Monday, February 6, 2017

40 questions for an artists.

While browsing the Web I came across a website, that asked me (an artist) a bunch or questions aimed at an artist. You can keep reading to see my answers or click the link to browse through them and answer them on your own.

Alright let's go!

1. Who are you and what do you do?

Heya I'm James McCauley. I am the founder of LessThanPi Art and I draw and paint my imagination and on occasion what is in other people's imaginations too. I also help people use their own imaginations to make a living for themselves.

2. Why do you do what you do?

I like to tell stories, I like to hear stories and I like to see stories. I can skip taste, touch and smell though. Doing what I do gives me more opportunities to combine all of these things!

3. How do you work?
I draw in a sketch book to flesh out ideas and also take notes for articles. When ever I have free time I invest it in my art progress or into my business directly.

4. What’s your background?
I have no real art training outside of high school. And sorry Mrs. McCormick but even that was mostly self taught. I just read a bunch, listen a bunch and then purposely draw and write a bunch with the intention of growing as a result.

5. What’s integral to the work of an artist?
Expressing your ideas. That's really it.

6. What role does the artist have in society?
Creating something people to view. The viewers will always have their own interpretation but that's our primary role; to give them a thing to interpret.

7. What has been a seminal experience?
I had to look up “seminal” and wow, don't look it up just take my word for it. It means “the seed that got you started”
Mine was… probably complements. I remember just hearing praise from my family when  I scribbled on paper a a youngster. That what really got me motivated to keep doing it.

8. Explain what you do in 100 words
Okay a long version. I create my own personal intellectual properties (or IPs), be they characters (character concepts and write ups) worlds (world building, environment design) and/or stories (comics and illustrations) that I hope will capture attention, get people hooked, and then keep them engaged and invested enough that they are willing to give me money in order to share more of these IPs.
I also do commissions where I perform those same services in exchange for money or favors.
And then there is the pioneer program, I do that to teach budding visual artists and other creatives how to make a profit and hopefully a living sharing their own ideas with others.

9. How has your practice change over time?
I'm much more serious and dialed in on growth regardless of the difficulties that pop up.

10. What art do you most identify with?
I like video games more than anything else, I consider most of them a fine combination of so many aspects of art that I love. Storytelling, character design, and puzzles just to name a few and giving the player the power to shape all of these things on some level as well. What's not to love?!

11. What work do you most enjoying doing?
I like doing character design the most. Characters more than anything else are the vehicle that moves us through any narrative. Getting to design these fundamental tools to a naritive is always an honor even for my own personal work.

12. What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
Lol, next question!

13. What themes do you pursue?
I always seem to pursue the transition from hate to love, from bondage to freedom, and from fear to trust. And the “positives” of the former and negatives of the later concepts.

14. What’s your scariest experience?
When my wife was pregnant with our youngest son she was having reactions that caused multiple emergency room visits. Not fun.

15. What’s your favorite art work?
None of mine. I actually haven't really thought about my favorite peice of art. In general I like viewing concept work a lot especially when I can see the iteration that takes place.

16. Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?
My whole smash career inspired the story of Mega Mash Mix.

17. What’s your most embarrassing moment?
I pooped my pants once.

18. What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
I've processed and sorted tax returns for a bank. I've done retail for a department store and a been a key holder at game shop. I have also been a server, and have worked as a sales agent for one of the major cable providers

19. Why art?
Why do something that makes me happy for a living?

20. What is an artistic outlook on life?
It depends on the artist, but life will always be what you make it.

21. What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Every compliment and like means a great deal to me. Just the idea that people trust me with and are willing to pay me to help design their brands, characters, and stories is a huge deal for me too.

22. What food, drink, song inspires you?
I just eat and drink stuff in ussuall doesn't inspire anything, but I definitely keep those in mind for future projects. As far as music; I listen to a lot of old video game music from.when I was a kid that always very inspiring.

23-24. Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?
The second part of this one implies that you answered yes, but heck no it’s not lonely. Not for me, I'm married with 4 kids and a teen aged younger brother! There is always someone close by for me, and as an artist you don't have to type very long to find whole communities of people that draw the same types of things you like to draw.

25. What do you dislike about the art world?
How political it can get. How easily one artist can offend another artist. And how LITTLE PEOPLE CHARGE FOR COMMISSIONS!!!

26. What do you dislike about your work?
The flaws.

27. What do you like about your work?
every other part. Espeacially the part where  it makes people happy or brightens up their day.

28. Should art be funded?
Absolutely, people need to create, I think we need to create just as bad as we need to communicate with one another. It's a fundamental part of the human psyche.

29. What role does arts funding have?
People need to eat. Now if you mean does art need to be in schools I think it should yes, but at the same time a dedicated student won't wait around for a classroom if the want to learn.

30. What makes you angry?
Don't get me wrong I love you guys, but the only people I am so attached to that their actions can make me angry are my wife and kids, and even then it doesn't last long.

31. What research do you do?
A LOT of it. I study what artist need. How to run a buisness. How to paint, how to market. How to blog...

32. What superpower would you have and why?
None, I'm batman. Serious answer I don't want one. I try not to waste much time imgaining what I can't be and instead try to invest that time into becoming what I CAN be.

33. Name something you love, and why.
A thing? Smash brothers! It changed my life forever!

34. Name something you don’t love, and why.
Seafood. The consistency just doesn't work well with me.

35. What is your dream project?
I have a few. A character design for League of Legends. A character design for the Wavedash project. Those immediately come to mind.

36. Name three artists you’d like to be compared to.
Keinan Lafferty, Daniel Warren, and Iron stylus.

37. Favourite or most inspirational place?
My bed.

38. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“You gotta believe” -Parrapa

39. Professionally, what’s your goal?
Own a multi-billion dollar entertainment company.

40. What wouldn’t you do without?

Kk we out! Any of my answers throw you for a loop or catch you off guard? Maybe we have some things in common, or maybe you have some questions of you own. Let me know own in the comments. Comments questions or suggestions? Let me know down in the comments below. As always guys God bless, be safe.

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