artist's interview: ARHIA KOHLMOOS

Faith & Soil Cycles, painting

pristine pink heart ~ Arhia! 

oldskool kelly & Arhia 

Concept/ion, oil on panel

In Spite of Everything, drawing

Constellation, oil on panel

the magical weaver herself ~ Arhia!

Sisters, pen and ink

Essential Self-Worship, oil on panel

my first Arhia Kohlmoos sighting took place about 6 or 7 years ago now in a Wisconsin stairwell. she wore a long flowing skirt, round sunglasses, and a mouth poised in self-protection. i was instantaneously curious about this gal. ... once interwoven as beings/friends, which took a lil bit of "seeing/peeping-before-hugging," the connection we created was quick, loyal, and of sisterly knowing. i am deeply grateful for all the phases we have thus far seen each other through ~ and here’s to all the golden pathways ahead.

early memories of my developing friendship with Arhia centered around long walks, long talks, long lunch dates, and long gazes at each other’s creative work. Arhia is a brilliant painter, but i felt first connected to her fantastical, brilliant, and highly focused drawings. ... we are friends to this day; we continue to honor and understand each other’s innate connection(s) to dreams and intuitively derived visions for art.

to pull directly from Arhia’s bio: “Arhia was home-schooled in a forest. She was sheltered by a cabin her Father built pursuing Thoreau, and fed from her Mother’s garden. She was quenched by water pumped from an artisanal well. She was warmed in the winter by a wood-fire stove, which was fed with logs hewed by four axe-wielding sisters."

kelly: thanks so much for agreeing to this interview! please, i would love for you to discuss (in the form of memories and/or present day reflections) the rarity of growing up as you did. has this experience impacted your imaginative capabilities?

Arhia: ah, kelly-bird! I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to share--- you have such a unique ability to *see* folks; you encourage them so gently to reveal themselves. ... well, i would say right away that the particularities of my childhood formed me in such a complete way... that to imagine myself the product of a more conventional upbringing is utterly impossible. I would not be "me." All of the things that i make (the art, i suppose one might say) are like threads leading back to experiences, objects, places, people, from the time i spent as a child living in the woods. I know that being home schooled was crucial, too--- I think that (unfortunately!) public school basically teaches children to forget their individuality... creativity is all about surprises; the unexpected. I was so lucky to have the freedoms i did--- to play in the pond all day, or sew dolls, or read whatever i wanted. I didn't know what it was like to be bored, and I didn't ever get burned out on learning. I think the way I grew up also allowed me to retain a certain "naïveté" that I see as vastly important in my experience of the everyday world. I have to say too that I can't imagine what sort of person I would be if I hadn't grown up with four sisters so close to me all the time. Really, I feel like we're still five parts of one being... we all inhabited a private land of "Kohlmoosia" together; we five are the only natives. That will never change.

kelly: i really enjoy the artist’s statement you have created on your WEBSITE. ... talk to me about intimacy, beauty, time, and consciousness as concepts you are connected to.

Arhia: Thanks--- I wrote that a couple years ago so I should probably update it! But what is written there certainly still applies. I have always understood the world in a very "sensual" way--- that is to say, i am affected deeply by what I take in through the five senses. There is also a more cerebral side to the paintings I construct, but I think that what essentially drives me is a desire to make spaces in which every element is a delight, a mystery, a thrill to the senses in some way... where each element is necessary, none without purpose. I find myself trying to do this in the places I live, as well as in my paintings. Intimacy; I like small spaces. I like private spaces, where there are secrets to discover. Intimacy draws you closer... small paintings ask you to come near... like a whispered secret poem shared close from mouth to ear. As for consciousness: I remember trying, as a child, to come up with a way of defining in words what ME was--- and I thought that "consciousness" best described it. I feel like this consciousness is the ME that no one else in the universe can be... I picture that if this consciousness were to leave the body I call mine right now, there would still be a ME. My consciousness is ME, and its way of explaining its uniqueness is through paintings. Does that make any sense? Boy, I sound totally hippie-dippy! Or maybe just dippy. But there it is! and finally (I know i'm not addressing these concepts in order!)--- time is crucial to me in creating meaning. Just like how one builds relationships with family, with a lover, with a friend, with a place--- time is so important. In order to build a relationship of meaning with(in) art, I must spend a long time making it. As long as is necessary. I must give it the time it asks of me.

kelly: are you always *Arhia the painter?* i mean, is this purpose (this identity) a constant for you?

Arhia: I believe it is... because when i am feeling mundane and meaningless, I remind myself of what i can make through painting. And that reminder serves to bring back my sense of identity. Like I said in the previous question i guess--- about my consciousness expressing its ME-ness through painted images.

kelly: what are your 3 most favorite flowers? what are your 3 most favorite meals? what is your favorite tea these days?

Arhia: Ooh, what fun! Three flowers that have always been favorites are forget-me-nots, wild roses, and johnny jump-ups... they all grew in our garden when i was a kid of course. I used to have johnny jump-ups as decorations on my birthday cake, because they have the best color of purple in the whole world... and you can munch em, too. I also like goldenrod and asters though; they bloom into the autumn which is the time of year i like most in Wisconsin. Right now I think three of my favorite things to eat are miso soup with nori and vegetables, big green salads with things like tomatoes and avocados (too $$ for often though) and... the soy ice cream from Trader Joe's! I also consume a lot of soy milk with clover honey from Trader Joe's. I love so many kinds of tea, but lately i've really been into mixing matcha green tea powder with ginger powder--- so cleansing! The combination of loose leaf green tea and lavender flowers is also a recent stimulating blend.

kelly: talk to me about fashion, music, and India. how do these things impact you and your work?

