with some of my newer pieces, and I see a huge difference. I'm very happy with it.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>Would you ever collaborate with someone else?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Yes. I have. My old roommate. I did nine pieces with him in two months. A couple of them were just really fun, where I would do the background, or he would do the background, and I wouldn't know anything about what he was doing. Then I would do the foreground, and we'd put them together and see what we would get. Yes, collaborating was an immensely good time. One of the ways I started was doing chalk art in the park with two friends of mine, and they would come hang out in my studio. We would just be there in the wee hours of the night, and just get silly together painting.<br />
<br />
<b>Kita: </b>If you were to look back at your starting self, would you guess that you'd end up here?<br />
<br />
<b>Bone-Daddy: </b>Absolutely not. I wouldn't have thought anything would have come from it. I have some big plans, of things I wanted to put together, but I never thought this would have happened.<br />
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To check out more of his work and hear about upcoming shows, check out his facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/JIMIBONEDADDY</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-51421905549943232992014-02-05T17:30:00.000-08:002014-02-06T09:28:14.814-08:00Ten things we've learned from interviewing artists.<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">by Mandy & Kita</span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Nomad Nouvelle is a
relatively new production. We've only been at this for a few months,
and yet in that few months, we have gained a worlds worth of
perspective. Our goal, when starting, was to learn more about
different art styles, and to gain a wider network of artists. While
those goals have been achieved to a degree none of us really
expected, it's certainly not the only thing that we've been fortunate
enough to experience. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We've spoken with
musicians, painters, sculptors, dancers, and more, all in the hopes
of better learning the ins and outs of making an artist “tick”.
While mediums vary in every way, there is a definite line down the
center of all of these that connects them. We've tried to take that
line and take the lessons we have learned from it to share those
lessons with you all today. Hopefully you get as much out of it as we
have. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Kita</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Living a life of
art is usually an accident.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It
seems most people don't really intend to fall into art, and even
those who do seem to never expect it to work out the way it does.
Art is entirely ruled by human emotion, and emotion is
unpredictable, so in many ways this doesn't take much explanation.
However, one way or another, people rarely find themselves where
they expect in life, and it seems for artists, this is doubly true.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="2">
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Being a business
person is a necessary thing.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Many
artists call it a necessary evil, but understanding how to run a
business is at least as important as being able to create their art.
In order to share their work, they must learn this skill. Often,
they are self taught, with no real idea of what to do as they start.
This brings me to my next point.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Being able to
teach yourself something is a valuable skill.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Artists
don't typically make enough at their art to take a lot of classes.
Most have truly learned how to teach themselves a skill, be it
business, or a new technique for their art. It's a skill that
requires discipline and research. </span>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="4">
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Practice really
does make perfect.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Artists
spend grueling hours working towards their goals. Some photographers
take hundreds of photos before selecting maybe one or two to
actually work with and print. Song writers can spend weeks humming a
melody to themselves and working out a new lyric, and this is for
just one piece of work, never mind the dozens, if not hundreds
they'll create over their lifetimes. </span>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<ol>
<ol start="5">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
</ol>
</ol>
<br />
<ol start="5">
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Art is art and it
is found in some surprising places.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Many
people think art is easily defined. A painting is art, a sculpture,
perhaps even a song or a dance. But what is more art, the song or
the performance? Are they one and the same? Art is a thing that is
defined more by the passion you put into it than what it initially
appears as. If you look for it, art is nearly everywhere.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<ol start="5">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
</ol>
</ol>
<ol>
<ol start="4">
<br />
</ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mandy </b></span>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>1.
Being an artist is a religious experience</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Most
artists describe the act of creating their work as very spiritual; as
though something within them is fighting to get out, and they are
just serving as the vessel for this higher energy. Even artists
who claim not to believe in “God” in a religious sense have
admitted to us their acknowledgement that a force greater than them,
or all of us, inspires them in their artistic endeavors.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>2.
Once you’ve heard the call, you can’t walk away</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Once
a person has taken those first baby steps, dabbling in one or more
art forms until they’ve found one that truly speaks to them, giving
it up is really not an option. Those who have attempted to
repress their creative passion, whether due to a day job, or out of
duty to family, etc, have suffered for their choice. Depression,
relationship problems, and that “going cuckoo” feeling are not
uncommon for artists who have tried to deny that talent. The best
thing to do is just make art.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3.
Artists support one another</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When
we ask artists what they think about the art community here in the
Salt Lake Valley, the overwhelming majority have expressed their love
and gratitude for other artists in the area. They let us know
that while outside of the artist circle, there aren’t a ton of
active art supporters, artists lean on each other, brag about one
another, and maintain strong friendships.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>4.
You have to kind of be obsessed</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One
question we ask a lot of artists is, “If you couldn’t be an
artist, what would you do?” The most common response we get goes
something like, “I don’t know, art is my whole life.” When
someone loves art enough to consider themselves an artist, they
usually have a space where they work on their art; this is where they
spend most of their time. When they get a call, it’s usually from
another artist, patron, or gallery. When they go out, it’s usually
with their artist friends to some kind of artistic venue or show.
And when they aren’t doing any of this, you can probably
guess that they’ll be brainstorming about what they’re going to
create next. So, you can see why #2 on my list happens. These
people would have to find something else to do with 100% of their
time.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 114%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>5.
Artists love to share</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ask
an artist about their art. Unless they’re in those verrrry early
experimental days, or extremely shy, they will turn into the proud
parent showing off their firstborn infant. With a twinkle in
their eye, they will pull out not only their popular work, but the
treasure trove containing years of sketches, screw-ups, and early
work. They are just so eager to share it, whether they think it
looks good or not. Their passion and enthusiasm is contagious, and it
always puts us in that inspired, artsy mood. </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</span></span></span></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The best part of all of this is perhaps a simple fact: We've barely scratched the surface. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone. There is more art on the horizon, we have plenty more to share! </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-4302274491929926062014-02-04T10:25:00.001-08:002014-02-04T10:25:37.587-08:00Stacey Board<div style="text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHRGm4rPIYk91Ah53-sNVSjdYk0JnHXaMHUN-QSRi2GyazFJZz3vABLg2G81AewA-OeKZBQva3l2Uj3iqQOBE7vyVDnChgW1B9GiZcuXu0cInvhOWhZwaHvuEyVly9c85kJS5_aNPtBY/s1600/StaceyBoard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHRGm4rPIYk91Ah53-sNVSjdYk0JnHXaMHUN-QSRi2GyazFJZz3vABLg2G81AewA-OeKZBQva3l2Uj3iqQOBE7vyVDnChgW1B9GiZcuXu0cInvhOWhZwaHvuEyVly9c85kJS5_aNPtBY/s1600/StaceyBoard.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Salt Lake arts scene has a pretty large variety of arts, but one of the most accessible seems to be music. Stacey Board is a musician who's been on the scene for awhile now, and she's definitely got her style working for her. Watching her perform is one of the most genuine experiences I can think of. A petite, pretty blonde with a sweet voice, she invites you in, to really be a part of her show. You feel less as if you're at a concert and more as if you're chatting with a dear friend.<br />
Songs vary from pop, to folk, to some dream state in between the two. Her voice is ethereal, so it's no wonder at all that <i>Independent Songwriter </i>said, "Stacey Board is a powerful songwriter with a voice straight from the heavens." This southern girl has made herself a well deserved name and she, thankfully, isn't going anywhere.<br />
To really delve into an artists mind is the goal here, and she gave us a unique look inside. With a certain practicality, she gave us answers and it only reminded me of the way she bares her soul on the stage. I couldn't recommend this lady enough.<br />
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<b>The Interview:</b><br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How would you describe your art?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>I try to not describe my artwork, what it is doesn't interest me and others will decide fro themselves.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How did you first get into music?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>I got into singing at church, and I got into singing professionally by taking a dare to go to a local radio station and have them let me sing. They let me sing and play a song I wrote, and I got a call to play in a band.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>At what point did you get more interested in it seriously?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>When close friend died I decided I had to go put more of myself into it instead of ever asking, what if.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>What were your goals then?<b> </b><br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>My goals when I started were to work as hard as I could and see where that would take me.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>What about now?<br />
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<b>Stacey:</b> My goals now are to be satisfied with what I create, and to create because I want to, not because I have to.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>What have been your biggest struggles?<br />
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<b>Stacey:</b> My biggest struggle has probably been self doubt. Any kind of art for money results in judgment. It is not just criticism, it is being ignored entirely no matter how hard you work. Sometimes it is hard to take over a long period of time that it is not in your control how things go. You push the little babies out into the world and they have their own lfe, their own destiny. Trying to balance the work with the art is also hard. At some points, am I working hard enough, others, am I working so hard I have lost sight of the creative?<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you struggle to balance your day to day life with music?<br />
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<b>Stacey:</b> As an engineers daughter I guess I am pretty good at compartmentalizing. I can work my day job, then leave to make music. I know what I have to do in order for both to happen. That makes me feel balanced. When the creative urge hits, it hits, and you can't force it. When it is there I make time for it, like a dear friend making a visit. It is the priority.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Was it difficult to learn to balance business with art?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>It was hard to let go of business full time but now it has freed me somewhat. As I mentioned, art / business balance was a bigger picture. I am working so hard to get this tour together so that in a few months I get to go be an artist for three weeks. Carrot, stick. That, and I got a lot of satisfaction out of the business side; it was hard, and I worked hard to be good at it. <br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How do you usually find yourself inspiration?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>I think more often than not, inspiration finds me. I can't force it. I can't plan it, schedule it, call it on the phone and ask it over. It's like being hungry. It comes and finds you. <br />
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<b>Kita: </b>From the first moment you think of a song to when you perform it, how likely are you to change it?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>I would say as soon as a song clicks in my head as something worth pursuing then I am likely to stay very very open to changing it a lot. I want to keep what was the key piece that grabbed me, then work to make sure the rest of it still suits that mood that message, and still be ready to surprise myself. <br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you get stage fright? How do you deal with it if you do?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>When I started, of course, I would get stage fright, and I think at first I would just fake confidence and sing with more volume! Then I learned that actually being prepared and practiced earned you the right to tell yourself, don't tbe scared, you are ready. You are excited about this opportunity, make the most of all the work you have put in to being here right now.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How have you found the art scene in SLC?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>I have found the art scene in SLC to be incredibly supportive, artist to artist. I think the community of listeners is devoted, but the larger culture of listeners and audience is different and less supportive than other places to which I have traveled in the west. But that is just in general, there are some amazing audiences here and extremely supportive listeners and fans. It's tougher to get folks out here sometimes than it is when I was a stranger from another town somewhere else!<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>What's your favorite thing about making music?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>My favorite part of making music is when I make myself feel what it is I am trying to express. When I feel like it just.. might... work... as a piece of engaging communication. <br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Which do you typically prefer? Creation of a piece or the performance of it?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>Creation and performance to me are entirely different beasts. One, I have very little control over its arrival and how it will go, the other I have much more. I can choose when and how often I may perform, and those opportunities are very much a gift and I am grateful. I very much enjoy performing, but to be honest, sometimes you have to perform because you have made the committment not because 100% of every minute of every show you ever booked you are thrilled to be doing it. Sorry, but creativity is largely like falling in love. Performing can sometimes be more like working on your marriage to the one you love. You can create without performing of course, as much as you can perform without being the creator of the work.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>So how about least favorite part?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>My least favorite part of making music is practice. There. I said it. <br />
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<b>Kita: </b>If you could tell your beginner self one thing, what would it be?<br />
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<b>Stacey: </b>If I could tell my beginner self something it would be, don't worry so much, do your best, enjoy the ride.<br />
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To see Stacey Board live, here are some dates to keep in mind!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #3e454c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 13th at the Silver Star in Park City</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #3e454c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #3e454c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 14th at Wildflower Lounge, Snowbird, Iron Blosam Lodge</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #3e454c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #3e454c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb 16th Aerie Lounge 8 - 11pm, Cliff Lodge Snowbird</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #3e454c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check out her website: </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">http://www.reverbnation.com/staceyboard</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-64020939712291964622014-01-15T12:20:00.001-08:002014-01-15T12:20:10.886-08:00Lorin Hansen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Mandy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first thing I noticed was the drumbeat. That primal, earthy sensation felt more in my bones than heard through my ears. The closer I got, I realized they were multiple, their sound drawing me nearer, up the stairs to the dance room. Then I heard the voices. Chanting, shouting, having a damn good time. Who, or what was this? I wanted to be a part of it. As I rounded the corner, I saw them; 7 or 8 people ranging in age from teenagers to late 50s, all pounding out their hearts to an Afro-Brazilian rhythm on a variety of percussion instruments; several lithe, sinuous dancers moving their bodies in time to the music; and a few guys in what looked like karate gis? I didn't know at the time, but I was experiencing Samba Fogo for the first time. And at the center of this experience was a petite, firecracker of a woman whose delicacy belied her strength and power. Directing dancers, leading the drummers, and shouting the loudest, she was undoubtedly the Alpha, the fearless leader of this amazing group of performers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lorin Hansen has been directing Samba Fogo since the 1990s, wowing audiences with fire dance, Afro-Brazilian drums, and Capoeira performances. An immensely talented dancer herself, she has brought Samba Fogo to the forefront of high quality and downright awesome entertainment in the Salt Lake Valley and the intermountain west. In addition to offering professional entertainment, Samba Fogo also offers classes in Afro-Brazilian dance styles, and workshops in Brazilian drumming. Lorin has worked tirelessly to bring this knowledge, culture, and experience to our community, and Kita recently had the pleasure to ask Lorin a few questions.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-5c94afa3-970d-f288-da00-bc67a8fe5dcc" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How would you describe your art?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Traditional, with some room for play... I like to study traditional Afro-Brazilian rhythms, songs and dances, get to know them as intimately as possible, and then give myself freedom to play with those concepts and fuse them with contemporary dance, fire dance, diverse instrumentation, etc. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When did you first get into art?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Hmmm.... good question. At birth, I suppose! I always loved dance and music, and putting on shows. I was a gymnast at a young age, and later found my passion in dance, in my 20's. I never really "planned" to be an artist, or an educator... that is just the path my life seemed to lead me down. When I was studying modern dance in college at the UofU, I joined this band called "Samba Gringa" - a community band that operated out of the UofU modern dance department. I started learning about Brazilian percussion from Samba Gringa's founder, Jon Scoville, and I got hooked! Pretty soon after that, Jon Scoville sat me down and said, "I'm too old and too deaf to do this anymore. The group is yours." He passed leadership of the group on to myself and my husband Mason, our Musical Director. I suddenly found myself with this great opportunity: an existing arts org infrastructure, with room to create, expand, and improve. At that time, we did not have any dancers. I looked around myself and I saw drummers, capoeiristas, myself as a solo fire dancer, and many capable dancers in the Salt Lake City community, and I thought... "Why don't we make one big, awesome group of us, complete with dancing, drums, fire, and martial art, and call it Samba Fogo?" That is how Samba Fogo was born.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What were your goals when you first started?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> When I first started, I simply wanted to explore this wonderful world of Samba, and share it with my community. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What are they now?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> My goals remain similar, but things are a bit more complex now... we try to maintain both a high-quality professional music and dance company, while at the same time maintaining a community-oriented drumline and community group, and presenting educational programming year-round. Basically, we try to facilitate the exploration/experience of Brazilian arts in many forms... professional, social, community-oriented, educational, etc. etc. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do you get stage fright at all?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I wouldn't call it stage fright, no. However, I always feel a great sense of responsibility, to our audience members as well as our performers. Working out all the logistics and planning of a show is an immense task. It comes with some stress and excitement around showtime, especially shows that involve fire, as that is an added responsibility to keep everyone safe, but I have always enjoyed performing, and once the pre-planning is done and it's time to just go on stage and perform, well honestly, that is the easy part. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How do you deal with that stress?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lori: </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">I try to do at least a bit of yoga and meditation on a daily basis. I find that if I keep in contact with my center and connect with myself on a daily basis, when a stressful situation comes along, I am better equipped to deal with it. Also, good nutrition, plenty of water, and deep breathing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What's your biggest struggle?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Gah- hard to answer! There are many! Money is of course a struggle. I have always wanted to create a fully professional company, with paid artists positions. However, many Samba Fogo performers are still volunteers or semi-paid with small stipends. We currently have about 40 participating artists... so it's a struggle to keep our artists feeling appreciated, engaged, and fulfilled, without the use of $$$. Another of my great struggles is how to stay self-motivated when my to-do list is a mile long, but there is no one standing over me making sure I complete all my tasks. The struggle of creating my own structure in order to maintain, run, and grow a non-profit business is certainly a challenge, and some days I just want to work a 9-5 job and when I'm home, I'm done. However, the longer I do this, the better I get at that challenge. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How do you enjoy the SLC area arts community?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I think we have a lot of really great art in this city. We are lucky to have such a strong dance culture here, and I enjoy that by attending concerts by SB Dance, Ririe-Woodbury, and other touring shows that come through. We also do partnering and outreach with a number of other arts orgs in the city, such as Utah Arts Alliance, Bad Dog Arts, The Mundi Project, Drumbus, and Salt Lake Capoeira. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita:</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Are those closest to you supportive of your work?</span></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Yes, they are. I think it has been hard for my family to see my husband and I both choose to be artists, as of course that doesn't always bring a lot of money into the household, but they have watched Samba Fogo develop over the last ten years into something that they see a lot of value and promise in, and they are more supportive now than when I first started. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do you prefer to teach or perform or work on choreography?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I prefer to do a mixture of all three of these things. I also spend a lot of time doing administrative tasks and general management of the org, which helps to balance things as well. I think if I tried to just be a teacher or just a performer, or just an arts administrator, I would not be as fulfilled. Though wearing multiple hats is sometimes challenging, at least I am never bored! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How do you handle the balance between the business side of things and the artistic side?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I see them as mutually beneficial. I am not the type of person who likes to sit in front of a computer all day, but I can do that if I know I get to dance that evening. When I get to use my body often, and exercise my creativity often, it helps me get through the more tedious admin/business work, because I know it's for a great purpose! Business stuff can get so tedious, it's actually a great balance to the high intensity of Brazilian music and dance. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Once you have an idea, how likely are you to change it a lot before it gets to final performance?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Almost 100% likely. Everything goes through a transformation as it moves from an imagined idea to a real thing that is being performed on stage.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSogAZdUCJxmBIaVJCsA7RnzPm6XMFLE6sAwma2zWOPJeL1e8sNub0aHIZG03k8izwRfwK0BcMaKBkvGhZlfBjgr1xVbAauETq-0yh2fllWofy4Hv-NbVfwaj1yBDH7yMG79rIKrmCkE/s1600/samba_042912~1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSogAZdUCJxmBIaVJCsA7RnzPm6XMFLE6sAwma2zWOPJeL1e8sNub0aHIZG03k8izwRfwK0BcMaKBkvGhZlfBjgr1xVbAauETq-0yh2fllWofy4Hv-NbVfwaj1yBDH7yMG79rIKrmCkE/s400/samba_042912~1.jpg" height="400" width="278" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do you feel art is respected by the general population around SLC?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Yes, to an extent. I think it's better here than some other places, but there is still room for improvement in terms of getting out from in front of our TVs, putting our phones down, and experiencing something live, real, and stimulating. Everything comes so cheap, instant, and disposable these days, we have developed a sense of entitlement in terms of getting what we want when we want it, and we seem to be blind to the immense amount of work that goes into the products we consume. This has left us with a diminished ability to appreciate the truly special things in life, like good art.<br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Kita:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How about your forms of art?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Yes, I feel like my art / Samba Fogo has been well-received in SLC. We try to make it fun, accessible, and welcoming to all, and I think that has served us well. There is always room for more people to see and appreciate it, though!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To learn more about Lorin and Samba Fogo, visit their website:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sambafogo.com/">http://www.sambafogo.com/</a></span><span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or to see them in action or try it yourself:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Upcoming Events</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.1em;"><u>5th Annual Samba Queen Gala</u>: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.1em;">Saturday, February 8, 8pm</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Urban Lounge, 241 South 500 East</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Samba Fogo’s 5th Annual Samba Queen Competition, a Brazilian dance party and fundraiser.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"><span style="line-height: 1.1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Orixa Movement Workshop: </u></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tuesdays, 6:30-8:00pm, January 21 - February 25</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SLC Arts Hub, 663 W 100 S</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6-week workshop for all levels in the art of Orixa Dance Movement. Dance for the nature deities of Afro-Brazilian culture while finding your own spirit. Live music! All Levels Welcome!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.1em;"><u>Brazilian Drum Workshop</u>: </span>Tuesdays, March 4 - 25, 6:30-8:00pm</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SLC Arts Hub, 663 W 100 S</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Instruments Provided, all levels ages 10+ welcome, workshop fee includes one 30-minute private lesson with Mason Aeschbacher on drum kit or Brazilian percussion instrument of your choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-49096959156290725562013-12-17T10:38:00.003-08:002013-12-17T10:38:28.819-08:00Pretty Macabre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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Fashion is one of the oldest forms of expression. In ancient times, and still today, it serves as a way to determine status and even where one stands in society. One of the more expressive designers that I've had the pleasure of meeting is Pretty Macabre, a woman whose name fits her style to a T.<br />
A dash Victorian, a dash mad hatter, a pinch of deliciously macabre, and ever elegant, her work is quickly propelling her to be one of the most beloved artists of the Salt Lake valley. Her work is all over in photographs, fashion shows, and even on local talent, including herself, a talented performer in her own right.<br />
She's a talented artist, and a talented artist is a gift to everyone. Luckily, she's kept her cool, and was kind enough to sit down and interview with us this week. Don't miss this chance to peek inside a wonderfully delightful mind and check out some of her gorgeous work in the photos below.<br />
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<b>The Interview: </b><br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How would you describe your artwork?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>Dark, yet whimsical with soft tattered accents and lace.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>What first got you into designing?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>I began designing in junior high. I was always cutting clothes and trying to recreate clothing and dance costumes! Once I got into high school, I had enough experience to start sewing full garments and costumes. I knew I wanted to go into fashion design!<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>What were your goals when you started?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>I really wanted to be able to draft my own patterns! That is the hardest thing in the beginning, knowing what you want to make and trying to execute it. I mostly just wanted to make creative garments and have fun doing it!<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How about now?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>I love seeing my costumes in a performance type atmosphere! One of my main goals is to, one day, have my pieces in a theatrical production show like Cirque Du Soleil or some of the other amazing traveling Aerial Cirque shows.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you get anxious to share your work?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>It all depends on the piece! Sometimes I'm just dying and can't wait for other people to see it! Other times I wonder if people will be ready to see it.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>What is your biggest struggle?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>Finding amazing fabric in SLC. We are more of a cotton shop here.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How do you enjoy the arts community in the SLC area?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>SLC has an amazing arts community! I have been able to meet and work with so many talented creative artists! Some of which I've become good friends with and they consistently inspire me.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Are those closest to you supportive of your work?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>Very supportive! I don't know what I would do without all the support I receive from my family and friends.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Your work tends to have a (good) creepy edge to it. Where do you find the inspiration for that sort of thing?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>I think my creepy edge just comes from within! I've always loved the darker, more macabre things. I'm inspired by so many artists, photographers, and films! When something inspires me, and I go to create from that inspiration, usually something a little darker will naturally come out of it.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>How do you handle the business side of things?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>I find the business side of things to be a little difficult. As the years go by, I learn more and more about it. I definitely feel like doing the creative design side more!<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Is it hard to organize your art into different categories for shows with themes and the like?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>A lot of people have me do events because of my style of design. If there is a theme, I'm usually pretty good about switching into that mindset. With costuming you are always doing something different! That's what I love about it!<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you enjoy collaborations or are you more of a solo worker?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>I absolutely love collaborations! I find it so inspiring to work with other talented creative people! I do very much love my solo work as well.<br />
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<b>Kita: </b>Once you have an idea, how likely are you to change it before the final production?<br />
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<b>Pretty: </b>Usually I see something in my head, and I try to make it exactly as I see it! But it can be harder to fabricate the things you see in your head into real life. Sometimes things will change and recreate in a slightly different way!<br />
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To check out more of this incredibly talented artists work, go to: PrettyMacabre.com</div>
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Have anyone else you'd like us to chat with? Suggestions are taken in the comments below! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-44326555248745635332013-12-12T09:35:00.000-08:002013-12-12T09:35:58.792-08:00Ischa Bee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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Ischa Bee is a unique personality, a shining sun on the Salt Lake City music scene. She rocks a voice that doesn't quit, a pretty face, and a shaved head, and I promise, she'll leave her mark on you. She's a voice for all women, and all people, in the music scene, through her involvement with MiNX, a two piece band that describes themselves as experimental, fun, and unapologetic. Their sound is true to that, with lyrics that are full of attitude, and a mix of sounds ranging the spectrum from synthpop to rock, even tossing in the occasional other influences, like rap or indiepop, and even some blues. They've made their own sound, and there's nothing better that an artist can hope to do. </div>
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On the first Friday night of every month, you can find Ischa at the Woodshed, where MiNX hosts "Ladies That Rock", a show featuring only female fronted bands. Otherwise, she can be spotted running all over this little valley in the Wasatch mountains, as she not only loves to perform, but to support others who do the same. Between photoshoots, shows, and supporting others, she's a busy lady.</div>
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Still, she was kind enough to carve out a slice of her time for us, and we're extremely grateful that she did. Her perspective is one we couldn't miss the opportunity to share. So take a listen to that fantastic voice, and read on for more! </div>
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<b>The Interview: </b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b> <span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How would you describe your artwork?</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa: </b>An expression of me,
of my experience and perspective, and an effort to lay myself out to the world
and connect in a meaningful, positive way with people who want to do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> What first got you
into music?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa: </b> I grew up in a
very musical family- my mom got a scholarship for her cello-playing, and all of
my siblings learned at least one instrument or another. I loved watching
musicals growing up- I was even a little obsessed maybe. One of my brothers
finally hid the VHS copies of "The Sound of Music" and "My Fair
Lady", my two favorites, because he was so sick of me watching them over
and over and singing along.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> What were your goals
when you started?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa</b>: I actually only
gave myself permission to take myself seriously as an artist (of any kind)
about five years ago, at the age of 25. At the time I was really questioning
where I had let my life end up. I was emotionally at rock bottom, and a couple
of eye-opening incidents in my life and the lives of some of my closest friends
at the time kind of triggered a 'mid-life crisis' of sorts. I was really low,
and got to kind of a "Why not?" place, because I was actually
pondering the idea of not existing anymore- and while that may seem really dark
and sad, it ended up being really freeing, because I let go of all the reasons
not to and became fixated with doing all the things I meant to do with my life
but hadn't. I signed myself up for a couple of community education classes for
some direction- A fiction-writing class, a song-writing class, and a hip-hop
dance class. I wrote a book, joined a band, and started to indulge myself
artistically. Considering how it all began for me, I think my goals when I
started were simply to fill the void I had let sit empty for so long and
finally pay tribute to my true me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> How about now?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa</b>: I want to connect with people. I love people, and I love the connection that
happens when you put yourself out there artistically and somebody relates to it
in one way or another.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita: </b>Do you prefer the
creation of music or the performance aspect?</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> I like performing my
own material, so I always remind myself of that when I'm wading through the
murk of creation ;) ... I generally enjoy both, but as most artists would
probably admit, sometimes the creation process can be very challenging and
draining. Working with Raffi is amazing, because he is so talented and driven.
He definitely motivates and inspires my artistic process. I really do enjoy
conceptualizing in general- taking an idea and turning it into something real
is pure magic to me, and that includes everything from the writing process to
the costuming to the photos and marketing- I love it.<br />
That said, I feel like I'm a born performer. I love to sing, I love being on
stage. So if I had to choose, I would choose that, but luckily I haven't had
to!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> How do you find
yourself handling the mixture of business and art? Is that a mix you enjoy or
would you rather just focus on one or the other?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> Since embarking on
this journey and allowing myself to take myself seriously as an artist, I have
found that many of my prior "real job" endeavors have given me some
skills and business background that other artist might not have. I enjoy the
balance of managing both, but I fully understand why artists who have more
success hire others to help them with the obligations- there is a lot of work
that goes into it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> What's been your
biggest struggle?</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ischa:</b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Silencing the voices
in my head that tell me that I'm not good enough and so I shouldn't even try.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita</b>: What messages would
you like to send with your work?</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> Live, love, try, fail,
experience, win, lose, try some more, let it all out, share it with others,
have fun~ I truly believe every human has the potential to be magic and has a
vital perspective to share... I would want my work to inspire others to indulge
their true self and share it with others. It's all about connecting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> How have you found the
music scene, and also the general arts scene around SLC?</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> SLC is very
arts-oriented for a lot of reasons, and I love that. There are so many people
working hard to create opportunities for artists, such as inclusive festivals
and publications and programs for youth. There are certainly some expectations
for what types of art are acceptable or admired in our community, but that can
also make it extra-fun to challenge those norms.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> Do you feel your work
is well respected?</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> As much as could be
expected. Once people see a show and get a feel for who we are and what we're
about they generally respond very positively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita: </b>How about artwork in
general? Do you feel the SLC scene is well supported and respected? </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa</b>: It's a mixed bag, and
it certainly does depend on who you are, who you know, and who you work with. I
would assume that some of the challenges we face here are fairly typical issues
in any community- issues around gender, race, competitiveness instead of working
together, stuff like that. But for any of those issues you can find just as
many supportive, inclusive, loving people who want to work to create a scene
together, and I feel very fortunate personally to feel surrounded by those
types of people within our community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> How about those
closest to you? Are they supportive of you?</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> Sure. First of all,
I'm closest to Raffi, and we're in this together, so that's awesome. Also, I
don't feel like I have a lot of pressure from anyone in my life to live up to
any other expectations. Some people will always have something to say, an
unsolicited two-cents to give, but in general I think the people closest to me
always expected me to do something different- to do things my way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> What is your favorite
thing about making music?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> Performing it and
having an interaction with the audience members. When people respond to your
work it's amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> Least favorite?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> Oooh, I totally drew a blank! Haha! There are plenty of little frustrations,
like loading gear in the snow for a show, or having to perform while sick, or
even just the sometimes draining aspect of creating the music in the first
place- but I am happy to say that I sat thinking about this question for a
minute and came up pretty empty!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> You've become a relatively
recognizable face in the SLC scene. Does that ever creep into your day-to-day
life?</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa</b>: Very rarely in
day-to-day, but I love going out at night and seeing lots of friends around
town at shows and venues- people we've played shows with, the employees of the
venues, the crowd. That's what it's all about!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita:</b> How does day-to-day
life mix with the art? Do you keep them very separate or is everything pretty
mixed up?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> I like to think it's
mixed up in a healthy way. I feel much more whole now that I have the means to
express myself artistically, so I find myself doing less of the unhealthy or
more obnoxious attention-seeking things I might have done years ago offstage
and am able to get my fix onstage instead. I am able to let myself be casual-me
most of the time and over-the-top-me as an artist, and I find balance through
that.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Kita</b>: If you could tell
yourself as a beginner one thing you've learned from your experiences as they
are now, what would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ischa:</b> To just let go already
:)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y9me4Gzm5Go?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Check out their Facebook Page here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MiNXBand">https://www.facebook.com/MiNXBand</a></div>
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And their website, here: <a href="http://minxband.com/home">http://minxband.com/home</a></div>
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Upcoming shows and events will posted at the above links, so don't miss out, and check back often! </div>
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Have someone you'd like us to chat with? Suggestions are taken in the comments below! </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-69301052098496651502013-12-06T06:44:00.000-08:002013-12-06T06:44:03.625-08:00Lyra Zoe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07w56R0p_83tjOGt4lD9euuTyToLHUK4OGpIoh-yQQXZs5GciQjOJQH15G6PiE65QWNlYzKL5WGA_FOfhhC-6mBmGDgIM4zPhksxOnsSHk1pEGsDubYFaluBg-N4oOuNGoDSzyyCm8vM/s1600/Lyra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07w56R0p_83tjOGt4lD9euuTyToLHUK4OGpIoh-yQQXZs5GciQjOJQH15G6PiE65QWNlYzKL5WGA_FOfhhC-6mBmGDgIM4zPhksxOnsSHk1pEGsDubYFaluBg-N4oOuNGoDSzyyCm8vM/s320/Lyra.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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When I think of color, or vibrancy, or life fully expressed, there is one person who pops into my mind no matter what. Her name is Lyra Zoe. A young woman who has studied many different mediums of art, and truly gone to exploring the meaning of art, she is truly an example of a cheerful, and vivacious young person. Always smiling and laughing, hers is a soul that seems to simply exude art.</div>
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I have been watching her art grow over the years, and it has grown by leaps and bounds. There seems to be very little limit to what she can accomplish when she puts her mind to it. Paintings leap to life under her brush, sculptures tell many stories with her hands, and art becomes fashion, and more, a statement, with her guidance. She has truly immersed herself in art, in a way few people manage to.</div>
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Lyra has sent a number of messages out into the world, but what I enjoy most about her art, is that it's so very versatile. Between jewelry and hair clips, and dance, and painting, and sculpting, she's worked a little on everything, and even created some things that seem to transcend titles. There is no one definition for artist. All art is art, and no one seems to embody that message more than Lyra. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVrH2KHU0f21Cu8MNhHMBUgXJAJijd0at6p6B-IB4o5xVRhioEFK6qHVEFWPe9JSo7MuVmMUEKEhiX911-GXav5yUbEIT7OGqKfb3eFr8kfbHBhGvec8s35x1fIoWdmLnaUY2yz0xV-g/s1600/Lyra2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVrH2KHU0f21Cu8MNhHMBUgXJAJijd0at6p6B-IB4o5xVRhioEFK6qHVEFWPe9JSo7MuVmMUEKEhiX911-GXav5yUbEIT7OGqKfb3eFr8kfbHBhGvec8s35x1fIoWdmLnaUY2yz0xV-g/s320/Lyra2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The Interview: </b></div>
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<b>Kita</b>: So what kind of artist do you define yourself as?<br />
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<b>Lyra</b>: A multitalented, multifaceted artist, I guess, because
I use every medium that I can get my hands on. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What did you start with?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: I started out when I was a little kid, and it was
mostly drawing, doing jewelry, and craft type art. Making little sculptures and
cards, and it developed into drawing and painting. Then in college, in art
school, it changed into sculpture and wearable art, costuming. So it developed
into as much as I can do.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: And when you first started, did you have goals?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: It wasn’t necessarily goals so much as, “What do you
want to be when you grow up?” The answer was always, “Artist.” </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What about now? What are your goals now?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Now, I do. It’s not just do I want to be an artist,
but I want to be a working artist. I want to be able to feed myself with my
art, basically. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you struggle to find that ability?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Yes, I definitely do.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What would you define as your biggest struggle?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Well, I find it difficult, since I do so many types of
art, to be superior in one medium. I’m okay at a lot of things, or pretty good
at a lot of things, but I meet people that are excellent in one material. I don’t
feel I have that, since I have so many interests. I just can’t put the time
into each medium that I would want to.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Are the people around you supportive of your goals? </div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Yes. My mom is an artist, and so is my sister. They have been really supportive, and they’ve
actually pushed me to find ways to use my art to support myself. They’re
ongoing about that, they still haven’t reached that goal. I always grew up
feeling that I could do art, that I could do it no matter what, and having
somebody say, “Yeah, okay,” is great. I’ve known a lot of artists who parents
are unsupportive and said, “I’d rather you do something else with your life.”
