Artifice

From the moment I got my first drumset, playing music is what I knew I wanted/needed to do with my life. I played as much as I could throughout school doing musicals, percussion classes, symphonic band, jazz band, etc. I played in several local bands of various genres, learning as much as I could. I turned down scholarship opportunities and was never interested in some mundane, complacent job. After high school, I found a new hunger and pushed myself harder on every level. I toured, did session studio/live work, filled in for music videos, was in a movie, did the soundtrack for the movie, and found every opportunity I could to make contacts and get myself out there.

I had made some great connections from those years, which lead into me having the opportunity to claim the throne in a Las Vegas-based rock band. Otherwise was a band that I had been a fan of for a few years and had watched them blow up with their most notable song, “Soldiers”, which had gotten them signed to a major label and known internationally. I was with Otherwise for 4 years starting in 2016, toured the country several times, played out of the country, performed along countless huge acts (many who I am a fan of) at major festivals, written and recorded 4 releases, and was a part of several video productions, being in them or producing them.

In the middle of 2018 when Otherwise was off tour and writing a new album, I decided to pick up photography which has been a wild ride all on its own. I’ve been playing drums for the last 18+ years, well over half my life. I never thought I could find another passion that I would connect with and love as much as music, but immediately upon taking my first picture with my Canon DSLR, I fell in love with capturing a moment. A moment that will never be the same. It was a blast to find those moments that I connected with and create a digital file that will live forever which captured that beauty. I’ve been humbled by the wonderful response to what I’ve been capturing and was greatly encouraged to sell my work. The idea of that scared me. I didn’t want to taint the magic and purity of what it means to me by adding in money to this new passion. After a bit of encouragement, and deciding that I would always do my best to keep a level head and not lose that magic, it could be worth diving into. It actually added more magic than I anticipated. I have been overwhelmed with the positive response of my captures being displayed in peoples’ homes. Which has led into doing many types of photo and video shoots to capture memories and moments with people and where they are at in their lives, memories and moments that will live on longer than we are around.

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel out of the country, work with tourism boards, galleries, produce a hardcover book partnered with a non-profit organization, worked with some great international bands/artists, world-recognized clothing companies, various real estate opportunities to capture photos and videos of some of Utah’s most beautiful mansions, etc!

I was born and raised in the great state of Utah, surrounded by natural gems like the Great Salt Lake and Zion National Park. I’ve spent my youth witnessing Utah grow and change, and I am an enthusiastic contributor to Salt Lake City’s blossoming art community as a Soloist at Ballet West. Over the past 10 years, I have obtained a Bachelor of Science in Human Development, a 200-hour Yoga Certification from Kripalu, and have studied with Scott Moore, Kim Dastrup, John Cottrell, Coby Kozlowski, Dana Regan, Jashoda Edmunds, Devarshi Steven Hartman and Anodea Judith. As a dancer and yoga instructor I aim to connect my body and consciousness to the point where I am always evolving, always surrendering to the present moment. I walk a path blazed by professional ballerinas before me, but I often stray to the road less traveled in search of balance. When ballerinas perform on stage we appear composed, elegant, and alert, but maintaining a healthy presence of mind is a daily commitment. I began dancing professionally in 2009 with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet touring their Nutcracker, later joined The Tulsa Ballet for three seasons, and have been a member of Ballet West from 2013-Present. I have worked with a vast range of choreographers including: Nicolo Fonte, Wayne McGregor, Jorma Elo, Christopher Bruce, Jodie Gates, Edwaard Liang, Ma Cong, Matthew Neenan, Val Caniparoli, and Natalie Weir. Performing in roles such as: Olga in John Cranko’s Onegin, The Young Girl in Kurt Jooss’s The Green Table, Court of Love in Nicolo Fonte’s Rite of Spring, Pas de Cinq lead in George Balanchine’s Chaconne, Sugar Plum in Ballet West's The Nutcracker, Overgrown Path Jiri Kylian, Pas de trois in Adam Sklute’s Swan Lake, and Kate from David Bintley’s Shakespeare Suite. I am currently providing Mentorship, Life Coaching, and Workshops for dancers who struggle with anxiety through the process of meditation, life skills, daily tools, and yoga. Wellness is a prominent word within my vocabulary whether it is physical or mental.

Chelsea-Keefer.com

@thechelseakeeferpodcast

@keeferchels

My name is Marianne Seale. My love for flowers and design began as child. I grew up picking every bloom in my neighborhood to bring home to my mother.

I've been designing professionally for over 19 years. I've worked for several flower shops and wholesalers, finished my Interior Design degree from Utah State in 2006 and worked for both residential and commercial design firms.

