best of 2017 Joplin MO artists
So I have a little common tradition at the beginning of each new year- I make a post celebrating my creative accomplishments over the past year- cool shoots I worked on, awards received, that kind of thing.
This year I decided to do something different. Creative community has become something very near and dear to my heart, more so with each passing year- and as I've participated in that, I find myself being more inspired by others than I do by myself.
So for the "best of 2017" (I'm only two months late on this post) I decided to celebrate others instead of me... bc my best work happens when I'm working with people like this anyway. Joplin Missouri is host to an incredible, almost unexplainable creative energy, and many artists that the general populace doesn't always know about. Here's a few of those artists close to me.
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Veronica Carr
It's hard to be impartial when you're talking about your sister, but we're pretty blunt siblings, so I think I can manage.
If I could give an award to "most growth" to a person- I'm talking in both life and art- it would be to her. This last year she's put out at least a new piece each month, which may not seem like a ton, but to have about a dozen very solid portfolio pieces at the end of a year, that's actually an incredible start.
Veronica takes more after our dad (a professional woodcarver) in her hands-on art ability- I could never paint, sculpt, or carve. She's dabbled with a variety of styles and techniques, and it's so fun to watch what she comes up with each passing month.
Taylor is an amazing painter who's taken the leap of faith that so many struggle with, and gone full time with his craft. Over the past year, he won "best in show" at the Joplin arts fest, showed quite a few times, was represented by several legit art galleries, he consistently (as much as you can use the word "consistently" in the art world) sold work to collectors, and expanded his portfolio to include some truly breathtaking pieces. His mastery of light and mood is something to behold.
Taylor texted me this past week to say he's working on something crazy and completely new. I think we ALL should be excited for the next phase in his creative career.
FC is one of those guys who, rather than allowing himself to be a slave to the emotional creative rollercoaster, plugs in to write EVERY DAY and before you know it, has published a book and a set of short stories that would make Ray Bradbury proud.
So proud of this dude for publishing his first novel this year- much more to come from him.
I didn't know Mitzi at all before the start of last year, but my eye (picture the eye of Sauron swiveling across Joplin) was on this fellow photographer who seemed to suddenly be taking the town by storm.
Mitzi does something that I could never do (at least not as well as her): create glamorous, stunning portraits of women that make ladies feel absolutely gorgeous. And doing that, in a NON-cheesy way, is impressive.
I've been impressed with Mitzi and her husband Jordan's photography talent, marketing strategies, networking abilities, and online presence, sure. But outside of that, what really stands out is sheer, genuine passion and the ability to dive deep into a niche, make it your own, and do a great thing for people while using your creativity and getting paid for it.
Making a business out of your art- and still keeping the passion alive- is one of the hardest things you can do. Kudos to Mitzi for doing it well.
Meghan is always my "poster child" in the story of WHY creative community matters. Meghan came to the artist meeting I host about 3 or 4 years ago. When we each introduced ourselves to say what we do, Meghan basically said, not much of anything. She'd done some drawing in the past, but hadn't picked up a pencil in a long time and wasn't really sure what her creative identity was or if she even had one.
But she kept coming to meetings, and slowly picked up a pencil again, and got really excited for everyone else whenever they brought up new projects they were working on, regardless of medium or genre.
That excitement caught on, and began to spark something in Meghan, and suddenly she found something completely new herself and began making things out of paper. It's been a couple of years since she began to dabble, but last year she quit her job, began and began doing this full time, selling her work on Etsy, by commission, and at various events. Her niche book safes, pins, flowers, hair accessories, earrings and original artworks- all revolving around paper and the things she loves- just have so much joy in them.
[I'm cheating here. Lance lives in Brooklyn, not Joplin. But he USED to be here and still inspires a lot of folks in this area... and, ya know, it's my blog so shut up about it.]
I probably don't need to say a lot about Lance, simply bc if you know me, you know him. He and I have collaborated and been best friends for years- I list him here simply bc he's always doing something cool and pushing himself and others, year after year after year.