It’s nice to have someone not only tell me to go for it, but to also understand
why I need to do what I do. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Because you do
so many different kinds, do you find you struggle to meet the costs of so many
different styles?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Yes and no. Yes, because any art that you do, you have
to factor in the costs of any materials. The more complex your artwork,
generally, the more materials you’re going to need. And yes, because the more
things you want to do, the more money you have to put down. But no, because if
I can’t afford it, I can switch to a material I can still use that costs less. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: As far as paintings go, what are your favorite things
to paint? </div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Predominantly, right now, I have two subjects. Those
are people, and landscapes. It feels like, you know, “What else is there?”
Well. There’s a lot. Predominantly, my work is figurative when it comes to
dance. I mean, I am the figure. Costuming, I’m dressing the figure. Wearable
art has a lot to do with human behavior. Sculpture is making figures or making something
to go on a figure, or sometimes abstract. And painting is usually of dancers,
recently, because I am also a dancer, or landscapes because I find them
challenging.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Because you do so much, do you feel they seep into one
another?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Right now, I feel like they don’t, but it’s a goal of
mine to make it happen. I want to overlap my different materials and the
different knowledge I have of the materials to create something new. But at the
moment, when I use a certain material, I only do one thing with it. And when I
switch to a different material, I only do another thing with it. So, I really
want to combine and overlap, I just haven’t mastered that quite yet.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: So where does inspiration come from?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: All over the place. It depends on which medium. I know
a lot of artists, and went to school with a lot of artists, and I feel like a
lot of my inspiration over the last few years has been through artists that I
knew. I enjoy looking through artist magazines, and when it comes to dance, I
like watching dancers from other styles of dance that I don’t do. That helps me
be inspired in my own style of dance. As a belly dancer, I like to watch modern
dance, and the modern dancers help me to change little things in my own style. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: So you also sell things on etsy. Do you ever find you
struggle to make something marketable versus what you’d like to be making?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Yes. The majority of what I put on etsy are things
that I make to be marketable, and it’s funny because it goes back to the whole,
“What do you want with art?” “Well, I want to feed myself.” “And how do you do
that?” In art school, it was a very touchy subject, because you need to make
the art that you want to make, not necessarily the art people want, so you can
sell it. So it’s very back and forth. But I feel that I need to do both. I need
to make art that will sell, so I can pay for the art that I’d like to make. On
my etsy site, it’s mostly smaller things, things that won’t cost as much to
make so that people are more likely to buy them, or things that people have
told me that they wanted that I’ve made. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZfLc6cQDQdbKdfqUJkzmWuJ2Vw1eNA7-DZDGh2llAYcyCvSaDtrHF0eYsuYF4Obk7XBdcYWirGwabNgv5fl2BSS7xe0rVZNROZ6em9kmyLnLyQMMMyLYFhGUZbgbkVao73iUrNGOtR8/s1600/Lyra3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZfLc6cQDQdbKdfqUJkzmWuJ2Vw1eNA7-DZDGh2llAYcyCvSaDtrHF0eYsuYF4Obk7XBdcYWirGwabNgv5fl2BSS7xe0rVZNROZ6em9kmyLnLyQMMMyLYFhGUZbgbkVao73iUrNGOtR8/s320/Lyra3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you find that running the business side of that
weighs down on you at all?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Yes. A lot of the time, it prevents me from posting
things. Or trying to market things. I feel I’ve been able to help other people
market themselves better than I’m able to market myself or my products. It’s
probably one of the more discouraging parts of art. How do I get it out to
people? How do I get them to want what I’m making and buy it? I have the
hardest time figuring out how to do it. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you struggle to find balance between regular work
and art? </div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Yes, because what I want to do is sell my art as a
job. Since that’s an ongoing struggle, I need a regular job as well. And when I
have a regular job, it pulls time and energy away from my art because I often
don’t have as much time as I want to, or the energy when I come home, to do it.
So it’s either, have a job and feed yourself, or not. It seems like a lot of
either, or. It’s really an ongoing battle to have a job that gives you enough
time to still do your artwork. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you like collaborating with other artists? </div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: It depends. For dance, I like collaborative a lot
better. I feel more inspired when creating pieces for more than one person.
There’s a lot more layering, and ideas, and bouncing of ideas back and forth
with another person. When it comes to painting, I prefer to be around other
artists for their opinions, but to create my own pieces. I have a few other
artists that I want to collaborate with, but it’s yet to come to fruition. It’s
been hard to coordinate. I usually like to work on my own pieces, though, when
it’s a visual art like painting or sculpture. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: So what’s your favorite part of being an artist? </div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Being an artist, I know that I am different. I am not
only different from people as a whole, but from other artists. Because that’s
the nature of being an artist, is being unique, of being able to have your own
voice. Being able to say the same thing, but in a different medium. When it
comes to making art, I guess it would be the way that it makes me feel. When I
accomplish a project, or finish something, the gratification that I get, and
how excited I will be to share with people. When it comes to making art, I have
to do it. I can’t not do it. If I just don’t do one art form for awhile, at
least I’m doing another type. I have to do constantly do something. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: And least favorite?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: My least favorite about being an artist, is probably
how many people don’t understand. They’ll say, “Oh yeah, you’re an artist, but
what do you really do?” Or “So you’ve got an art degree. Now what?” Or even, “You’re an artist now, but what do
you want to be when you grow up?” It’s definitely a struggle to get people to
understand the way you think. That is one of the hardest about being an artist.
One of the things I don’t like about doing artwork is when something doesn’t
turn out the way you envision it, or it takes several attempts to get it to
work. You have an idea in your head, but you don’t know how to get it out and
make it look like what’s in your head.
Or that once you do make it, people still don’t get it and what you’re
trying to say. Then again, when it does
take a long time to get it done, when you do finally get it, it’s so rewarding.
You’ll be yelling at your painting for hours, but you’ll go back to it and be
so happy. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you ever get anxious to share your art with other
people?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Yes. The other night, I was painting this one piece,
and I wasn’t even done. I’m still not even done. But I’d been painting it for a
couple of hours, and I was really excited about this one part, since I had
accomplished something I had never done before while painting. I wanted to
share it with people, but there was no one around, so I took pictures and text
messaged it to people that I know, who had given me support and critique in the
past. I wanted to share, even though it wasn’t done, what I was making. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: How do you like the arts community around here?</div>
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<b>Lyra</b>: Well. I feel like there are a lot of different
communities, depending on what it is you do. So there is the dance community.
And it’s not necessarily the dance community as a whole, it’s what kind of
dance you do. So it’s the belly dance community, for me, and it’s kind of big,
for what you would assume to find in Utah, but it’s also limited in a way. I
feel the biggest problem with the dance community, and maybe even the other
arts communities I’m in, is advertising to the general public. The general
public does not know about a lot of what we do, so we are our own audience. As
for painting and sculpture, there’s a lot of artists here, in Utah, and a lot
of galleries and such. But still letting the general public know that you’re
there and have people wanting to support that? A lot of people will tell you
that you’re a good artist, but they won’t actually come to your gallery show or
buy a piece from you. So that support, going by coming and watching a show, or
going to a gallery opening, that’s the part the communities all seem to have a
struggle with. </div>
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Have someone else you'd like us to chat with? Suggestions are taken in the comments below! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-80118273886169354492013-12-03T13:41:00.000-08:002013-12-03T13:41:02.686-08:00Joshua Flicker<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Mandy</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I was in college many moons ago, I took a ceramics class. I bought the giant brick of clay, and I made the obligatory pinch pot, followed by the slightly more difficult coil pot. I was pregnant with my first child, a daughter, so I lovingly painted my creations in pink, yellow, and purple. But I never took the leap to the potter's wheel, and I never got to take my sad little pots home. Because I dropped the class after spring break.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fast forward 11 years, and I happen upon the amazing work of Joshua Flicker. An art teacher at Park City High School by day, his pieces have been featured at the Urban Arts Gallery, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and at galleries in Jackson Hole and Kentucky. As I admire his "industrial" ceramic work, I can't help but kick myself for dropping that class. Why weren't they teaching me this?!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh has been experimenting with, and excelling in, a variety of art forms for decades. The raw and gritty nature of his work calls me back to a blue-collar, hard working culture where men and women toil by the sweat of their brow, and carry home their lunch pails long after dark. It's real, and it's dirty in a beautiful way. If you have the chance to see it, you should definitely seek out Josh Flicker's ceramics.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: What kind of artist are you?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>
Josh: I know it can sometimes have a negative connotation, but I would say I am
a tinkerer. Many of my teachers from the past would not be happy to
hear this, but I often don't start off with a sketch of any kind. I
have a general idea of what it is that I want to create, but the idea
evolves as my artwork progresses. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>I try a lot of different things and a
lot of different combinations of similar things. I often build lots of
little pieces and start assembling them almost like legos. I move
pieces around, trying them in different areas until they "fit."</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: When did you first know you were interested in art?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: I've
always enjoyed making art, but in high school I was on a very academic
track, and unfortunately ignored much of the arts until my senior year,
when I had a little more flexibility in my schedule. In college, I
really dove into the arts and tried to take classes in every type of
media I could. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: Who are your favorite artists?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: I
think my favorite artists are always changing. Sometimes I will
stumble upon someone I never knew existed and they will totally change
my view of what art is or can be. Some of my favorite artists of the
past I have abandoned. Sometimes I really like one piece made by an
artist and really hate their other stuff. My current favorites are </span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kris Kuksi, Li Hongbo, Jim Koudelka, Ezra Caldwell (a bike builder), Steven Montgomery, Gaudi, and Tapies.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: Where do you find inspiration? </span></span></span></div>
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Josh: Google. I'm not kidding. Also, just in things I stumble upon day to day. Nature. Industrial/mechanical objects. Other artists.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: Who or what else influences you?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: Everyone, everything. Also no one and nothing. Inspiration often just kind of burrows itself into
my mind without me really knowing. It also presents itself very slowly
or in small pieces. I can't attribute it to any one thing or one
person. It materializes from the combination of all the things that
surround me.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: What is your biggest struggle or obstacle as an artist?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: I
don't think I have one specific struggle or obstacle. Just a bunch of
little ones that all pile together. They are also not always what I
would consider negative things; just things that take up my time and
energy.</span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Like finances, kids, my wife being in school, teaching high school (my "real" job), biking, skiing, television, etc. etc. etc.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: Are the people in your life supportive of your art?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: Fortunately,
all the people in my life have been very supportive of my art. However,
I am not living the stereotypical life of an artist; Someone who makes
art all day long and makes their money selling that art. If I really
dove in and all of a sudden had to start living the "starving artist"
lifestyle with all its romance and idealism, I'm not sure if that support
would still be there. I've never really had the guts to dive in to the
art world head-first like many of the artists that I admire. Maybe I
should change my answer to the previous question. Maybe that is my big
obstacle. Or maybe they also have real jobs on the side and I just
don't know about it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: Do you like to collaborate?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: I love getting input from other artists about my work, but I have rarely collaborated with others on a project.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: What are your goals as an artist?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: To get an MFA</span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. To make more money selling the artwork I create than teaching art to others</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. To keep making art.</span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: Are there any goals you've met so far?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: No. I always change them or add on to them.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: Everyone's
an artist. It's just not always visual. If I had to pick a new form
for my art, maybe it would come in the form of wandering the earth with
no real destination in mind. Just a chance to experience life in
whatever form it presents itself. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: Describe the technical process that goes into creating one of your pieces.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Josh: I
have a few different styles that take very different
approaches or techniques. For my more industrial looking items, the first
thing I do is look for items to make plaster molds from. Many of these
items are large nuts and bolts, pipes etc. I also use a lot of plastic
containers such as takeout boxes or rotisserie chicken containers,
coffee lids, pretty much anything. After the plaster molds are made I
press clay into them, let it stiffen and then stockpile a whole bunch of
little clay pieces that look like the originals. Next I just start
assembling all those pieces together. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I often have multiple projects
all being assembled at the same time. After I get a few pieces together,
I re-evaluate what I'm making and see what else I need. I make more
molds, hand-build pieces, throw parts on the potters wheel, then I start
adding them together all over again. It's like building with legos, but
if there is a piece I really need I can just build it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: How has your process changed over time?</span></span></span></div>
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Josh: Time helps you to get a better relationship with your medium. You build
a connection with it and can start to anticipate how it will react with
more certainty. My process hasn't changed greatly over time, but I think
- I hope - it is always becoming more refined, more consistent, for
lack of better words, "better." </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's
also important to me that my work does not get stuck in time. It needs
to evolve. It needs to change. But hopefully, it changes slowly enough
that it can still be identified as my work.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mandy: What themes do you pursue?</span></span></span></div>
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Josh: Industry, nature, mechanics</span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, change (seasons, erosion, time, age)</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, and growth.</span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To see more of Josh's work, visit his website, or send him an email.</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:flickerceramic@gmail.com" target="_blank">flickerceramic@gmail.com</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://joshuaflicker.com/" target="_blank">joshuaflicker.com</a></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-37180074156619248872013-11-19T09:39:00.000-08:002013-11-19T09:39:09.794-08:00Guillermo Colmenero<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">by Mandy</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVE76GVet6-JK2Nl_ltv6PQPgoTzJxnsE95HCbxQ0r4OWmN6-fccyu8jo9kQgFvmWZr5XmkrhGpWgh4dbFjcBFdX2-zX-496FPavNDteiZsA4gwDLZPLfdLtLRyNG89g2_1Vs_9_QS_s/s1600/DSCN7019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVE76GVet6-JK2Nl_ltv6PQPgoTzJxnsE95HCbxQ0r4OWmN6-fccyu8jo9kQgFvmWZr5XmkrhGpWgh4dbFjcBFdX2-zX-496FPavNDteiZsA4gwDLZPLfdLtLRyNG89g2_1Vs_9_QS_s/s400/DSCN7019.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week, I made my first ever visit to the </span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="hps">Chase</span> <span class="hps">Home Museum</span> <span class="hps">of Folk</span> <span class="hps">Arts</span> located in the heart of Liberty Park in Salt lake City. The museum is housed in a beautifully restored 1850s farmhouse, admission is free, and it contains the works of some of Utah's most talented folk, ethnic, and Native American artists. I was particularly drawn, however, to several tiny sculptures in one display, depicting well-known Day of the Dead characters. The amount of patience, time, and detail put into these figures was astounding. Guillermo Colmenero, who has studied drawing and design at Stanford University, was the creator of the sculptures. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since his days at Stanford, he has cultivated a love and talent for sculpture, and his vision has led him to create startlingly lovely pieces depicting nature, the beautiful, and the macabre. His pieces have been shown all over in Mexico and in the western United States, and he has been commissioned to work on several large projects in Mexico. In spite of this busy life, he graciously agreed to spend some time interviewing with me from Mexico City. </span></span><span class="hps"></span><span class="hps"><br /></span></span></span><br />
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<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: What kind of artist are you?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: I am a sculptor. The word
artist is so overrated these days; I don't like to use it anymore.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></span></span><div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"> Mandy: When did you first know you
were interested in art?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: As a child I was always
interested in the arts, but the idea became more realistic in my twenties, I
guess.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbDpAjzJ9ja4V_GdP-Wi1dtQWShA59WCVkAHttF7i3oW3oI-w5K3wCYNhSSuy9uGfMtr32Uju637zdEn_nhqHeWePcCFMzsGs5Sn_07TMBNaklcOIMdEdG6Nt1B_Fa_wg67XUc7d3ejQ/s1600/DSCN8718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbDpAjzJ9ja4V_GdP-Wi1dtQWShA59WCVkAHttF7i3oW3oI-w5K3wCYNhSSuy9uGfMtr32Uju637zdEn_nhqHeWePcCFMzsGs5Sn_07TMBNaklcOIMdEdG6Nt1B_Fa_wg67XUc7d3ejQ/s400/DSCN8718.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: Who are your favorite artists?</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: There are several. Some of my
favorites are August Rodin, Gerhard Demetz, Anthony Gormley, Salvatore Rizzuti,
and Javier Marín.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Where do you find
inspiration? Who or what influences you?</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 16.2pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: Other artists' works, such as
books, movies, poems, theatrical plays...but mostly life and death. And Mother
Nature.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIC2nHC9RwVWeqWY5-7t8eFCXaAG1f7a9GWYQOskaSVoZbg7gLZ4KfiQpXmLA7d7Kah55OsnEiW1BDC0WXbUfhQ1scWZHKJn0JQk3gzyoZIxe-x1Auf2nqun7FaurV-s4gaAjcXW2HgaQ/s1600/DSCN8696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIC2nHC9RwVWeqWY5-7t8eFCXaAG1f7a9GWYQOskaSVoZbg7gLZ4KfiQpXmLA7d7Kah55OsnEiW1BDC0WXbUfhQ1scWZHKJn0JQk3gzyoZIxe-x1Auf2nqun7FaurV-s4gaAjcXW2HgaQ/s400/DSCN8696.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: Name 3 artists you'd like to be
compared to.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span>Guillermo: </span>Definitely Rodin or my contemporaries like
Demetz, Wall, Poth, or Marín.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: What is your biggest
struggle or obstacle as an artist?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: Living off of what I create is the
most difficult because you have to be a salesman, too. Also, getting into the close
circles of the art world is not easy.<span> </span>You
have to be very well connected with the people that make the decisions.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: Are the people in your life
supportive of your art?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: At the beginning they were skeptical
about my career. But with time, they were seeing my determination and my money
earnings, and that shut them up (laughs).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WWgsnTsfDlaWc-4xXxqfjO5NSDTsX1eJ7DJDseQZUh-9ReB586WeVmE71grknSV9Ct3Fy4oaW632fl0Vg5ND1v98xkswJ4XiugJ52jDyu4l_pR5jZ6EmRY8yZ8aNSRA_pq5iViSFrb8/s1600/DSCN0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WWgsnTsfDlaWc-4xXxqfjO5NSDTsX1eJ7DJDseQZUh-9ReB586WeVmE71grknSV9Ct3Fy4oaW632fl0Vg5ND1v98xkswJ4XiugJ52jDyu4l_pR5jZ6EmRY8yZ8aNSRA_pq5iViSFrb8/s400/DSCN0053.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: Do you like to
collaborate? </span></span></span></div>
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Guillermo: I wouldn't mind at all to collaborate with any of my favorite artists. That would
be great.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: </span></span>Have you collaborated with anyone yet?</span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: I´ve collaborated with
other sculptors like Peter Cole, Dennise Record, and others when I was working
for Concept Casting and Western Architectural for facades on Las Vegas Casinos.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-lan_KgJ3d04CgJGEgwgW8e4aAjVXWCJFSQGAPKvejfUlk9S37mWnvHhZ3w28V2hIEFPryFQcaeroMvTQb247EZGLfy8J4vZ0IpZPu-LOBQc_IW3Slxa1oYUggs2LvE9K5ZQA5j3oAA/s1600/skeleton+dancers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-lan_KgJ3d04CgJGEgwgW8e4aAjVXWCJFSQGAPKvejfUlk9S37mWnvHhZ3w28V2hIEFPryFQcaeroMvTQb247EZGLfy8J4vZ0IpZPu-LOBQc_IW3Slxa1oYUggs2LvE9K5ZQA5j3oAA/s400/skeleton+dancers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: What are your goals as an
artist?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: I would like to be exhibiting
