Not Real Art

Today’s special guest is an artist who has painted in the catacombs beneath Paris, on the patio of a restaurant during a monsoon in Mumbai, on a rooftop in Madrid, and on the streets of Tokyo. Please join us in welcoming Max Neutra, who is probably best known for his ongoing bunny street art project. Conceived as whimsical characters at a live painting event in Barcelona, his bunnies have since evolved into a study of space and motion, a meditation on achieving balance, and a pursuit of the perfect curve. In this episode, we not only talk about the cool things that Max has done, we also dive into the amazing multidisciplinary work he is doing with the geniuses at Meow Wolf, where he has been a resident artist for over four years. During the course of our conversation, Max shares his continuous pursuit of a creative livelihood and the aha moment that made him realize that he needed to make being an artist his full-time job. We also touch on the importance of having faith in your vision, the role that storytelling plays in creating emotional connections, and the practical side of innovation, as well as how you can lead a creative life without becoming a “traditional artist,” plus so much more! Join us for this inspiring and uplifting conversation with the incredible Max Neutra.

For more info, please visit: https://notrealart.com/meow-wolf-max-neutra

Today’s guest on the Not Real Art Podcast is Rick Saez, an author, speaker, and adventurer, as well as an incredible photographer whose work largely focuses on the natural world and his travels. He has led expeditions and photo trips across the world to places like Alaska, Nepal, and Mexico, and has taken his camera to 25 countries on six different continents. On his podcast, The Outdoor Biz Podcast, Rick collaborates with leaders from global organizations like JanSport, Dometic, and Fishpond to provide over 4,000 monthly listeners with fun, entertaining stories related to career development, adventure, and the great outdoors. In this episode, Rick shares his love for his own backyard in the Eastern Sierra and describes how he is profoundly moved and inspired by nature and the outdoors. We also touch on topics ranging from personal photography versus commercial photography and the strong community of creators in Inyo County to our shared passion for podcasting, the outdoor theme that weaves itself throughout Rick’s life, and more! If you want to learn more about travel, adventure, and landscape photography, create a podcast of your own, or even if you’re just looking for inspiration, this is the episode for you! Make sure not to miss this wholesome and down-to-earth discussion with powerhouse entrepreneur and artist, Rick Saez.

For more info, please visit: https://notrealart.com/rick-saez

Today’s guest has been creating hand-painted, fluorescent artwork for 3D immersive installations for more than a decade, and she is as active in promoting art as she is at creating it! Debi Cable’s 3D blacklight experiences have been featured at music and art festivals around America, including the Lancaster Museum, Beverly Hills Art Show, Burning Man, Lightning in a Bottle, and Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, as well as countless others. Debi also co-founded the Arts Squared public art gallery in Pershing Square, was the LA Regional Art Director for Burning Man, and acted as Vice President of the LA League of Artists. In today’s episode, Debi shares a glimpse into her journey as an artist and how her visually spectacular work developed. We find out how she came to represent other artists in DTLA through the LA Arts Council, what Burning Man taught her about creating immersive art installations at scale, and the spectrum of colors and wavelengths you can see in her work that you can’t see elsewhere. You’ll also learn more about Debi’s business model, how you can collaborate with her, and how immersive art experiences like hers educate people and democratize access to art, plus so much more! For a fun and informal conversation with a bonafide icon of the Downtown Los Angeles art scene, make sure not to miss this episode with Debi Cable!

For more info, please visit: https://notrealart.com/debi-cable

When you work as a commercial artist in a high-stakes game like animation, you know the importance of tracking your hours and managing your business rigorously. Today’s guest has also realized the value of bringing those skills to her personal craft, because knowing exactly how many hours she has spent on one of her incredible handmade pieces not only helps her determine what to charge for them, but also save time on making them and even motivate her to make more. By day, Bonnie Robinson Stewart is a Production Manager at Titmouse Animation Studios in Hollywood. By night, she is an artist that makes meticulously hand-sewn plush toys of everything from koi fish to Godzilla under the moniker, Huggable Koi. In today’s episode, Bonnie shares her process-oriented approach with us and gives us a glimpse into her creative process from ideation to finished product. You’ll also find out more about her work, the traditional carp-shaped windsocks from Japan that inspired her to make her plush koi fish, and some of the amazing (and surprising) opportunities that her plushies have afforded her, plus so much more! Tune in today to gain some practical insights from Huggable Koi creator, Bonnie Robinson Stewart!