Lance wrote a book this past year that's currently being shopped around for publishing- and I genuinely can't wait to let you guys know about it when it's out there, bc I think it's the best work he's ever done- a novel with truth, humor, celebration of the "little guy" and great beauty.
In the meanwhile, you can always check Lance's blog out by clicking his name- it's a great resource, whether you're in the mood for theology, writing tips, creative process thoughts, or much more.
Mark is another guy I've known for less than a year, and gotten to know well since he actually lives next door to me. We hit it off really quickly bc we're both super honest and like to go deep and laugh really loud.
Mark was toward the end of a long and strenuous process when I met him, of getting his first book completed, edited, and through the self publishing process. I'm no writer, but I enjoyed the read- a story very personal, ready to inspire others with its' Donald Miller-esque honesty and truth.
And man, again, I have so much respect for anyone who carries this process all the way to the end. So many of us have picked up a pen or moved a cursor to begin a story, but how many finished them?
Mark is another example of the meaningfulness of community- he found ours here in Joplin, and that group helped give him that final push to make this happen.
Jeremiah is a really pure-hearted guy who shares my enthusiasm for celebrating creativity and its' spiritual implications in both culture and community. He and some others started an online based community called Fireside... with everything from podcasts to inspiring advent material. I also taught alongside Jeremiah at last year's "Creative Arts Academy" and listened to the songs he's written. He's just a really cool guy, driven to inspire others.
Michael MacDonald
Michael is a really good friend who has undertaken e a remarkable creative process in spite of his young age- and there are few who I've seen grow so much so quickly.
Michael's passion is video games, which moved from playing to creating. For those who don't know- it's an INCREDIBLY lengthy endeavor- one that has required Michael to assemble and work with a team to work on graphics, story, music, style, color theory, and much more. The old-school feel is super fun and the story comes from tons of research on different history and philosophy elements.
This project isn't done, but that's all the more reason in mind to celebrate it- bc it's the long form kind that's the hardest to carry to completion, and no progress has been lost in that quest, in spite of many a hard day and creative valley.
I think this is really going to be something incredible when it's wrapped up.
This is another local band gathering recognition nationwide- 4 dudes who love to make music, pure and simple, with a contagious enthusiasm and some super catchy stuff.
Nathan is the driving force, not only for his band but for everyone around him. When you're creative and you inspire those around you to work as hard as you do- amazing things can't help but happen. Keep an eye (well, an ear) on these guys. They're going places.
Photo by Andrew Clanton
Jeremy Haun + Me Like Bees
These guys do very, very different things- but they came together this year to collaborate in the coolest way, and even invited me along for part of that ride.
Separate accolades-
Jeremy is one of Joplin's unsung heroes. He's a comic book artist who has worked for Marvel, DC, Image, and more- and his two current series, "The Realm" and "the Beauty" (co-authored by Joplin's "Hurley's Heros" owner Jason Hurley) are at the top of the charts for independent comic storylines.
His work is incredible, his work ethic as an artist is hard rivaled, but then personally speaking- his heart for his community goes deep. That's what led him to reach out to fellow Joplin artists...
Me Like Bees are to music here what Jeremy is to comics- they're one of our top tier bands, known across the country with a sound that you'd never guess is from our small(ish) town. They won a national battle of the bands a couple of years ago and draw crowds in places like Kansas City.
The Realm-
"The Realm" is Jeremy's most recent comic series, a delightfully fun post-apocalyptic story complete with orcs and dragons and spaceships, but, ya know, in the future.
Jeremy wanted to team up somehow with the Bees, and found a way to do it- asking if they'd write some music to be released WITH The realm. They worked up a 5 song EP which we've heard a couple of songs from, as well as a music video... (that, yes, I got to do the camerawork on) the full EP hits pretty much everywhere March 30.