my work all over the world.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: Have you been able to do that in any way so far?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: Yes. I've been living off my
sculpture for the last seven years, and that’s very pleasing.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: If you couldn’t be an artist,
what would you do?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: Probably be a dog trainer. I
discovered recently that I really enjoy training dogs.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: Can you describe the technical process
that goes into creating one of your pieces?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: When the idea arrives, I start
sketching for a series of works with the same theme, then I create small maquetas
(models) for each sculpture in clay. Then, I choose the material, deciding from
bronze, resins, wood, or stone... and finally I execute the sculptures.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4KhhhlOh9GIf0nIcjp6VSzeDFaFBtOk9wOZtvNsXGCyHAP-ZJAEcCZljUm8EDZrtWeYeKvrZDpvuaoVwiM-dhELu0v4EZyWGZ6Xuy9rzYOzSl2IwTUXAW8NF-64HI58B8DDUIQYKvFY/s1600/1424470_10202490924613045_580585510_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4KhhhlOh9GIf0nIcjp6VSzeDFaFBtOk9wOZtvNsXGCyHAP-ZJAEcCZljUm8EDZrtWeYeKvrZDpvuaoVwiM-dhELu0v4EZyWGZ6Xuy9rzYOzSl2IwTUXAW8NF-64HI58B8DDUIQYKvFY/s400/1424470_10202490924613045_580585510_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: Has your process changed
over time?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: I have become more methodical
and patient; I plan really well the structures, and also choose the final finish
carefully.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Mandy: Do you find yourself pursuing any recurring themes?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Guillermo: I try to create dramatic sculptures;
life and death are my favorite subjects.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-BHbg7QfCqlZ5H-6iPE9nFJuSIqhfRGwS9Gt0nawMGdKm8HLVBT59va2ZhNDdAGVxT0Pr3DZZJ1V9SNmKK7mO60lxxnMilry1XegKyWZ1JhH9QkBfHTvTq63YOKSX_qXwHGviR0ry50/s1600/DSCN8733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-BHbg7QfCqlZ5H-6iPE9nFJuSIqhfRGwS9Gt0nawMGdKm8HLVBT59va2ZhNDdAGVxT0Pr3DZZJ1V9SNmKK7mO60lxxnMilry1XegKyWZ1JhH9QkBfHTvTq63YOKSX_qXwHGviR0ry50/s400/DSCN8733.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can read more about Guillermo, and see more of his sculpture on his facebook page:<span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Galeria.Guillermo.Colmenero" target="_blank"><span>www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>Galeria.Guillermo.Colmenero</span></a>.
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Or visit the</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts, located in the center of Liberty Park: </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">900 South or 1300 South at about 600 East, Salt Lake City. Hours: 8 am to 5 pm, Mon-Fri </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guillermo also has an upcoming exhibit at
ITESM (</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, México), Santa Fe campus in México City.</span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have an artist (of any kind!) you'd like to see interviewed? Leave a comment below.</span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-37022326473078728822013-11-14T09:30:00.000-08:002013-11-14T09:30:18.815-08:00Stephanie Corby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkr6K6scTTLPypKZ6uTK0lRXbFf1-gTZe_rqQlmTithk3keKUYrcEzkhWm_cSfMhHCB4NT3mtrtkc3xJKGpfatusMeUJCpj8Xbn9cCyaQK3mowGDzBtUS0kG7Rtk92s9jzC_QKS1s4qWo/s1600/350x200_Smaller_Color_MTSY_Poster_012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkr6K6scTTLPypKZ6uTK0lRXbFf1-gTZe_rqQlmTithk3keKUYrcEzkhWm_cSfMhHCB4NT3mtrtkc3xJKGpfatusMeUJCpj8Xbn9cCyaQK3mowGDzBtUS0kG7Rtk92s9jzC_QKS1s4qWo/s1600/350x200_Smaller_Color_MTSY_Poster_012.jpg" /></a></div>
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There are people, out there, in the world, with a talent that simply does not have limits. They are pretty rare, but I've been lucky enough to come across just one such individual. Her name is Stephanie Corby, and when I tell you that this woman's voice will blow you away, I am not dramatizing. </div>
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I first saw her perform several years ago, here in Salt Lake City. By this point, she'd already released an album, and was touring. Her music was a mix of blues, jazz, folk, and her easy going, big smiling nature on stage was a hit with the audience. Most impressive, though, was the voice that simply doesn't quit. There seemed to be no range that she couldn't reach. </div>
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A gracious New Englander, she always seemed to charm everyone she met. Other musicians would sing her praises, and hosts couldn't speak more highly of the woman, so when I asked her for an interview, she kept with that trend and I couldn't have been more thrilled. Read on to unlock a little more of this fascinating voice and the great woman behind it.</div>
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<b>The Interview:</b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How would you describe your music<b>? </b></div>
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<b>Stephanie:</b> I often refer to myself as a
soulful songstress. The Webster
Dictionary’s definition of soulful is “full of or expressing feeling or emotion.” I think that pretty much “hits the nail on
the head” as far as my music concerned.
I approach everything I do musically from a soulful standpoint – whether
I am singing, playing guitar or writing songs.
There is no other way for me.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>When were you first interested in music? What caught that
interest? </div>
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<b>Stephanie:</b> My first real musical memory is being about 5 years old – I was sitting
next to my grandmother on a piano bench as she played Rachmaninoff. She was an amazing pianist. I was always amazed at the way she moved and
swayed while she played with her eyes closed.
The music was so powerful – it stayed with me and moved me. <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>At what point did you decide to go pro? </div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b> It was
later than most! I didn’t write my first
song until I was 28. I then started
singing backup for other artists…and then after a couple years of writing
songs, and performing at open mics, I
decided it was time to get serious about getting my art out into the world.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Has being on that level of music really changed your
viewpoints/perspectives on the world? How about on music? </div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b>It truly has. It has humbled
me. As the years have gone by I have
realized that my art is not really about me – it is about the people that sit
in the audience or listen to my songs.
It is service. I have been given
a gift and it is my responsibility to share that gift with people. I am always amazed at the way people take in
music and how it affects them personally.
I am also amazed by the kindness I have experienced in the strangest of
places and geographies. Music unites
people and I love that I can be a conduit in that regard.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/qI5zPf5i9RM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you prefer the creation or the performance<b>?</b></div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b>I would have to say performance – simply because
singing is my favorite thing to do….period.
<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How have those closest to you reacted to all of this? </div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b>T<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;">hey are happy, supportive, and proud. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;">J</span><b> </b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<b>Kita: </b>How have you found the music community?<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Stephanie: </b>I think initially I went to a lot of open mics
and attended a lot of music conferences like the North American Folk Alliance
and South-by-South-West. It connected me
with my tribe- a tribe that would lead me to many new places. My true musical family resides at the
Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas – I have been convening there with my fellow
songwriters since 1999.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you struggle to maintain a good balance of day-to-day vs
music? </div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b>Yes – balance is always hard,
isn’t it? I try to carve out time on my
calendar each week to devote to my “muse” – it doesn’t always work out but most
of the time it does!</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>How about the business side vs the music side? </div>
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<b>Stephanie:</b> For
some strange reason I was born with a split brain that is both artistic and
business-minded. It has served me
well. I actually worked for a few years
in NYC as VP of Marketing & Promotion at an Americana Record Label. It was before I started my own music career
and I learned so much about the business and how to manage myself moving
forward.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What's your favorite
aspect of music? </div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b>Singing and
performing with other people. As I said
before, music unites people. When two
musicians get into the “zone” while they are playing with each other, there is
nothing better. I often perform with an
amazing guitar player named David Glaser.
I feel that he is my “brother from another mother!” It is almost as if we can read each other’s minds
musically….it is effortless and so rewarding.
To me it is the musician’s version of nirvana. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Least favorite? </div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b>Egos.
Enough said.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Where do you find inspiration? </div>
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<b>Stephanie:</b> In
everything!!!!!!!</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Do you prefer working alone, or is collaboration more your
style<b>? </b></div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b>I prefer to write alone and perform with others.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What is touring like?</div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b>Exhausting
and rewarding. Touring has allowed me to see many corners of North America that most
people will never get to see. I remember one time I did a show at a cowboy
hotel in Reed Point, Montana. The
population of the town was 99 and 80 people showed up for the show! Those are memories that you always take with
you. I also remember many faces and
souls that I have crossed paths with over the years – some haunt me and some
make me smile. I am grateful for all of
them. <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>If you could go back in time, and tell your beginner self
one thing, <a href="" name="_GoBack"></a>what would it be?</div>
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<b>Stephanie: </b> YOU
ROCK – don’t let anyone tell you different<b>! </b></div>
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<b>To get more information on this super talented lady, check out her website here: </b><a href="http://www.stephaniecorby.com/">http://www.stephaniecorby.com/</a></div>
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<b>Don't forget Facebook: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Corby/64175192723">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Corby/64175192723</a></div>
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Have anyone else you'd like us to chat with? Suggestions are taken in the comments below! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-64290698548156931602013-11-08T10:34:00.000-08:002013-11-08T10:34:07.994-08:00Fvorboda Exlani<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Kita</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bY-1CMLw4pfKu25R1LTaVbp7Vld6WsvlkrmeYW2ZsPhjvhJnW9W5XQxMPHCy2sI5rhrTE51FhFRj_DPu1tBNGsoSaYzJEZTERBkQirg4kYbfudxr-mBb_g3uHRAfbdOKivlwla3ouFA/s1600/Boda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bY-1CMLw4pfKu25R1LTaVbp7Vld6WsvlkrmeYW2ZsPhjvhJnW9W5XQxMPHCy2sI5rhrTE51FhFRj_DPu1tBNGsoSaYzJEZTERBkQirg4kYbfudxr-mBb_g3uHRAfbdOKivlwla3ouFA/s320/Boda.jpg" width="255" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fvorboda is one of those names, synonymous with quality, kindness, and just all around talent. Most dancers settle for being a talented soloist- no mean feat, in and of itself. The more ambitious ones even jump headlong into the creating and running of troupes. But Fvorboda's attitude, a mix of can-do and badass-ery, shines through. This woman wouldn't settle. Instead of a troupe, she started a school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Desert Journey School of Dance is a safe haven for dancers, a place where they can come to dance, perform, and be themselves, no matter the skill level. And Fvorboda is at the heart of it all. Her true love is her troupe, Dragomi, one of the premiere troupes in the Intermountain West, with their unique dragon style. But don't mistake her for one note at all. She has such a wide variety of performance styles, and she's mastered them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Most importantly, Fvorboda is more than just a talented businesswoman, dancer, and performer. She's also kind, never uttering a harsh word, and always willing to patiently work with her students and teachers on whatever they most need help with. In a fast-pace world of performance, that's a rare and valuable thing. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Interview: </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">How would you describe your art? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>My art is as much teaching as it is dancing. I enjoy assisting others to grow and develop and gain self-esteem and confidence. This is a big part of why I teach. And I have always loved to dance. I love music and love the way the music flows through me. Music is like another language to me--as it "speaks" movement responds.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>What first got you into belly dance? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>A co-worker at my work asked me to try something new with her. She'd found a beginning class at Kismet and wanted to try it, but didn't want to go alone. I had always wanted to dance, but never had the body (in my mind), or the opportunity. I grew up very much a "tom-boy" into sports and athletics, and was more into arm wrestling than snake arms. It was a door that opened up to me at the right time, and never having been in a formal dance class before, it was new, fun, and challenging.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>At what point did you really get into it on your own? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>When Kismet closed, my co-worker stopped taking classes. I didn't want to stop and ventured off with Adina to take classes with her. Soon, Adina left for Army Basic Training and I found myself alone. I continued taking classes from varying teachers and soon started my own mini school, Exlani School of Dance. After 2 years, I started teaching at my work in the Fitness Center</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>What inspired you to start your first troupe? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>I invited friends and family to take classes and started teaching what I knew to my sisters-in-law. It wasn't too long before we had costumes and were performing at belly dance events at the Galivan Center and Multicultural Center. I had my own way of dancing that others seemed to like, and in 2001 Amani (the first Dragomi) was born. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>Where do you find your inspiration?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>I find my inspiration in music and in other dancers. Music is what guides my choreography, my movement, the feeling I push through dance, and the story I want to give to the audience. Other dancers are inspirational! The way they have trained their body to move, the effort that they put in their dancing, and the stories they tell me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>How do you feel belly dance has changed your life? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>It has taught me a lot about humans--what drives them, what intimidates them, and the dynamics of how each individual interacts separately and as a group. Bellydancing is much like a orchestra or choir to me, and there is a rhythm to each group that creates harmony when all work together. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>Do you struggle to maintain a balance between day-to-day life and your dancing?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>Definitely. I am the busiest person I know. (But maybe everybody says that.) I work a really demanding day job in a fairly high level position, I am a single mom of a gifted child, I have a house that I moved into not too long ago that needs attention, I choreograph a couple hours a week and I teach 5-10 hours a week. And if I can find time, I donate plasma. ;) What drives me is what I am committed to, and holding my integrity to that.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda:</b>When it was just me, it was a breeze. With several fabulous teachers working with me, it has become much more challenging. My goal has always been to be a dance school first and and business second. I want women (and men) to come to a place where they aren't spending an arm and a leg to do something they love. But I also have to balance out what I can afford to run the school with what we have to offer at the school. I believe I will always be in the learning curve on the business side, and the dance side.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>Do you struggle to keep motivated on the business side as well as the dance side? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>Not too much. It is really more about finding the time to do everything. Sometimes I choose sleep, sometimes I choose finishing the finances. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>What were your goals when you started? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>To teach what I know, to share my knowledge with others, and to provide a place where others could come for whatever they needed, whether it be a new friend, to be a part of something fun, a sanctuary from relationships, a break from the kids, or the start of their dance career. (And I wanted to have people to dance with.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>How about now? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>They actually haven't changed. I would add that I want to focus on building confidence and allow people to open up. Starting out very shy and closed, I also want others to be able to open up and be as fearless as they can be.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>What is your biggest struggle? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>Time and internal struggles. I am a tough cookie, but soft in the middle. My humanity allows me to worry what others think, worrying if someone is not happy, failing at being the best I can be, or not good enough, and feeling valued for what I do. I think everyone has that to some degree or another. Give me a time machine, though, and I'd be ecstatic!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>Do you prefer the creation or the performance side?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>Both, but moreso the creation side. Performing is fun because it is challenging to me personally and takes me out of my comfort zone in a positive way. But I can easily create and choreograph something for a group and never perform it, and I feel just as satisfied. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 4pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kita: </b>If you could go back in time and tell your beginner self one thing, what would it be? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fvorboda: </b>Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of looking dumb, making a mistake, or trying something unusual. Lose yourself in the dance, not so much the technicality of the moves. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And do awesome stuff now before you get old and it hurts. ;)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To take classes or check out the schedule at the school, visit: </span><a href="http://www.desertjourney.com/">http://www.desertjourney.com/</a></div>
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</div>
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Don't forget to check out Facebook! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DesertJourney">https://www.facebook.com/DesertJourney</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEY-dxBGRurcYDEwcNzJWBevl1NfwtTe5eWPvKHwSYWr9GGeofTXsHsEjejWxcd6-mDclB19TAurAxm7zR6pJjK4f6UQEcBkFrI2-hHML9sHAHCF4pQe55DwUDKsoGfa85_WB3h9ykpk0/s1600/Boda3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEY-dxBGRurcYDEwcNzJWBevl1NfwtTe5eWPvKHwSYWr9GGeofTXsHsEjejWxcd6-mDclB19TAurAxm7zR6pJjK4f6UQEcBkFrI2-hHML9sHAHCF4pQe55DwUDKsoGfa85_WB3h9ykpk0/s320/Boda3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
</span></span><br />
Have someone else you'd like us to chat with? Suggestions are taken in the comments below!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-50177567436101185042013-11-04T21:35:00.000-08:002013-11-04T21:35:34.497-08:00Julie Lucus<span style="font-family: inherit;">by Mandy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> If you've taken a trip to the Urban Arts Gallery lately, you've been greeted by two majestic, deliciously gaudy life-size figures standing near the doorway. You've been nearly blinded by the dazzling mosaic glass which covers one, or the pristine shining metal which makes up the other. I was blown away by these, and several other pieces by Julie Lucus featured in the gallery. I knew I had to interview her, however, once I saw the hollowed out dress form with a delightfully creepy doll head peaking out from the inside. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lucus is a multi-media artist, using found and seemingly unrelated objects and putting them together in a way which tickles the brain and inspires our pension for dark humor. If you get the chance, you need to see these amazing sculptures in person. I can't describe what you'll feel. I can only say you will be pleasantly surprised. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What kind of artist are you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a sculptor and artist provocateur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blurring boundaries, breaking rules, and
compulsive experimentation occupies much of my artistic time. I use
unconventional materials and concepts outside the scope of traditional
art-making to delight the eye, and shock the sensibilities. I use both new and
recycled materials, often disassembling them and then reassembling them in new,
startlingly exotic combinations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">In much of my work there are underlying tones of irony, irreverence, and
mischievous humor. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When did you first know you were interested
in art? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I developed an interest in art in high school
and it’s been with me since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
photography to pottery to growing bonsai, and just about everything artistic in
between- has engaged me at some point in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t produce my first sculpture until
2002 or so, but once I did, I pretty much lost interest in all other creative
activities. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are your favorite artists?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damien Hirst never fails to impress me with
his shocking sculptural and installation works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is fearless in his use of controversial materials to convey his
message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His design concepts are very
costly and he is not afraid to put a lot of money into his works. Hirst is a
risk taker when it comes to business strategy, and an outright marketing genius
when it comes moving his art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Liza Lou is a bead
artist who first gained attention for her room-sized beaded installation,
“Kitchen” in the late 1990’s. What I like about Liza is that she elevated “the
craft” of beading to a fine art form that even the most pretentious art critics
can’t ignore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has not allowed her
material of choice to define her as a “crafter”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She rejected that label rather loudly, and
has gone on to show her works in some of the world’s most prestigious galleries.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mark Ryden is a pop
surrealist painter and what I love about his work the most is his color palette.