For more info, please visit: https://notrealart.com/bonnie-robinson-stewart-huggable-koi

In today’s episode of the Not Real Art Podcast, return guest Louise Glickman shares the story behind her organization Sand Hill Artists Collective (SHAC), and it’s recent collaboration with Crewest Studio on a new podcast called Artsville, which celebrates American contemporary arts and crafts from Asheville, North Carolina, and beyond. Louise Glickman is a mostly self-taught artist who began her creative adventures by studying fashion design and retail marketing. Her love for her community in Asheville reflects her worldview and has compelled her to not only examine but embrace people and cultures, to bring them together through art, culture, and activism. In this episode, we find out how Sandhill Artists Collective (SHAC) supports artists from the greater Western North Carolina region, not just the city of Asheville, and the important role that storytelling and culture plays in arts communities. You’ll also learn about some of their recent exhibitions and exciting developments, including the brand new Artsville Collective gallery inside Marquee in the River Arts District, plus so much more! Tune in today.

For more info, please visit: https://notrealart.com/louise-glickman

No artist wants to end up having a horror story of an experience with a gallery, so it is important that certain measures are taken to avoid this possibility. Today on the show we are back with another art world horror story, this time with New York-based stencil artist and muralist, Logan Hicks. Logan joins us to share not just one but two nightmares he recently endured. He also dishes out some sage advice about what artists can do to ensure that they don’t go through something similar. First, we hear about how Salt Bae breached a contract he had with Logan and ended up using the artist’s work for the marketing surrounding several of his restaurants. Next up, Logan talks about how the Station 16 gallery destroyed $35 000 worth of his paintings and is now refusing to compensate him. We hear about how Logan is fighting back against the Montreal-based gallery by using a combination of a lawsuit and a social media campaign, both of which are still underway. The main point Logan makes on today’s show is that if you want to be a professional artist, then certain business practices need to be understood and implemented in order for you to stand any chance of crossing the finish line intact. Logan is far from small fry, so if these things can happen to an artist as accomplished as him, they can happen to you too. Tune in to hear the value of contracts, copyrighting, and lawyering up, on today’s show.

For more info, please visit: https://notrealart.com/logan-hicks

Welcome to the final installment of our interview series with the 2021 NRA grant winners! Albert Willis, AKA ‘Cleophus’, has actually been on the show before, but now he is a grant winner, so he is back again to share more about his creative process, thoughts on the art world, and approach to being a professional artist. Albert makes what he calls “shadow art”; beautifully intricate and complex pieces where 3D word sculptures become canvases overlaid with hyperrealistic portraiture. We talk about the dichotomy between high and so-called low art and why Albert sees himself as more of an artisan than a fine artist in the snobbish sense of the word. Albert speaks about his love of mathematics and geometry and shares the thought process behind the works he makes today. We get into the business of art and hear about how Albert’s background as a graphic designer and illustrator informs the way he charges for his work. Our conversation also touches on how cryptocurrency is forging a new art industry that could shift money away from institutions and back into the hands of artists. So for a conversation holding as much complexity as one of Alberts's great pieces, tune in today! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Albert’s feelings about having won an NRA grant and the state of the art world currently.
• ‘High art' versus creative expression: Albert’s thoughts on the ‘Not Real Art’ title.
• Albert’s love of the craft of art and why he has never considered himself part of the art world.
• How big of an industry commercial art is while so many artists starve on the fringes.
• The genius of Black creative expression which has been capitalized on by white people.
• Valuable lessons from art school around materials, methods, and ‘seeing’.
• Albert’s love for geometry and maths and how it influences the art he makes.
• How Albert came up with his “Shadow Art” incorporating 3D word sculptures overlaid with imagery.
• Albert’s method for pricing his work using knowledge gained from his commercial experience.
• Why artists should incorporate the time they have spent training into their pricing structures.
• How NFTs and cryptocurrency are shifting up the way art is brought, displayed, transported, and traded.
• Albert’s thoughts about how he can keep pushing Shadow Art and the way he uses words.
• The art, knowledge, and inventiveness that have been erased from history books by colonizers.
• Why Albert came up with the Cleophus nickname when he went back to art school.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/albert-willis-2