When I'm not designing, I'm taking care of my three young children whom I love dearly. I also enjoy running, painting, dancing, traveling, hiking, waterskiing and sitting on a beautiful beach with the sand between my toes!

There's nothing better than seeing the look on a brides face after perfectly putting her dreams together for her big day. It's such a magical moment that drives me to keep doing what I love.

Paul Williams is always curious if he is an artist or a story teller. But one thing he knows for sure, he’s a wanderer. He’s mesmerized by culture, wildlife, and earth & feels connected to all three. Barbegazi Outdoors (Paul's personal creative outlet and Instagram account) started as an experiment, & in many ways that's what always will be. Pleasantly, it became much more than originally planned. Paul deeply enjoys the amazing artists and adventure seekers he has met while curating his account. He has only two regrets: he can’t have coffee with all his Instagram friends around the same table & he doesn’t have enough time to craft daily art for his Instagram friends.

In 2020 Paul launched Uinta Alycon, the rebrand of his formerly self-titled business.

https://www.uintaalcyon.com/

Brandan is an actor and writer based in Salt Lake City. After graduating from the University of Utah with a BFA in Film & Media Arts, he's found steady work on-stage, on-camera, and on-paper for the better part of the last five years. He has worked with Plan-B Theatre, Hale Center Theatre, and Vavani Productions, among others, and has a small part in a Lifetime Christmas movie... but the peak of his career was in 9th grade, when he played Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka Jr.

www.brandanngo.com

Brad Overton is a multi-media artist known mainly for still-life painting in the contemporary and contemporary western genres. His other mediums include Sculpture and jewelry design. Brad also composes songs, recording and performing in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Before becoming a full time painter in 2001, Brad worked in set design, furniture design and as a scenic sculptor. He has a B.F.A . from The University of Utah, emphasis painting and drawing.

Brad is represented by Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe New Mexico, Altamira Gallery, in Jackson, Wyoming and Scottsdale Arizona, and by Julie Nester Gallery, in Park City Utah.

His artworks can be seen in many private and corporate collections nationally and internationally.

http://www.bradfordoverton.com/

Sister Molly Mormon is a Salt Lake City, UT drag queen and has become a well known and admired in the SLC drag and art Community. In 2019 she was crowned Miss City Weekly. She is the head Bitch and performer with Those Bitches of Club Try-Angles who perform the last Wednesday of each month, she produces a drag show once a month at Prohibition called Sacrament and Sin, and performs all over SLC. She loves the art of drag and works to create original and moving performances that are more than just a performance, but are a production.

Raised in Utah and being raised in the Mormon/LDS/Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Molly was taught above all else to love one another and the values of family. These lessons still ring true in her mind each day, and although she no longer follows LDS teachings to this day, she is grateful to have taken something good from her past. As for her future, Molly strives to be a positive force for good in her community, a community that is her family.

IG: @sistermollymormon

Bio: Sincere honesty and rooted introspection is what drives EJ Michels to write from the heart. 


Playing piano since he was 7 and later catching an interest in singing and songwriting during high school, music has always been his outlet to express difficult emotions. Having experienced a closeted life until his 20s, divorce, and coming from a separated home, EJ’s intent is to channel negativity into something more cathartic.


EJ is also a member of the Utah-native collective Foreign Figures.

Insta: @whoisejm

Website: foreignfigures.com

Tiffany Csesznegi is a freelance artist, graphic designer, and illustrator—featured in three Amazon best-sellers. She is also a tattooist and business owner at Black Art Society in Salt Lake City.

www.blackartsociety.com

@theblackartsociety

Alex Blue V is a Ph.D. Candidate in Ethnomusicology at UC Santa Barbara, and the 2019-2021 Thurgood Marshall Fellow in African and African American Studies at Dartmouth College. He was recently appointed as Assistant Professor of Music at the College of William and Mary. In his new position at the College of William and Mary, Blue will teach courses on race and music, sound studies, and hip-hop production, and will continue his research in the areas of sound, race, identity, and urban space. His dissertation is an ethnographic study of hip-hop in contemporary Detroit, Michigan, that explores narratives of death and dying and illuminates numerous ways the creation, performance, and consumption of hip-hop is used for spatial reorientation, identity formation, and other means in a rapidly-changing city. He also served as a Fellow in the 2018-19 Ithaca College Predoctoral Diversity Scholars Program, and has received a number of grants and fellowships in support of his research. Outside of his academic pursuits, Alex enjoys a very full life as a musical “jack-of-all-trades,” working as a performer, educator, arranger, clinician, designer, consultant, and more for a wide variety of ensembles across a litany of musical styles. He holds a Bachelors in Trombone Performance from Texas Tech University, and a Masters in Jazz Pedagogy from University of North Texas.

Instagram: blue_tha_fiff

Twitter: @alexbluev