He uses a lot of pinks and greens together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I would re-color the world with his palette if I could because it has
such a strong effect on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His doe-eyed
children and animals make me feel warm and fuzzy and at the same time, slightly
melancholy and a little devilish too.</span><span style="font-size: 15pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chinese artist,
architect and activist Ai Weiwei is a hero of mine because he is not afraid to
agitate through art in order to raise political awareness. He makes people mad,
but he also makes them think, and that creates dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in my mind, that is as admirable reason
to create art. He is also very much a humanitarian, and has employed hundreds
of his country’s poorest people to help produce porcelain objects for some of
his large-scale installations.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where do you find inspiration?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who or what influences you? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been greatly influenced by found
object art, and I use some parts of that art making process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the idea of combining things and
rearranging parts and objects to make entirely new objects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried for a long time to live with the
corrosion and imperfections that are an integral part of found object art, but
just couldn’t come to terms with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I create, I go for shiny, glossy, smooth, perfection with bold
color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of my pieces include found
or vintage items, but you would never know it because the finished piece is
usually quite pristine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">My inspiration
usually comes from reflection, or what is going on in my life at the time- but it
also includes the peripheral influence of popular culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to approach subjects that are perhaps
a little disarming, irreverent, morose, and macabre. I am also more than a
little fascinated with death and rebirth. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Describe the technical process that goes into
creating one of your pieces. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh boy, which one? I use a lot of different
techniques in my work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, well let’s say I want to create a 3D
creature and then mosaic it with glass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
begin with the sculpture base, using wire, wood, fiberglass and resin, and/or
high-density Styrofoam to get the basic shape down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can carve Styrofoam with an electric
knife to create some really elegant lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I refine the base shape by adding to it with bondo or plaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hand-sand the structure and then repeat the
process as needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually coat the
entire structure with a two-part epoxy resin to create a super hard shell over
the structure. I paint the base exactly how I want it to look when it is
covered in glass. I hand cut my glass into ½” x ½ “ or ¼ “ x ¼” squares
depending on the complexity of the shape. I use the direct mosaic method and
glue the glass directly onto the structure. Once the mosaic work is complete, I
grout the entire structure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What is your biggest struggle or obstacle as an artist? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Knowing who you are as an artist is hard and getting people to see you
in the same light is even harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
“craft versus art” debate has been dogging me for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am I an artist, or am I a craftsman?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, am I an artist of craft?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Art aficionados tell us that craft is technique
driven, and that objects made through the pursuit of perfect technique are decorative
objects without any underlying substance. They tell us that fine art is an idea
or thought that is represented visually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They tell us fine art is conceptual, and will journey further,
intellectually and emotionally, past purely decorative objects. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Admittedly, I do some design work that is
strictly decorative, but the majority of my work is conceptual, and does
involve thought and emotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem
is, the execution of my work is very technique driven, and when I am creating,
the process is just as important to me as the concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m torn really, and can’t decide if I am
offended or not when critics call my work “craft as art.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are the people in your life supportive of
your art?</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Julie:</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">My family is supportive… or at the least, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tolerant</i> of my art, and the lifestyle
that supports it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My art and work areas
have pretty much taken over most of my home; so hanging out at my house is an
interesting experience for most people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
lot of the furniture and possessions I spent half my life acquiring have gone
by the wayside, to make room for art, supplies, and work areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my mind, I’m living the dream, but for
some friends and relatives… well they <u>do</u> worry about me not having a
couch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Laughs).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you like to collaborate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who have you collaborated with?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do bounce concepts off artist friends from
time to time, but when it comes down to actually doing the work, I don’t collaborate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creating art is a very singular experience
for me, and when I am creating, it’s all about me being in the moment, and
going the direction I want to go creatively. I know that must sound pretty
narcissistic, but I think a lot of artists feel that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love every moment of the creative process,
and would find it difficult to share that with anyone. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a journey that I want to take alone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you think about the art scene in Salt
Lake?</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If you had asked me that a few years ago my
answer would have been very different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think the Salt Lake City art scene is much more contemporary and cutting edge
than it used to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Urban and
underground artists are recognized and accepted in most art circles these days,
and hip young galleries seem to be popping up all of the time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">When I first entered
the art scene in 2004, the majority of what was showing in galleries was
traditional, conservative works created in traditional, conservative mediums. I
joined an artist-run co-op named,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“New
Visions” gallery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a wonderful
showcase for both known and unknown artists like myself, whose work was quite a
distance outside convention at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Art Co-ops are hard to keep going, so the gallery closed after a few
years, but it was a great place for me to start showing my work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, while I don’t necessarily like to
collaborate on art per say, I did enjoy the collaborative effort of trying to
keep a gallery open and thriving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of
the member artists were working toward the same goal of having and maintaining
a venue for their art.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have a favorite local artist?</span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Now, answering that would get me in some
trouble...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are your goals as an artist? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generally, my goals as an artist are to be true
to myself and to continue to create things that I am proud of; to not be afraid
of chasing perfection through technique; to continue to experiment with new
materials and processes; and to never chase after money with art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More specifically, I’d like to have a show in
New York and build an art car some day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you met any of your goals so far? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, I would say so, but the solo show in
New York and the art car are going to take some time. (Laughs)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you
do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, I have been lucky enough to have
a career in a creative field (photography and video production), so I am never
without the opportunity to do something creative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, if I couldn’t make art outside my day
job, I might very well be institutionalized (laughing).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Art…
the kind you make for yourself and not other people…. is like therapy, and it’s
usually cheaper and much more effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most of the time I create art for myself, not for the public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, if someone else happens to like it,
well, that’s really a bonus.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNuLTF5sggaL3U-PUE-RUxpJ75Nzo0tTIsSTvi7PeESID9gXllRmMlemB9sPOHgtBwf-lIgWnepj62BaMS35xwzE9_-8E1drtmFcejcXAE2Ow4AQJ42BaElLui26WYxWIGf28jWll9zk/s1600/Stasis1_Med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNuLTF5sggaL3U-PUE-RUxpJ75Nzo0tTIsSTvi7PeESID9gXllRmMlemB9sPOHgtBwf-lIgWnepj62BaMS35xwzE9_-8E1drtmFcejcXAE2Ow4AQJ42BaElLui26WYxWIGf28jWll9zk/s320/Stasis1_Med.jpg" width="184" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To contact Julie, or see more of her art, visit her website:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">julielucus.30art.com</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">email:</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="mailto:julielucus@yahoo.com"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext;">julielucus@yahoo.com</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Julie currently has pieces
showing at the UAA Urban Gallery at the Gateway Mall (</span>137 South Rio Grande Street, Salt Lake City)<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">, and at the Sugarhouse Gallery
(Artistic Framing Company), 2160 South Highland Drive, Salt Lake City.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-70355591993189531092013-10-28T09:58:00.001-07:002013-10-28T09:58:22.592-07:00Steve Bassett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Kita</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_960XT-JLZ7Vn5UDHJZJOyHpyXY_oWNEHjvSS5P6ZNWemgtsRVAuWB3T1HCrgv8OHoviiXtW1NfEMj8eW5mU8tbghVAuMiaw8nViZAfgqTJjnErG5WG_BoJXQhE1WyCqNi4VoBkNpGa8/s1600/Steve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_960XT-JLZ7Vn5UDHJZJOyHpyXY_oWNEHjvSS5P6ZNWemgtsRVAuWB3T1HCrgv8OHoviiXtW1NfEMj8eW5mU8tbghVAuMiaw8nViZAfgqTJjnErG5WG_BoJXQhE1WyCqNi4VoBkNpGa8/s320/Steve.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In talking to Steve Bassett this week, I discovered a soul that has a good mix of transformation and confidence, absolutely essential traits in any performance artist. With a passion for music that started in childhood in Long Island, he's stuck to his guns there, working endlessly to create work he cares about, largely influenced by groups like the Beatles and the Grateful Dead. He studied music composition in Albany, NY, before moving to Northern California. In 1994, he settled himself in Salt Lake City. </div>
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What I notice the most in his music, is that I can't help but picture him as a positive, and pretty enlightened soul. Even his moodier pieces seem to portray an image of understanding and confidence. It's no wonder that I have found him to be a popular artist, and man, in the Salt Lake Valley. </div>
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Most of all, I'm excited to share this unique perspective with everyone of you readers. This is a man to pay attention to, with a medley of worthwhile messages, and a variety of wonderful songs for your listening to pleasures. </div>
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<b>The Interview: </b></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">Kita</b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: What kind of artist would you describe yourself as?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I have been playing music since I was 7 and have always been fascinated about the range of emotions and experience that music can convey. I studied music in college and am interested all types of music from classical to rock. That being said, my music is heavily influenced by the Beatles and the improvisational aspects of the Grateful Dead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: What first got you into art? How about music?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/EQZikUKeBZ4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I heard the Beatles and that was all it took. I started learning guitar and, soon after, started writing songs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: Where, how, or why do you find your inspirations at?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to train yourself to notice it. Most if it comes from interactions with people or observation them from a distance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: Do you prefer to do your own thing or work with others?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I like working with others because you can create something that is bigger than what each of you could achieve on your own. Very often, I have a clear vision of what I want to achieve and then work with others to refine it and add to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: Is it performing or creation that really does it for you?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: The two are very different. Creation can be very time-consuming and frustrating. You can’t rush it, and you have to trust that the ‘aha’ moment is around the corner. Performing is about working and preparing so that, when you are on stage, you have a laser focus that transmits your music and your lyrics. Working with a band, it’s about having the band work as a single organism that is responding effortlessly to each other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: Do you ever get stage fright? How do you deal with that, if you do?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I don’t get stage fright. Ever. A long time ago, I realize that if I practiced ahead of time, and had the confidence and focus when performing, the audience would accept me at that moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: How about the day-to-day aspects of life? Is it rough to mix with your work?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I am predisposed to experience things creatively, and that is a nice tool to have. Actually applying creativity does take a certain mindset, a certain vulnerability.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: How about the business side of art? Do you find they harmonize easily for you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: The business side is not nearly as much fun. Booking gigs, promoting oneself, using social media for marketing is just a necessary evil to be able to get your art out to people.
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: What are your biggest struggles or hardships relating to art? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: Having the discipline to regularly create a space where creativity is possible. Another struggle is to intentionally refine your art, to be able to offer something new to the world.
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: What were you goals when you first jumped into this? How about now?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: To share my music with the world, to explore my own notion of creativity, have fun and make a few dollars here or there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: What's your favorite part of art? Least favorite?
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2mGfyj1LeJK7TSkvbdQ2hLn3ZKFkQuWh-hKIzKXjMfTlNxuhHSCDnAYeX7pwBetuVely2dvnke8C6zwN-iRMSTKJdq8ggRnBWQAHaS-rgjqa-yfwbVH_Hyyr3IbYCz-kFfL6dEM_hjc/s1600/Steve+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2mGfyj1LeJK7TSkvbdQ2hLn3ZKFkQuWh-hKIzKXjMfTlNxuhHSCDnAYeX7pwBetuVely2dvnke8C6zwN-iRMSTKJdq8ggRnBWQAHaS-rgjqa-yfwbVH_Hyyr3IbYCz-kFfL6dEM_hjc/s320/Steve+2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I love the way art forces you to think, to reexamine your preconceptions. Ultimately, art can help create a larger, more inclusive world for you. Of course, sometimes art can be nothing more than enjoyment or a release from the stress one might feel. I am not too keen on that type of art though. And, sometime art can make you uncomfortable if pushes you into an area that is dark for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: How do you find the music community has received you? How about the larger SLC area arts community?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: Salt Lake has an amazing music community and I feel honored to be an active part of that. I feel very much like they are my extended family. I try to give back as well by hosting house concerts and working with IAMA, so there is a lot of good energy being shared. All of this is true of the larger arts community. We are truly blessed to have so much art available to you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: How about those closest to you?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I think my friends and family see how passionate I am about creating and performing music and, even they don’t always understand it, they respect me for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: Do you enjoy working with others? What kind of settings do you enjoy doing so in?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I enjoy both leading a band and sitting in with others as well. Because of my education in music, it is easy for me to join another artist and play some leads with them. As soon as I understand the melody and chord structure, I am off to the races.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: What's the typical process from start to finish of getting a song ready to go?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: I usually start with a melody and a line or two of the chorus. That’s a little backwards for many people. From there I flesh out the melody and outline the verses so I can tell a complete story. After everything is fine-tuned, I play the song endlessly, tweak it more, until the song is really inside me. Then I get and perform it.