We are back again with the Not Real Art podcast and today’s show is a special one because Sourdough and ManOne finally got the chance to sit back and shoot the breeze together. The two OGs are back with another installment of Gringo and the Man! Have you guessed who the Gringo is yet? The vibe is always electric when these two get together and today’s show is no different. You’ll hear our hosts talk about everything from UFO sightings to the evils of Neoliberalism and everything in between. We kick the show off with some definitions (because you know we are all about the formalities here). ManOne lets us know exactly what a Gringo is and Sourdough tells us why he is happy to don the term with pride. We talk about why Humboldt University should have a blunt as a mascot, how badass Navy SEALS are, and what to expect from The Matrix Resurrections. ManOne also shares a bunch of hilarious travel stories involving nude beaches in Dubrovnik and bouncers putting drunken macho men to sleep in London. So for all this and more, join Gringo and The Man today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The roots of the word ‘Gringo’ and why Sourdough is proud to wear the label.
• ManOne talks about his trip to Northern California; Bigfoot culture and a lack of diversity.
• ·What the mascots at Humboldt University should look like considering how much weed people smoke there.
• Jokes about trying unsuccessfully to get quality cell phone footage of Bigfoot and aliens.
• Updates in the tech sphere; what is happening with Blackberry, Apple, and Samsung devices.
• How gimmicky some updates are and how sad it is that people lap them up.
• Whether it is wise to be an early adopter and how our hosts approach buying new phones.
• Spyware that is spreading in Apple devices and the need to update one’s technology.
• How the giant tech firms defy Capitalism in its true sense.
• The unfairness of a new bank account auditing rule that bypasses billionaires.
• Thoughts on corruption across the board and how broken the American system is.
• What the new Matrix film might be like and how good the trailer for The Rescue is.
• How extreme the cave rescue that The Rescue documents was
• ManOne’s experiences in Dubrovnik finding albino crabs in a cave he explored.
• Stories about Navy SEAL training and the killing machines the U.S. government is able to create.
• A time where ManOne was in London and saw a bouncer quell an aggressive drunk guy.
• Thoughts on why big guys always want to fight and prove who is tougher.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/gringo-and-the-man-2

Today, guest host Erin Yoshi speaks with South African multidisciplinary artist, Faith XLVII. Faith’s journey into art began on the streets of South Africa in 1997 as a young graffiti writer. In 2006, she began on a nomadic journey that led her to create work in 42 countries. Her evolution from street artist to multidisciplinary artist has created a fluid yet solid bridge into the contemporary art world, and her explorative approach has led her to develop a broad range of artwork, ranging from immersive new media installations and hand-sewn wall tapestries to sculptural bronze works investigating hierarchies of power, as well as paintings and various explorations into printmaking. The thread of Faith's practice can be traced from abandoned structures and landmark 20-story buildings to museums, galleries, and intimate site-specific installations. In this episode, she reflects on the freedom that not going to art school afforded her and how she has gone on to create art unbound by formality. We also touch on the intersection between art and experience and how she drew inspiration from the internet, and Faith shares how she prioritizes her wellbeing by saying no, how she adopted a scrappy, DIY ethos in advancing her own career, and the universal language that she believes is present in her work. You’ll also learn more about the evolution of her career and practice, from graffiti to gallery shows, and the thought process behind some of her most famous murals. All this and so much more in today’s conversation with Faith XLVII!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Faith walks us through her initial explorations in art-making, starting with graffiti.
• Some of her earliest memories of creating art and the positive influence of Steiner schooling.
• The freedom that not going to art school afforded Faith; creating art unbound by formality.
• How art and experience are connected in her practice.
• Early projects that were transformative for Faith, including ‘The Freedom Charter’ series.
• Ways in which her work responds to antisocial city planning in South Africa.
• Faith reflects on her shift from graffiti to global public art and how the internet inspired her.
• Reeducating the people that follow her work on the evolution of her practice as a commercial artist; how Faith has allowed for reinvention.
• Learn about some of her immersive new media installations and performance pieces.
• Intentionally choosing which projects to engage in by prioritizing her own wellbeing.
• The power and privilege of saying ‘no’ and claiming time to be still, incubate, and meditate.
• Faith shares some of her interests, including ceremony, dream interpretation, and Jungian psychology, as well as deep ecology.
• Hear about Faith’s DIY, self-motivated ethos in advancing her own career.
• What success looks like for Faith now and what she is aspiring toward.
• What it was like being a mother and a working artist and where Faith draws inspiration from.
• Some of her favorite artists, including Blu, Axel Void, and Sebastián Velasco.
• How Faith’s large-scale murals inform her paintings, installation work, and sculptures.
• The universal language of art that she uses to communicate her ideas and emotions.
• Discover the thought process behind ‘Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto’ on Skid Row, LA.
• Faith shares her very simple advice for young artists: read books!
• Coming up as a woman artist in a male-populated industry and how Faith seeks to reclaim female power and intuition through her work.
• The importance of seeking out mentors and taking on mentees as established artists.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/faith-XLVII