Jake- otherwise known as "J-Thrill"- is not what you'd expect by first appearances- that is, he's a rapper. Jake works harder than most to make certain his craft comes straight from the heart, untainted by genre expectations, perceptions of him, and the harder moments in the creative walk (like losing his band-mates last fall). Concept is important to him in his music, and he released an album last year that played off the idea of who he really is VS who the industry expects rappers to be (hence the album cover, which was a blast for me to shoot).
Like publishing a novel, releasing a full album is a BIG deal, and Jake did that, throwing us some catchy tunes with a lot of heart.
Cole, known on instagram as "exploor moar", embarked on an adventure unlike any I'd seen this past year. He gutted a van, turned it into a living space, learned the nuts and bolts of photography, and set out to explore and to document that journey.
It's quite possible that I've yet to meet anyone with quite as much energy as this guy. He took me on a "tour" underneath the streets of Joplin before we left, and even that little adventure was something beautiful to participate in with him.
I've watched him grow a ton, not only in his craft but in his ability to forge deep connections wherever he is and dive into opportunities that would just scare the crap out of most people. On the radar now is training up for an intense mountain set of mountain climbs this summer, which, of course, he'll be chronicling on his instagram. Alaska and Antartica are also in the works... so definitely follow along to be inspired to do the things that scare YOU.
Matt is a quiet and goofy guy with a natural eye for photography that I don't see often. The landscapes he's created during his time in Iceland, Montana, and New York among other places are breathtaking- and his portraits always have soul.
Matt's just beginning the process of selling his work and making this thing into much more than a hobby. Encourage him by poking around his site (it'll also make you laugh) and seeing if there's any images there that you'd put on your own wall.
Jorge is a dear friend who strikes the extremely rare balance of being a high level artist (his work is incredible, in both the realms of painting and sculpture, and commands price tags accordingly), AND a high level businessperson- that is, he knows how to network and market his own work- yet he remains a genuinely kind and humble man startlingly hidden away in little ol' Joplin.
And, his Peruvian accent is something you could just listen to for days.
Jorge has had many past honors (including his iconic red sculptures being present around Joplin), but recently received the honor of being chosen to represent the Missouri Arts Council for their annual arts poster. Pretty cool!
You may remember I worked with Isaiah- AKA "Izzy B"- last year on a collaborative kids' book. Isaiah recently received top honor for one of his kids' book manuscripts from a top editor in a 200+ children's author competition, and continues to hone his still relatively new computer illustration abilities at an amazing rate, nearing completion on the upcoming masterpiece, "count spatula."
I know his books sure make MY kids laugh a lot, and that's the highest praise I've got to give.
Tony has inadvertently inspired many for exemplifying one simple thing: consistency.
He began with a month-long challenge to simply draw every day. No guidelines for WHAT to draw, or how to draw it, or technical specifications; just the bare minimum of one drawing, every single day.
Now it's been TWO YEARS, and Tony continues to keep this up. Sometimes its' series- revolutionary and beloved political figures, state birds (yes, all 50)... and sometimes it's just whatever comes to mind.
Tony will tell you it hasn't always been easy, but I think he'd also tell you the immense value of doing the same thing every day, even if only for 5 minutes. Scroll back through his instagram to see the steady progress of his own growth as an artist.
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There are so very many others- John & Cody Martin, Jordan Murdock, Anthony Monteleone, Derek Hammeke, MD Neely, Mike Corcoran, Nate Billings, Zach Spiering, Shaun Conroy, Padon Murdock, Theresa Schorr, Andrew Clanton, Lydiah Humphreys, Anna Persson, Austin Spencer, and I'm sure, others I'm forgetting to name.
[almost] Every person listed in the above post includes a link to their work, if you click on their name. I'd encourage you take some time do that, to support our local (or not-so-local, if you're from elsewhere) artists in southwest Missouri.
Next post will be back to my own work- got some fun stuff to show you guys. Cheers!
-Mark