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kita</b>: If you could go back and tell your beginner self one thing, what would it be?
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steve</b>: Master finger-picking while you are young!</span></div>
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For more info on Steve and his band, check out: <a href="http://steve-bassett.com/home">http://steve-bassett.com/home</a></div>
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To purchase his CD, check out amazon.com here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/So-Beautiful-Steve-Bassett/dp/B009YAT6XY/ref=sr_1_6?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1382586275&sr=1-6&keywords=steve+bassett">http://www.amazon.com/So-Beautiful-Steve-Bassett/dp/B009YAT6XY/ref=sr_1_6?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1382586275&sr=1-6&keywords=steve+bassett</a></div>
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If you have anyone else you'd like us to chat with, leave a comment below! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-77886476946739907722013-10-21T09:49:00.001-07:002013-10-21T09:49:08.482-07:00Kel-Z<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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by Kita<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1ttQrJlZcuGRXrjC1epiuiULoDw98QRFeaDHhJqi_Hpo55A21U25RWsoH8-P_R3Aog5X1HyI9kpK8VMfn9bwC0_wkpAK7YuSQtyefMkcJjUw-6ICiIJaLibe42hdkWtBpaMPRq5uNk8/s1600/Kel-Z+Mohawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1ttQrJlZcuGRXrjC1epiuiULoDw98QRFeaDHhJqi_Hpo55A21U25RWsoH8-P_R3Aog5X1HyI9kpK8VMfn9bwC0_wkpAK7YuSQtyefMkcJjUw-6ICiIJaLibe42hdkWtBpaMPRq5uNk8/s1600/Kel-Z+Mohawk.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #500050;">Kel-Z is a beautiful bubbly lady, with a big smile and a shock of blonde hair. A more positive soul is hard to find, but let's not forget she's pretty industrious, too. Her photography has taken the Salt Lake Valley, and even the Wasatch Front, by storm. With a keen eye, a camera in hand, and a surprising ability to create whatever she needs for a shoot, she's quickly become one of the most celebrated artists around. </span><br />
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Variety is a big part of her work. Even though Kel-Z herself is one of the most naturally cheerful people I've ever met, she's certainly never able to be pigeonholed. There's newborns, there's art, there's a huge swath of moods and settings. It all mixes together in her mind, and what comes out in the end is truly beautiful and unique. Variety doesn't just apply to her photography, though. It also covers her entire life. She paints, is a make up artist, and belly dances. </div>
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Almost everyone I've talked to in the area has nothing bad at all to say about this lovely lady. Her work is a mixture of all elements of life, a true catalog of the journeys that life can and often will take you on. In short, I could not more earnestly recommend you take a minute of your time to read this interview and check out the links to her work below! </div>
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<b>The Interview:</b></div>
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<b>Kita: </b>What first got you into photography? </div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: A general art class that I took in College my first year. I actually had no idea I was good at it until this point. I always loved looking at old photos of my family and thinking how cool they always were. </div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Why photography?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: You can change the mood of an image with just the flick of your finger, you can control the world your subject is in and the overall mood of the photo can be Powerful.</div>
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<b>Kita: </b>Where do you find most of your inspiration?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: I find a lot of inspiration from movies, music and other creative artists. Everyday objects as well. I once saw a grocery bag floating on the freeway and as the cars drove by it filled it with air and rose higher. That gave me the thought to make balloons out of those bags then a dress and then a whole recycle theme to a photo that you can see here: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kelseyphoto/5716972738/in/set-72157622724525125" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/<wbr></wbr>kelseyphoto/5716972738/in/set-<wbr></wbr>72157622724525125</a></div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Is finding models hard? Maybe finding people with the right "look"?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: There are always people wanting to shoot with me and I always pride myself on shooting real people, real sized people and women as my models. This world is always a good inspiration to me to create something unique and fun.It is very rare that a model doesn't fit what i'm looking for, If no one is willing to model for me then I will use myself as a self portrait. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What's the typical process of a photo shoot, from planning to releasing, like for you? </div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: I get inspired and then contact a model. I usually shoot within one month of my inspiration. Shoots typically take 1-3 hours depending on type and then 2+ hours in post processing on the computer editing. I post and share images within 2 days of the final product being done. There are some ideas I have had for years and just are unable to work out a model for my vision or weather delays it etc. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What are your biggest struggles?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: I feel like we are our own worst critics, I love shooting but finding the time to put in the time editing on the computer is my biggest struggle. And I really HATE to reschedule things due to weather!!! One of my pet peeves!!! Also gear is expensive and I always want the new cool toys... but it makes working for it and buying it that much better. I do have a hard time editing and doing computer work when My husband and dogs just want to cuddle and play!!!</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What were your goals when you started?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: To make Very creative highly stylized photos that make people think when they look at them.</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: How about now?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: Making a living at photography in whatever way I can, As well as documenting people LIVING their lives and different stages of life. I find the everyday very interesting and documenting the times in which we live with MY twist on them. </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What other art forms have you tried? Have they influenced your photography at all?</div>
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Kel-Z: I am a self taught makeup artist, belly dancer and I dabble in abstract modern painting as well. The makeup have appeared in my photos and help me to keep seeing things in different ways. Painting has helped me know that I cannot fully control everything. See a painting of mine here: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kelseyphoto/4747144857/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/<wbr></wbr>kelseyphoto/4747144857/</a> dancing is something I have done since the age of 3 it comes so naturally to me it flows from me. I hear a beat and cant help but to MOVE!!</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: What's your favorite part of being a photographer?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: Creating something that will last many lifetimes. I see photography as any other form of art and the images I take now will be around for years!!! And have the potential to become classic in the art community. I love meeting new people and shooting a variety of people. I love to see families grow before my very lens!! I have shot some families for over 7 years now each year its so fun to see!!</div>
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<b>Kita</b>; Least favorite?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: Lugging around a almost 6 pound peice of equipment around my neck lol!!! I need a massage badly here soon!!! And when people copy my work to the tee. I am flattered that they love my work but re making a photo that someone has already created is just not cool!!</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: How do you find you've been received by the arts community along the Wasatch Front?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: I feel like I have been accepted by everyone. Lots of people know my work and knowing that people are looking at my work and looking forward to seeing what i'm coming up with next really drives me! </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: How about the people closest to you? Are they supportive?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: I have the BEST family and friends who support me through and through. They attend my gallery showings, they encourage me to keep going, they always refer people to me as new clients and pass out my cards!!<br /></div>
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<b>Kita</b>: With the recognition you've received, do you ever have weird experiences as a result? (Like running into fans in the grocery store, or similar) </div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: Yes, I run into my fans ALL the time the most recent time was at Best Buy!! They recognize me from all my self portraits I have done!! I love it they are always so nice and encouraging and excited to meet me!! </div>
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OK time for the weird experience... I was out shooting with a friend at the Great Salt Lake of me modeling in my belly dance costumes. There was a couple out in the water and I noticed their shoes were floating away in the water but they were too far for me to reach so I just let them float. I get a TEXT message a couple day s later asking me to return the shoes I had stole!!! The people had recognized me and went to my website to get my phone # to text message me. That was the only weird thing. It ended up being a BIG misunderstanding and we are all over the lost shoes!! </div>
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<b>Kita</b>: How do you find the balance between business stuff and art stuff to be? Is it rough maintaining both?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: Business stuff and art stuff is all the same for me. It is all work in one way or another as well as fun so I don't separate the two in my mind. Now work and personal life that's a whole other struggle!!</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: After everything you've gone through, if you could go back in time and tell your beginner self one thing, what would it be?</div>
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<b>Kel-Z</b>: This is what I tell people who are starting out in photography: Shoot everyday and edit everyday. Learn to shoot FILM and its processing in a dark room.( that show I started and so many of the techniques in editing apply directly to the dark room experience) Learn the rules of lighting etc. and I find that my result is the same in 100 photos as it is in 400! Your time is valuable and make the most of it so you can produce quality work.<br /><br /> I choose to mentor 1 new photographer a year or whenever I feel like I can teach someone for the better of the art form. I am SO proud of my girl Bridget who I mentored over that last couple years she is doing amazing fashion photography! See her stuff here:<a href="https://www.facebook.com/B.E.M.Photography" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/B.E.<wbr></wbr>M.Photography</a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">And I am currently meeting with new photographers for mentoring sessions coming up the end of this month. That's the thing you can ALWAYS learn as well as get better no matter how experienced you are in your craft!!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Want to book a shoot? Purchase a print? Contact Kel-Z at Kelzphoto@gmail.com.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Be sure to check out her Facebook page here: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kel-Z-Photography/257001088132">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kel-Z-Photography/257001088132</a><br />
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Have anyone else you'd like us to interview? Let us know in the comment section below!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-12294429887782138152013-10-17T20:16:00.001-07:002013-10-17T20:16:17.475-07:00Cat Palmerby: Mandy<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If
you live in the Salt Lake valley and are a follower of photography,
then chances are you’ve heard the name Cat Palmer. A veteran
photographer and member of the local arts scene, Cat has taken part in
the Utah Arts Festival and has shown her art in several galleries. She
is also the curator and director of the Urban Arts Gallery at the
Gateway Mall in downtown Salt Lake City. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When
we arrive for our interview, she and several volunteers are in the
midst of setting up the new “Day of the Dead” exhibit, coinciding with
the Halloween season. Though busy greeting patrons and directing
volunteers, she is gracious enough to visit with us in between carrying
out her duties. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not
only is Cat in charge of the gallery, she runs her own photography
business. Aside from creating her own art pieces, she shoots weddings,
engagements, families, and senior photos. Already a success, the
ambitious mother of two still has big plans for her future as a
photographer, and we have no doubt those plans will be coming to
fruition very soon.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mandy: What kind of photography do you do?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
I’ve been shooting since I was fifteen, so if you want to do the math,
that’s like eighteen, nineteen years ago. I picked up a camera, I just
started with black and white photography, shooting homeless people in
the streets of L.A. I grew up in California, I went to Orange Coast
College. I moved out to Utah, and I switched to digital right around
2006. So my first exhibit picking up a camera was with film, and that
was right at the end of 2003, and at first I was just taking pretty
pictures for the sake of pretty pictures, and it wasn’t until 2006 that I
started getting really politically angry, and I started focusing on
political shooting. I started getting worried about being known as a
political photographer, because that certainly wasn’t what I wanted to
be known for, and that was when the University of Utah had me come do
their women’s week, because of politics. I realized I was worried that
that was all I was being known for. I had done an anti-war series with a
soldier in Afghanistan, and I did a “Peace to the Middle East” series,
and so from there, I started focusing on women, because that was
something I wanted to be known for. I wanted to be known as an artist
and photographer empowering women. In 2007, I shot my nonviolence
series, but I was still in the throes of being known as a political
artist at that point. In 2009, that’s when I started being known solely
for empowering women, and I started doing these self esteem shoots. I
had thirty-something women get naked for me to do this whole, “Keep the
Politicians Out of Our Vaginas” series, and with that instance, because
it was a political shoot, but it had to do with women’s rights, I was
okay with that. I was okay being known for that. So that’s kind of
where I’m at as a photographer, but that’s just one side of it, that’s
my artwork. I have a second side, which is the business I run, where I
shoot weddings, families, senior photos, just the regular cool and
boring stuff. So those are the two different things I do. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mandy: When you first started doing photography, did you picture yourself where you are now?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
No, I’m much happier where I am now than where I pictured myself. I
was silly, I was a teenager. I didn’t know what it meant to be a
fashion photographer, but my dream was to be doing editorial, like the
real fancy couture stuff, which is funny, because I have no fashion
sense, and I kinda don’t give a stinking crud about the fashion world
now. I dabbled in it a little bit, I don’t know, seven or eight years
ago, and I hated it. So I stay out of it. I think it’s not for me. I
feel like it undoes everything I’m trying to do for women, and it gives a
very false sense of what beauty is. It gives a very false sense of how
you need to look perfect, and I hate the fashion world. So I stay out
of it. I will dabble in it, when certain people ask me a certain favor,
but you’ll notice all the big photographers in Salt Lake City are all
mainly involved in the fashion world, and I hate it. So that’s where I
thought I would be at this point. I also shot for SLUG for awhile, and
for other magazines in the area, because I thought that would be really
fun. But I really sucked at it! So, I realized my creative process is
very specific to me, and it’s not always on. Sometimes, it takes me six
months to get my creative process on paper. I thought it would be fun
to shoot for SLUG, but I had to resign because I couldn’t turn my
creativity on and off within 24 hours. That’s a certain type of
photographer that can do that; not me. So no, that’s not where I’m at,
and I’m in a much happier place, and I’m thankful that I’m not shooting
fashion.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mandy: Do you have any goals or ideas of where you’d like to be now?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
I do, it’s funny. A couple of years ago, I realized I had met all my
goals, and I thought, “I need new dreams.” I had achieved the dreams I
had always wanted to have, which was to be a mom. I was staying home
with my kids at that time. I was doing photography full time, which was
where I wanted to be; a full time artist. I had quit my day job, I was a
mom, I had two great little kids. I was happy. So it took me about a
year to finally come up with my goals. I really want to tour with an
exhibit, I want to hit up some galleries in New York and L.A., and tour
some major cities in between. I finally have a body of work that I feel
is worthy to tour. It’s taken me a long time to get to that point, to
where I feel it’s something I could submit and do. At this point, my
plate is too damn full, so I’m not in a position yet to do that. I have
it ready, I just need to find time to do that. I’m hoping maybe in
December or January, I’ll have that time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mandy: I really liked your, “I Have a Secret” series.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat: That’s the one I want to tour with. I feel like it’s solid. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mandy: How did you come up with the idea?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
I was pregnant with my first son years ago, and I started on it, just
wanting to tell my own silly secrets, really dumb ones. Like, “My
husband does all the ironing and sewing,” or, “My floors used to give me
anxiety, but now I let my kids eat off of them.” Stuff like that.
Nothing terribly deep or dark. As I was getting more into it, I
realized I wanted to tell my bigger and darker secrets, the ones I
didn’t want everyone to know. The only way I could feasibly do that was
to collect enough secrets from enough women that I could hide my
secrets within the exhibit. So it was literally self-serving, how I
started it. From there, it was just going to be my artwork, but I
decided that could only be so interesting. So I invited seven other
female artists, pretty well known female artists, to come participate
with me. Once I had enough secrets, I would have them look through
them, and they would decide which ones they wanted to make artwork out
of. Years into this project, someone told me about PostSecret, and I
looked that up, and it was really cool. It’s a different project than
what I’m doing, and it’s funny, because some people think I’ve ripped
them off, but I live in a hole. I don’t hear of things. So I looked
into that project, and it’s much cooler than what I’m doing! Mine’s
female based, and people don’t send me in their cool little art
projects. I’m a marketing whore, and I printed up like, seven hundred
postcards with my logo all over them, and so people would just send me
those. It’s a much different project, but it’s similar in that people
are sharing secrets anonymously. I did round two just recently, and I’m
already into round three, so I’m always just collecting secrets. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kita: As an artist, what would you say your biggest struggles have been?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
Oh wow. Well, a few of them. I often feel like a fraud and like I
don’t know what I’m doing. So, I always worry that people are going to
call me out of that, or catch onto that. Also, I was in a marriage
where he was very jealous of my success in the art world, and I would
hear negative comments about my work almost daily. I almost walked away
from it all a couple of years ago. So those have been huge struggles,
and not having the support from my family and loved ones. My family
thinks it’s really strange, what I do. They don’t really understand it.
But as an artist, you have to realize you’re not creating work for
other people and what they might like. I do it because I enjoy it. It
does help other women, but I know the stuff I create, not everyone’s
going to like it. And that’s good, because then I feel like I’m doing
something right. If it creates controversy or upsets a few people, then
I know I’m doing something right. So those are some things I face.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kita: You mentioned that your family doesn’t really support you the way you’d like, but how about the arts community here?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
The arts community here is amazing. Salt Lake City, if I really start
talking and thinking about it, I will cry. This is an amazing arts
community. My ex-husband and I were in the Arts Festival two summers
ago, together. He was an invited artist, and I was a regular juried in
artist, and the arts community knew that we were going to need two of
everything. Most artists don’t have two of everything, so people came
and would bring us things that we were going to need to our studio.
They’d say, “You’re going to need this, and you’re going to need that,”
and so people were just dropping stuff off. The day of set up and the
day of shut down, people were just showing up to help us set up and take
down. We didn’t even ask them, they just showed up. So I feel we have
one of the strongest, tight-knit communities. It’s not like this in
L.A. or Orange County. We just have an amazing group of people.
Recently, I wanted to raise some money for a supporter of mine. She
collects my work, and I’m her family photographer, and there was just a
situation where I wanted to raise just a little bit of money, a tank of
gas, for her, for this trip to a funeral. The arts community came
together, and we gave her three tanks of gas. That was within thirty
minutes of me posting it on facebook. I had artists stopping by, and
collectors, all just donating money to this woman they’d never met. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mandy:
You were talking about how you were collaborating with other artists
on the, “I Have a Secret” series. Do you like to collaborate a lot?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
No, I actually don’t like to collaborate my personal work with anyone.