In today’s episode of the Not Real Art Podcast, guest host Erin Yoshi is joined by Robert Liu-Trujillo, a fine artist, illustrator, muralist, children’s book creator, and lifelong Bay Area resident. Born in Oakland California, Rob is the child of student activists who watched lots of science fiction and took him to demonstrations. Always drawing, Rob grew up to be an artist, falling in love with graffiti, fine art, illustration, murals, and children’s books at a young age. Rob now illustrates and writes bilingual children’s books to share stories of diversity of joy, like Furqan’s First Flat Top, where readers meet Furqan Moreno, a 10-year-old Black Latino boy who always had “real curly hair” and decides it is time for a new haircut. Through storytelling, Rob scratches the surface of many untold stories, and he is also the Founder of Come Bien Books and a Cofounder of The Trust Your Struggle Collective. In this conversation, he offers some insight into the evolution of his artistic practice and shares some of the narratives in his books, which he created for kids like his son, who is mixed race and bilingual. He also walks us through the process of building stories and creating characters, using art to address social issues, and the power of encouraging young BIPOC artists, plus so much more, so make sure to tune in today to learn more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Robert shares some of his early memories of art, starting with his love for graffiti.
• How he learned about graffiti and design and ultimately went on to study fine art in college.
• His lifelong passion for art and how growing up in the Bay Area influenced his work.
• From working in libraries, antique shops, and art stores to teaching; Rob’s career trajectory.
• The evolution of his work from graffiti to illustration, inspired by animation and comic books.
• Finding his niche in children’s books and writing contemporary stories of diversity and joy.
• Hear more about Rob’s DIY route to becoming a published author and illustrator.
• Some of the storylines in Rob’s first books, which he created for kids like his own.
• What Rob’s disciplined art practice looks like and why he believes it’s like being an athlete.
• Rob on his process of ideating, iterating, and creating narratives and characters.
• Challenges he has encountered on his journey and what they taught him about picking his battles, consistency, and the power of saying ‘no’.
• Learn about the Trust Your Struggle Collective and what inspired the formation of the crew.
• Using art to address current and past social issues and to illustrate what could be.
• What Rob has learned from collaboration; why he believes that “steel sharpens steel.”
• Find out what artistic sovereignty and artistic sustainability mean to him.
• How Rob looks after himself by taking days off social media and doing consistent exercise.
• Staying relevant and ‘fresh’ by working on a wide variety of different projects.
• Some of the artists that Rob admires, including Olivia Fields and Abelle Hayford.
• How Rob overcomes artists’ block as a professional by practicing regularly.
• Balancing being a parent and a working artist and inspiration Rob gets from his children.
• What’s next for Rob, including his new picture book, Alejandria Fights Back!
• How he hopes his art book, Art of Rob, will encourage young BIPOC kids to be artists.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/robert-liu-trujillo-and-erin-yoshi