The only person I’ve collaborated with was my ex-husband, but I
actually am not really fond of the idea. I’m a little bit of a control
freak, and I learned from collaborating with my ex that I’m really
protective over my work. He was a person that would give and take with
his art, and he was able to be a reactionary person. He never had an
idea of exactly what it would be when it was finished. He is a very
very talented artist, the work he does is amazing. I am a very
particular, almost OCD type of person with my work. I know exactly what
I want it to look like when I’m finished, and I’m not a give and take
artist. So he and I just had really different styles of how we
approached our artwork. So I’m not really keen on collaborating my
personal art. I think if I wasn’t such a control freak, I’d probably be
better at it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mandy: What made you get into photography in the first place?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
You know, I don’t really remember exactly why. I was just signing up
for classes, when I was fifteen, in high school, and I just fell in love
with it. Our teacher “M,” M as in Mother…His last name was Muelmeister
or something weird so nobody could say it, so we just called him “M.”
He was a really great teacher, and he taught at a college level, and my
senior year I was taking two classes from him, and one was a freelance
photography class, and he let me write my own curriculum that year. I
shot nudes for the first time, and he accepted it. He was just amazing.
He got me turned onto Diane Arbus, said that my style reminded him of
her. So I checked out her stuff in a library book, since we did not
have the internet back then. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kita: Do you mostly just do photography? Or is there another job?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat:
I am the curator and director of the Urban Arts Gallery. I basically
book artists. We run a program out of here; “Connect,” an arts program
for artists. I literally just do art, photography, and the gallery, so
my whole world is art. I don’t have a social life outside of it. My
only friends are within the art world. I don’t even know what to do
outside of this! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To check out more of Cat Palmer's photography:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">catpalmer.com </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Upcoming Events:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now - November 10: Day of the Dead Art Exhibit, Urban Arts Gallery. 137 S Rio Grande St, SLC inside the Gateway Mall </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hours: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="fcg">Tue - Sat</span>: <span class="mls">12:00 pm - 8:00 pm</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="fcg">Sun</span>: <span class="mls">12:00 pm - 6:00 pm</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">October 18, 6pm: Opening Reception, Day of the Dead Art Exhibit </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is there an artist you'd like us to interview? Questions or comments? Let us know below.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-6698114190143842792013-10-14T11:10:00.000-07:002013-10-14T11:10:16.329-07:00Zell Lee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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Nestled in the SLC valley is a quickly growing business, providing some of the most intriguing and beautiful pieces of jewelry that I've ever seen under the name of Asana Natural Arts. It's the kind of jewelry that catches the eye, and makes you look twice. Those aren't fake. Real butterfly wings and beetle wings are assorted into some lovely shapes and patterns, perfect to wear as earrings, necklaces, or even to hang on the wall. The genius is born from the mind of Zell Lee, a petite firehouse, who started her own business and is well on her way on the road of success.<br />
Having grown up in an artsy family, Zell tried her hand at many different forms of art. Ever attracted to the thought of working with her hands, she tried piano, and even some carpentry. But the delicacy of working with butterflies appealed to her, and soon her work turned into jewelry making.<br />
For Zell, having her work recognized is one of the most satisfying sensations. Luckily, she's well on her way. With a keen business sense, and a work ethic to envy, she's quickly taking over the Wasatch front. You can find her jewelry in all sorts of shops. Don't make the mistake of assuming her to be too focused on the business. All of her butterflies live out their natural days on butterfly farms, something she stumbled across during a vacation.<br />
Keep reading for more information, and find out where you can get your very own jewelry by Zell Lee, owner of Asana Natural Arts.<br />
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<b>The Interview:</b><br />
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Attacus Atlas Moth wing earrings</div>
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Model: Kimberly Bucki</div>
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Tetzloff Photography</div>
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<b>Kita</b>: Where do you first run into butterflies for art?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: So the butterfly farm I ran into was while I was on a cruise, in Florida. It's in Key West. I graduated from BYU, and decided I was going to take myself on a trip, and my mom actually came with me. So we stumbled across the butterfly farm, and that was a really unique experience. It's really cool to see all these butterflies flying around you, and you can see them hatching. But afterwards, I walked into this gift shop, and it was gorgeous. They had all these butterflies in these cool displays. I was really inspired, and just moved. So I started with the butterfly art, and I branched out into these other things. But I just remember that feeling when I first saw it, and I wanted to get involved and be a part of that.<br />
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<b>Mandy</b>: Where do you get your supplies?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: All over the world. So, I make info cards about every butterfly, and about the preservation farms. The farms are located in their natural environment, wherever they're from. Usually they span regions between several countries. The farms do a lot of good things for the butterflies. They protect the areas around the farms, and they'll collect eggs around the farm and lay them on leaves at the farm. Their survival rate goes from less than five percent in the wild, to over eighty percent at the farms. And then they release them back out, but butterflies live very short lives. A few weeks, or some live as short as a few days, so some will die on the farm before they are released, and those are the ones I get. It's all regulated by US Fish & Wildlife, and there's an international organization, C.I.T.E.S.. They regulate everything, and nothing I get is endangered.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: How do they ship them?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: The butterflies close up around their bodies. If I'm going to do a framed item, it's a really delicate process to spread the wings back open. You have to soften the wings, and then I'll use pliers. If I'm using it for jewelry, I can just break them off.<br />
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<b>Mandy</b>: How do you keep the shape?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: They're all laminated. Now, I have my own machine, but I used to go to Fedex Office and use their machine for hours. I would keep to myself, and I wouldn't ask, because then they couldn't tell me no. That was before, when I wasn't making nearly as many. It's pretty thick, and I make sure it's a fully sealed border. For the hairclips, I make sure you can bend the whole thing and that it just pops back. You could never do that with a regular butterfly wing. The whole butterflies are the hardest, because lamination is static. I will place all the wings, and then you go to put the top down, but if you don't put it down fast enough, they'll just to the top of the page and move position. So that's the hardest part, getting them to stay symmetrical, and getting them to not touch each other during lamination, because I'll do a whole bunch at the same time. If you're going to cut them, you just have to a really fine hand, and make sure there's no jagged borders. I didn't think it took a whole lot of talent, until my mom helped me, and my sister, and they just butchered it. I'm the only one who can make my product the best.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: If you're making the full body ones, and they do get messed up, is it hard to replace them?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: Well, once you laminate it, it's permanent. So, before I ever laminate anything, I'll have to make sure it's perfect.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: How do you get them to lay flat?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: Well, I have a board that has a crack in it, so the body can sit in the crack. The whole wing is really fragile, but the colors can rub off if you brush it with your fingers or the pliers, so you just have to be really careful.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: So how did you get into the jewelry making then?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: Well, that's funny. I started the business making only framed items. That's what I thought was really unique. I didn't learn about butterfly farms until I stumbled across one on vacation once. I was so fascinated about it, that I started doing research on what people were doing with the butterflies. They had a gift shop, and would frame these butterflies, which was really pretty, but the more I looked into it, the more I realized butterfly artists only worked with other butterflies. I had been pressing flowers, and making my own frames, but I really wanted to combine all nature into one. So I would do my own flower arrangements, with a butterfly in it. That made it really unique, I've never seen it anywhere else. I started doing that with my mom, since she has a garden, and so much experience with the flower arrangements. She makes all of those now, since she makes them far better than I ever could. For a few years, I did some shows, and people would like the framed items, but they always asked for jewelry. I didn't want to jewelry, since I felt that everybody did jewelry, and that it wouldn't be as unique. I really resisted, but now I sell far more jewelry than anything else. I finally gave in, and the more jewelry I made, the more my business grew. I do like the jewelry now that I'm in it.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: What were your goals when you finally gave in to doing jewelry?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: When I started, I didn't really know what would happen. I've always worked with my hands. I love making stuff. I've been a seamstress since I was fourteen, I've made furniture, I've played piano. I love making stuff with my hands and working with my hands. I've always been an entrepreneur, too, and I felt this was a good niche, one that was unique and something that my mother and I could do. And then, interest grew, and I was selling lots and doing well. I still have a full time job, which makes my life crazy, but once I get my masters degree, I'm quitting my job and doing this full time. I basically do it full time already, but then I'll just have one full time job. My goal has definitely evolved, where it's not just something I do because I enjoy it, but I'm also making it my income.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: Was there a turning point when you decided to make it a full time job, then?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: Probably when I started making the jewelry. As time has progressed, I figure out what people want. I did realize something. Either you make something that you want, and it's more like a hobby, or if you want to turn it into a business, you have to make what other people want. So some of my favorite products don't sell nearly as much as the jewelry itself. Some of my favorite products are like, the decals, where I laminate the whole butterfly, but there's a sticky backing, so you pull it off and you can stick it to anything. I think they're really cool. I make drawer knobs, and the framed items. The things I thought were more artistic just don't sell, so the turning point really was when I decided, "Okay, if I want to make this a business, I need to make what people want more." And they're quality items, that people want more. They don't look for flower, butterfly frames, because they don't know it exists. So online sales is a totally different ballgame than local shows. If someone sees it at a local show, they might buy it on impulse even though they had no idea that butterfly art existed. Online, they have to search for it. So it's definitely a learning game, and once I learned to make what people want, and go in that direction, I was really able to make it more of a business.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: How does having a normal job work with this as well? Is it hard to balance the two?<br />
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Model: Sienna Leilani</div>
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Sienna Leilani Photography</div>
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<b>Zell</b>: It is now. I had this great position, and it was really flexible, at the university I work at. Super, super flexible, so I could work on both at the same time, and they were okay with that because I always got my regular job done. But they made some changes, where the company moved me to a different location. Instead of being at a campus, where it was slower, I work for the online department, and we enroll ten times as many students. So, then my business kicked off, because I started doing farmers markets in May and June, and that's about when I got transitioned, so it's been stressful. I also bought a house, and moved in in June, and that was necessary. Before, we lived in an apartment, and it was very small, so when customers would come over, it would be infringing on all my roommates' space. It wasn't a good way to do business. I needed more space for my business, and so that's been good. I can have customers come over, I have them over a few times a week. If they're local, I'll tell them to save on shipping and come over to get them instead.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: How about running the business side versus the creation? How do you find that to be?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: It's a struggle. It's hard being a one man business because you wear all the hats, you have to do everything, you can't be lazy in anything. Especially legally. Not only paying taxes, but getting the butterflies. You need to be licensed to import them, so if I'm bringing them from out of the country, it's a lot of paperwork. So when I started ordering internationally, and contacting suppliers in China, it was crazy. I've learned a lot, even though it's kind of intimidating. I just had to learn by doing. But it's hard. There's parts I don't like. I bet every artist would agree, it's fun to do the art side of it, but not the business side. I hate figuring out the taxes, and doing all the paperwork. All that stuff, I put off. So it's definitely a struggle. I would like help sometimes, but the very few times I've reached out, it takes more time to teach someone to make it, and I could just make it myself, and make it better. So, at this time, I just do everything.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you have a favorite part of owning a business?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: I would say that it's when I get positive feedback and when people recognize my stuff around. That's the most gratifying thing. Especially with butterflies. They have a lot of significance. They mean change, or growth, they're very common at weddings and funerals, where it's a big moment of change for people. So they're so important to a lot of people, and I feel like it has a lot of value to it. So I'm able to pass on this natural and beautiful things, it's a gratifying thing, for sure. People will email me butterfly stories, and it's really inspiring.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: Do you talk and interact with a lot of local artists, or are you pretty isolated?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: It depends. I have talked with a few other local artists. I follow Peach Treats the most, and have met with her, and she gave me advice since her business is farther along than mine is. I also talked with Kimiko, who does origami stuff. I tried organizing this art show, last year, around Christmas time. I was going to have this show in someone's house, with twelve artists, who were all going to invite their contacts and each have their table space, and we'd have a little party. There would be a DJ, and we'd serve wine. I thought this would be a really cool event. That was the strongest I ever pushed to work with other artists, and I pulled back pretty soon because, artists vary a lot, but they aren't always very professional. If they're doing it as a hobby, it's one thing, but if they're doing it as a business, like Peach Treats is, they're a very different person and they handle it very differently. So, very few were very serious and willing to do anything to help. Very few would contact me and help me advertise before, so after that, I backed up a little bit, because I'm still growing and developing my business. Every artist is kind of on their own level, so if you find someone on your level, that's great. So those are the ones I try to collaborate with the most.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: What about the bigger arts community? Have you enjoyed your time playing around in that?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: Yes, I went to a couple of events at the Utah Arts Alliance. Once a month, they do an artists connection night, and I brought some stuff, and you vote on your favorite thing of the night. An artist would be featured to do a speech, and that was pretty cool. Honestly, right now, I just don't have a lot of time to reach out. Once I don't have my day job, I will, and I want to reach out more locally. I definitely have a lot more interest after this summer, doing the farmers markets, and Craft Lake City. It's built up more of a customer base, and gotten me more into the arts scene and that's good.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: So what's been your biggest struggle?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: It goes back to what I was saying about not always being able to make what I want to make, and having to get things ready for shipping instead. I also miss having free time, to work on other art, like playing the piano. I just don't have time for anything anymore. It can be frustrating because right now in my current situation, I have less time for other things. It's pretty much regular job and art job.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: So, I'm guessing since you worked on this with your family some, that they're pretty supportive?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: Oh for sure. It's a good business, and all my family is happy about it. When my friends see how I've grown, they always comment when they come over. It's fun to share, too. I do enjoy it, and they're happy for me, and I'm happy in my life. For my mom, it's a really good way for us to talk and have something to share. I think she does it to support me.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: When you transitioned from other butterfly art to the jewelry side, did you see yourself becoming so successful?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: Oh yes. Just because there was so much more interest. The more I come out with new patterns and get more unique, I get more support. People are really enthusiastic about it. And definitely when I started making plugs, I didn't think that it would have such a demand. Because they're actually a really high demand, I get tons of custom orders, and I was really surprised by that because I hardly know anyone with stretched ears. I definitely want to expand on what I offer with my plugs. I think I can do better. I'm definitely going to get some custom plugs made for me where I can create a bigger variety, with other nature things. I just got some tunnels, and I've been experimenting with resin. I hate resin with a passion. I really got into lamination because it's a quick and easy way to preserve something forever. But with the tunnels and the plugs, I need to figure out better ways to make it more permanent and long lasting, and for that, resin is just better. I'm going to start adding in seahorses and beetles, and other things along with the butterfly wings. I'm just always looking for ways to make my product better. I'm getting more skillful and coming up with new designs, but also getting better in quality and make it better for the customers.<br />
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<b>Kita</b>: What got you into art in general?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: Probably my mom. My parents were both very hard working, and would do anything themselves before ever paying someone else to do it, if they could. And my mom is a big seamstress, so I got that from her. We had a lot of fun days just sewing in the sewing room. She actually made all of our kids clothes when we were growing up. They were all hand made. And when I got to high school, I mean, I'm so little, that nothing ever fits me, so I would just buy something and go home and alter it to fit me. I would hire myself out for services, here in Salt Lake, I make peoples costumes. In high school, I used to make people's prom dresses more modest, you know, by adding sleeves. So that was really fun. I also really liked wood shop. It's just fun, making something with your hands, for yourself. It's going to be better quality, and cheaper, and much more meaningful. <br />
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<b>Kita</b>: So I hear a lot of people have butterfly phobias. Do you ever run into those people?<br />
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<b>Zell</b>: People generally love the butterfly art. There's only been one or two who said they didn't like butterflies, at least to my face. But, the beetle wings are a whole different story. Even though it's beautiful, it's so half and half. People will say, "Oh that's so rad, I want to wear those!" And the other half will say, "I just can't get over the fact that that's a beetle, that's gross!" So it varies. Most people like the butterflies, but everything else gets a mixed reaction. Everything I sell comes with an info card, and I think that's really helpful. It talks about the butterfly and the farms. People usually assume the worst, if they don't know, so if I don't have a lot of signage talking about them, they'll say things like, "Oh, that's fake!" or, "Oh, you kill butterflies!" I think it's important they know, especially if they're going to be wearing the jewelry, and other people are going to be talking to them about it, they can know what they're talking about. They can say that the butterfly came from a farm, and what kind of butterfly it is, and what country it's from. I think they get excited about what they're wearing, too.<br />
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To see more of her great work, check out her etsy: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AsanaNaturalArts">http://www.etsy.com/shop/AsanaNaturalArts</a><br />
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Or even: <a href="http://www.rebelsmarket.com/rebel-store/asana-natural-arts">http://www.rebelsmarket.com/rebel-store/asana-natural-arts</a><br />
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And don't forget to like her facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AsanaNaturalArts">https://www.facebook.com/AsanaNaturalArts</a><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u>Have anyone else you'd like us to chat with? Suggestions are taken in the comments below!</u></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-79249781282677667012013-10-10T10:15:00.000-07:002013-10-10T10:15:11.117-07:00Chris Madsenby: Mandy<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One day, a successful business man in his thirties picks up
a camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something inside him clicks
(no pun intended), and a desire is awaked from deep within.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, he turns his world upside down
in pursuit of his new found passion for photography and visual art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short, he wipes his slate clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He decides to leave a company in which he has
a partnership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sells his house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he doesn’t even know if he’s any
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t a quirky movie
plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is Chris Madsen’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kita and
Mandy were lucky enough to sit down with Chris in his office at the Utah Arts
Alliance, where he creates visual art pieces from his photography shoots, and runs
his new business, Square Pixel, LLC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
talked about the variety of techniques he uses to get his signature dark and
cinematic looks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also chatted about
what drove him to make such a drastic change in his life, and how it’s paid
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both agreed when we left that
the man has guts of steel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></o:p> </div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re a
photographer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What kind of photography
do you do?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would
describe my photography as conceptual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s hard to describe because I don’t think my work is like anyone’s
work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a little bit conceptual, a
little bit dark. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try to create images
that will tell a bit of a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
all have pretty strong feminine qualities to them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I noticed
most of your work is of females. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
there a reason for that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>99.9% of my
work is female. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get a lot of
inspiration from early Renaissance images. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just the curvy, beautiful women. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, everyone seems to appreciate women, even
women. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>85%, if not 90, of my sales are
to women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have very many men
buyers.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When did you
first know that you were interested in photography?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I picked up a
camera for the first time in my life about three and a half years ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something just clicked inside, like this was
what I should be doing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was partners
in a company that I left, and eventually sold out my stock in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got rid of my house, moved into an apartment,
got a studio, and just kind of redirected my life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was kind of late in life, but something
just finally clicked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Were you into
art in general?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not at all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no interest in art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, I had gone to school for graphic
design, so I guess layout, but I had no real interest in art as a whole. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was never really into it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a major turning point in my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kita: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What made you
pick it up then?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it was
in the days of MySpace, when you could look at any photographer’s profile, and
they always had tons of pretty friends. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I thought, “Oh, if you have a camera, then
chicks dig you.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought it would get
me a lot more dates, which has not worked still, to this day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m pretty happy doing what I’m doing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you have
any goals when you first started?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, when I
first started, I had no idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t
know anything about photography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
after a while, when I realized that I really enjoyed creating these scenes, my
goal became to get something into a gallery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I probably had been shooting for less than a year, and I actually got
the opportunity from Derek Dyer, the director of the Utah Arts Alliance, to
display in one of their galleries downtown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I took, I think, three pieces and ended up selling one of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A pretty large one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This guy was a passerby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was just walking downtown, by the gallery,
and purchased it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So that really sparked
something in me to know that someone, somewhere, picked up a piece of my
artwork, paid for it, and is hanging it in his house, looking at it every
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You always kind of wonder what
they’re thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So those were my early
goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, my goal is to make more, if
not all of my living doing art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
gotten to be maybe 20-30% of my income, and my goal is to make it 100%. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What else do
you do? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a freelance
graphic artist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly websites or
retail packaging. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So from the
time you take a picture to the finished product, do you do a lot of editing? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I shoot
a couple of different styles. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shoot
digital, and they tend to be very heavily photo-shopped. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t paint, but for me, I can sit down and
create a scene the way I want to see it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So even the term “photographer” is one I use
very loosely. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not so much a
photographer as a visual artist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do a
lot of other things, like Tintype, and/or Wet Plate Collodion, which is a
technique from the 1800s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do Van Dyke
Browns and cyanotypes, and I also shoot film, which, there is no editing
process to. You get what you get. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I
kind of jump back and forth with technologies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kita:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a typical
piece from beginning to end, what would you have to do to get it ready to show?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have a
photo shoot. There can be a lot of time in that if you have to travel
somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My process from there would
be to come back and go through the images.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There may be several hundred from a shoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what’s different from a commercial
photographer, or someone who is shooting glamor, I’ll shoot five hundred images
and I’m really only looking for one or two to work with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not creating an entire series. I’ll go
through and find the ones I like, and I’ll start editing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can typically spend four or five hours on a
single image. You can end up with two hundred layers on a Photoshop file.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really kind of just geek out at that
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll have my music on and just
really get into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And sometimes you
get hours into it, decide you’ve created some garbage, and delete it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That happens pretty often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So once you have the image created then it’s
basically just getting it printed and framed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kita:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So how did you
learn those older techniques you do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By just making
stuff up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably do so many things
wrong, but it works for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would buy
books, YouTube videos; ask a lot of questions to people who were in the
industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a lot of it comes down to
making it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, there’s not a
typical editing process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would say
there are maybe one or two things that I tend to do consistently, but most
things I’m constantly just making up. </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You mentioned
women already; do you have any other main inspirations? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I think
women’s curves are beautiful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think a
woman, her body can be so mysterious, but I wouldn’t say that my inspiration
really comes directly from women. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
comes from a lot of stuff. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It comes from
movies, music videos, when I’m editing, the music I’m listening to, the person
that I’m working with, and what I’m seeing in them as I’m working with them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So inspiration comes from so many places. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m inspired by a lot of other artists. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spend a lot of time looking at other artists’
work that I admire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you ever
collaborate?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve used
pieces for inspiration, or I’ve used pieces in the images, like jewelry, like
Carrie Wakefield.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as far as an
actual collaboration where we sit down and work on the piece together?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’d be open to it, but one thing about my process being so scattered and
inconsistent is that it does make it harder to do that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you
think about the art scene in Salt Lake?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think Salt
Lake as a whole is a very fickle and unsupportive place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the art scene is definitely
improving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve noticed it from having a
lot of friends in local bands and all the art stuff here, people just don’t
support like they do in other places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I’ve been to gallery shows in other states, people are pretty
excited about it and want to support it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Utah, you have those people, but not as much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, Utah is a very clique-y place. You have
this little group of artists here, and that little group of artists there, and
they don’t really communicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
don’t share ideas; they’re not as friendly with each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a lot of big egos in Utah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would you
say is your biggest obstacle?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think every
artist will wrestle with wondering if he’s creating good enough work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You become very self-critical as an artist. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re putting your work out there to
basically be ripped to shreds by the public. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, the better you get and the more
known you get; the more people want to tell you vocally how much they hate you.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a way, you know when you start having
more and more haters, you know you’re making some waves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It still doesn’t feel good when someone
doesn’t like your work, because you’re putting your heart and soul into it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think every artist deals with that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then financially, I’d love to travel more,
and shoot bigger concepts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d love to
have more gear. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s definitely not
making me rich. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is helping me
with my income. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are the people
in your life supportive?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually
have a lot of people in my life who are very supportive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And actually it’s really nice, because I was
in my thirties, late thirties even, when I decided I was going to be an artist
out of nowhere. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my family has been
very supportive, and I have a lot of supportive friends. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was lucky enough to have met Derek Dyer with
the Utah Arts Alliance, which is where my studio is. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a very supportive environment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re around a bunch of creative people who
care about art. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mandy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would you
be doing if you weren’t doing this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked in manufacturing before I
did this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before that, I worked in
construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d probably just be
designing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s okay, it’s not a bad
thing to do for a living, but it doesn’t inspire me like art does. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Kn1KxKCoy8hcfqrYAz2_twNRi4_0vvEyY-K7O5VyodEsifU6ggQGrFYmXNPupFKNZLGrW52y4-viAEy7ZgEGqnjKjtfzZP_d3mhDwLBWBWMHCR8_e_41cMx3gbg3zUqlCFBJTOkiDn4/s1600/chris+floating+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Kn1KxKCoy8hcfqrYAz2_twNRi4_0vvEyY-K7O5VyodEsifU6ggQGrFYmXNPupFKNZLGrW52y4-viAEy7ZgEGqnjKjtfzZP_d3mhDwLBWBWMHCR8_e_41cMx3gbg3zUqlCFBJTOkiDn4/s320/chris+floating+girl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can check out more of Chris’s art here:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Burningpaperhearts.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Facebook.com/squarepixelllc<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Upcoming Events:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">October 18, 7-10 pm <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>–
An October Evening multi-arts show – Salt Lake Masonic Temple, 650 East South
Temple, Salt Lake City facebook.com/anoctoberevening<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">November<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1, 5 pm-12
am – First Friday Las Vegas – Downtown Las Vegas Arts District
firstfridaylasvegas.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you'd like us to interview a certain artist, or have something else to say, leave a comment below!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467919693491585420.post-17047710122601281712013-10-06T22:24:00.000-07:002013-10-06T22:24:02.528-07:00Arthur Lee Land<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
by Kita</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IZyKjn6ioN0JmuvnBQcVrN5KZ9akyWU93EYKLqpT35RtNywaf_w4aRv9BsJHW5UWRaNO563kNzgaVOMFn-px9iKMXZ3zZO7KACKG8f53CJxScP4xOydi1jQTILgonVeNsdnfo8Vj2dE/s1600/Arthur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IZyKjn6ioN0JmuvnBQcVrN5KZ9akyWU93EYKLqpT35RtNywaf_w4aRv9BsJHW5UWRaNO563kNzgaVOMFn-px9iKMXZ3zZO7KACKG8f53CJxScP4xOydi1jQTILgonVeNsdnfo8Vj2dE/s320/Arthur.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Talking to Arthur Lee Land is interesting, to say the least. I imagine that if one could somehow sneak a peek into a mad genius brain, it would be a similar experience. With a mind that seems not only to never stop working, but also to never stop creating, he’s not far from it. A musician based in Lyons, CO, he’s taken his show on the road. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Show, here, is quite literal. Watching Arthur perform is breathtaking. On the one hand, his music is a vast mix of African drums, jazz, bluegrass, pop, folk, and something entirely his own. Praise can hardly do the genius justice. His passion for the music started in childhood, and it’s easy enough to hear that it’s never died out. It’s a unique sound that delights the eardrums. But the eyes won’t be left out of this delighting. A live looper, he recreates the experience of a twelve person band, all by his lonesome. Watching him dash about the stage to add a little rhythm here, or a bit of guitar there is an entirely novel way to see music unfold before your eyes.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> With a large personality, Arthur is a natural stage person, but he also invests himself into being nothing short of a good person. He uses his success to help promote </span><a href="http://www.ablechild.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.ablechild.</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">org. AbleChild, a nonprofit organization, has been established to raise awareness of the psychiatric labeling and drugging of children, and the risks of mandatory mental health screenings. He’s an easy person to talk to, with a big smile, and an open mind. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> All-in-all, my talk with him was a fantastic experience. Beautiful music, a fascinating mind, and an interesting story, Arthur Lee Land will be a name you’ll want to remember. And hey, SLC folks, you’ll even have a chance this Friday to check it out for yourselves! Read on for more info.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Interview: </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-7f58749f-9150-2c0f-7c6b-537f85e8aef4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: What first interested you in music?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Drums, I guess. I used to put pillows on the couch when I was five years old, and play on them with chopsticks while watching music programs. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/Q_eQ3g-xhgg/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Q_eQ3g-xhgg&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Q_eQ3g-xhgg&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: And when did you start getting into playing professionally? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Probably when I was in college. Right out of high school, first into college. That’s when I was in my first band. That’s when I started playing professionally. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: What were your goals at that point?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Oh God, that’s an interesting question. I’m not really sure. Probably to play, make a living, and travel. And to master my craft, and it got more that way after I got kicked out of my first band. I was really inspired to be as good as I could be. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Are those still really your goals now, or has it changed a lot? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I think they’re still there, as well. I think that the craft part about it is. Being able to get in the zone with playing has always been somewhat of a goal too, and somewhat elusive. So that would be more a playing thing. Being able to have the freedom to express music in the most natural, unconstricted way would be a thing that’s always been there. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: When you’re performing, you do a lot of live looping. How did that come to be?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I think that just happened when I was playing solo gigs, about twelve or thirteen years ago, and I mentioned to a guy at the Guitar Center that it was a bummer not having anything to play against when I was playing guitar solos, and just having the one instrument, and not having a band. He said, “Well, you should get a looper.” I didn’t really know what that was at that point, and they told me, so I got one and started experimenting with it. It just was a whole evolutionary process. When I went to West Africa, I heard all these drums, and I just thought, “Wow, if I could just have that sound, without having to have a twelve piece band, that’d be really cool.” So that’s how it all started evolving. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Did you have to really study all the instruments you use in that, or do you just kind of wing it?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Well, a little bit of both. I have to definitely study aspects and understand the role and the function and how they work. Then being able to understand the roles has allowed me to kind of put on the hat of playing that particular instrument while I’m doing it. You just have to think like that. Even if I’m playing the guitar, but playing a trumpet solo, I need to think like a trumpet player. You know, play in the ways they would play in. So they all have their own situations and I’m very conscious of that.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: What has touring been like for you?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Well, the music part of it is fun. The other parts are sometimes very challenging. There’s a lot of challenges that happen, in terms of car and RV mechanic stuff, and scheduling. But I like traveling, and I love to play. You know, it’s just part of the dance.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Do you struggle with the business and the art side of things?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It’s kind of a never ending dance there as well, that I’m involved in. I think the dream and the illusion is that you’d rather not have to worry about it, but I don’t know if that’s ever a reality.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: What’s the biggest struggle for you then?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Probably just the business stuff. Scheduling, booking, things like that.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: What’s your favorite part of everything?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: My favorite part is definitely playing and seeing people light up. There’s the part of playing and being in the zone and expressing your love of music that way, and then there’s also the love of being of service, and seeing how your songs and music can have a powerful impact on people. Being able to impact people in a positive way is a very fulfilling element. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Does that mean you prefer performing to creating? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I think they’re kind of hand-in-hand. I’m doing both all the time. If you’re talking about making a studio recording versus performing live, than they’re two very different things, but I like them both equally. They’re two different elements of the overall art form. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: So do you get stage fright at all?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Yeah, sometimes. For sure. And I don’t think that ever goes away, either.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: How have the people around you reacted to everything you’re doing? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I think those closest get the worst and the best parts. Those on the outside tend to just get the best aspects, or just get to project what they want to see on you, and really just see what they want to see. And then it’s just a dance for those closest, of being in a relationship.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: What about the larger arts community? Have they been supportive of you? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Oh yes! Totally. It’s great to be in a community. It’s been an awesome thing.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Do you like collaborating with a lot of people?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Yeah, I do, although my thing is very solo, I like to have people sit in, I like to play in bands, I like to sit in with other people. Yes, collaboration is definitely something I love to do.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: From the time you were that little kid banging on pillows with chopsticks to now, what have been your biggest growth points? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It’s been a real evolutionary process of mastering my craft, playing in other peoples bands, studying all these instruments, and then, also, writing songs and recording. Always performing, and then moving into the looping thing, which brought all sorts of other elements of my gifts and strengths together, and that’s still continued to evolve. So it’s a real evolutionary process all the way around.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/Uuy_4aU2Km0/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Uuy_4aU2Km0&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Uuy_4aU2Km0&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Have you ever done any other forms of art?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I did some drawing, some mandala drawing. I’ve done some photography, I’ve done collages. I got into drawing for awhile when I was a kid and in high school. I took some art classes two years ago, and that was pretty fun. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Do you think that’s what you would be doing if you weren’t doing music? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I don’t know about that. It’s definitely not nearly the same. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: You’ve become pretty successful. When you first started, did you see that happening? Would you have predicted that at all? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I think so. I mean, I know when I was probably seventeen years old, in work study class, the teacher called me out, and said, “What are you going to do with your life?” I stood up, and said, “I’m going to play rock and roll!” And I walked out. That’s what my classmates told me at my thirty year high school reunion. So, I guess I knew. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: What, for you, is the typical songwriting process?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: We wrote a lot of the songs on this new album at this little creek canyon park, called Left Hand Creek in Boulder. I would just start playing and singing a melody, and then Carol would write off that, creating a verse or a chorus, and then we would record that, and move onto something else, and then she would rewrite, and I would tweak, and that was generally the process. Sometimes, she’ll have the lyrics already, and I’ll write music to them, or sometimes I’ll have music and just give it to her and she’ll write lyrics to that. But, we often write together.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: So do you find being outside is a big inspiration then?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Yes, sometimes. Yes. We do a lot of writing outside, come to think of it, in different places.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kita</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing you’ve learned from everything you’ve done, what would it be? </span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arthur</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: That the music business is about relationships, about people. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxLPcVlFOvoE1SsbzGCfognVXCY_JKU-WMAjCLCmrSxHtzkAzflsNGQjbr7V2p7YCpJtlgrui_2_nTfp5m8csJHw16k1qB-g40Hkp8OOs6I9pqsfhDFeNOjclafAQ0TNHwfwjg3l3mlo/s1600/Arthur2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxLPcVlFOvoE1SsbzGCfognVXCY_JKU-WMAjCLCmrSxHtzkAzflsNGQjbr7V2p7YCpJtlgrui_2_nTfp5m8csJHw16k1qB-g40Hkp8OOs6I9pqsfhDFeNOjclafAQ0TNHwfwjg3l3mlo/s320/Arthur2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friday, October 11th, at 7pm</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Tickets are on sale: </span><a href="http://www.inticketing.com/events/348502" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>www.inticketing.com/events/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>348502</a><br />
2631 East Murray-Holladay Road, SLC<br />
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You can even download a free track, and get more information about Arthur and what he's up to at: <a href="http://www.arthurleeland.com/">http://www.arthurleeland.com/</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09877475448051845288noreply@blogger.com1