Arhia: Mmm, fashion. If I had ever get to a point when I'm selling work, I will definitely be spending more $ on clothes and perfume and such. My favorite fashion magazine is "W"--- I really love finely crafted things for the body--- I love the purely sensual aspect of good clothing, beautiful clothing; I also love how wearing the right article can change my state of mind. I am strongly affected by the reality of *bodies*... my own and other people's. When someone isn't afraid of sticking out in a crowd, it is fascinating to see how he/she views his or her body--- what decorations this or that individual sees as appropriate... I definitely view fashion as a form of art... and yes most of it is bad, as is most art, most movies, most music... you know what I mean. Music does inspire me; sometimes more directly, sometimes less. Recently I've been listening to a lot of Joanna Newsom, since her new album (have one on me) just came out. The images she creates in my head with her words are a huge inspiration... she has her finger right on the pulse of the beauty/weirdness/wonder that i try to paint in pictures. Her songs are also really intelligent, and they are highly intricate: you never get it all at the first listen. You have to spend so much time with her and what she has created... you want to... I am trying to get folks to want that from my pictures. Then, i've always been inspired by classical music in a really deep way, though there are many MANY types of music i spend time listening to. Mom used to play Mozart on the piano when she was pregnant with me (and all my sisters in turn)--- and Beethoven, Scarlatti, Bach, Debussey... and the feeling that music still gives me is like my other memories from childhood. I am still painting my way back to that feeling. and India? Well, I've never been there. But I guess one thing I can say is, everything I've read about that place makes me think I probably should have been born there instead of America. What I mean by that is, the culture in India--- product of a long, LONG history--- seems like it would be more comfortable to my consciousness than the one I was born into. Perhaps I may sound ignorant saying that, but ah well. It seems to me that stories are part of the cultural mindset in a way they aren't here... spirituality has so much more to do with the earth and the body... and the concept of beauty I see in life there fits with my own. I hope I have a chance to visit India someday.

kelly: arhia! you are currently working toward your Master’s Degree in Painting. how do you like Boston? how the heck do you like your program? what do you enjoy about having your own studio space?

Arhia: Mmm kelly, after applying to 19 grad schools in over two years, you can imagine how great it feels to actually be here living it. There have been ups and downs of course... as you know, the big city makes you struggle and compete to survive. But I was just thinking about it the other day, and I can't say this isn't one of the most exciting times of my life thus far. I love Boston--- I really, really do. It is the most "European" city I've even experienced in this country, so diverse, quite beautiful in parts, has an unbelievable number of opportunities... and is also walkable, which is important to me. It's not big enough to be totally overwhelming. I also really love the high density of colleges and universities here--- it makes for a heady atmospheric cocktail of intellectual vigor and idiotic youthful partying... I like my program at SMFA quite a bit. It isn't exactly what I expected--- I really have to search out the sort of mentoring/training in technique and craftsmanship that i so much desired to experience in graduate school. It is not an automatic part of this program. Here they focus much more on theory, philosophy, the "language" of the art world. It's not very practical--- which isn't to say it's not valuable. I simply have a lot of adjusting to do. I love how interdisciplinary it is in that there are folks here doing such radically different work from myself. I love that. It reminds me of why i liked being at Lawrence for undergrad, a liberal arts school with people in many areas. So I get frustrated here sometimes--- it costs so much and the school is still so tight on money! We don't get a lot to work with. But I'm going to make the best of it, concentrate on the positive aspects, and finish out the next two years. Oh, and I LOVE having my own studio space. It is crucial. I can't wait for the day when I have a "real" studio--- much bigger and even more private. That will come after school is over I imagine.

kelly: i had the pleasure of conversing with you while i was in Iowa (not too long ago) about your most recent painting. it is titled, Concept/ion, and can be viewed at the beginning of this article. Arhia, are you interested in sharing what fueled the creation of this piece? ... what is obvious to me as a friend and viewer is that your craftsmanship bounded forward so boldly with this painting. where did this shift in energy come from?

Arhia: Hmmm, yeah... I find it difficult to do this one justice with words. I mean, I didn't really begin Concept/ion in a very intellectual way... it was quite intuitive... but you know how it is! And they keep telling me I need to learn how to talk about my art, which is totally valid! So i'll give it a whirl. I began thinking about this subject when my sister became pregnant with her first child last year. She's the first of us to have a child--- and it seemed to change my whole perspective on how time passes. I also thought a lot about what I'm sure most women mull over at some point: do I want a child? How would having one change who I am *as a woman*? Can I be a "real" woman if I choose NOT to have a child? Does having a child mean I am more ~alive~ than someone who doesn't? Do I deserve less love if I never become a mother? Then other things.... how is this linked to creativity? If I say art-making is as fulfilling to me as child-bearing, will I be dismissed? IS art-making as fulfilling as child-bearing? Painting is a process in which I continually re-birth myself along with the concept and the object... so there is that, too. I identify with the baby as well as the woman in the picture. I am the concept, I am the child, I am the creator and the mother/woman. I see what I've painted as hopeful; there is much vibrancy, much life. It is a questioning... not easy questions... but necessary ones. I think that's all I have to say about it at the moment.

kelly: i give you $11,111. what do you do with it, peach?

Arhia: Oh man, Kelly! I've been sitting here contemplating this question, and it's way tougher than it looks at first! I guess my first answer would be that I'd use it to get me through the next two years of school!!! But that's so boring. I waste so much time thinking/worrying about money, but i don't know... maybe i'd save it until i had my degree, and then i'd use it to spend as long as possible living in another country. Probably Italy or the Netherlands. I love nothing more than living in Europe, and I also love nothing more than spending every day all day painting and walking! Combine the two and that would be total bliss. Also maybe I'd buy a few awesome pairs of shoes. And dresses. And some fresh salmon.

kelly: Arhia! you’re headed to Amsterdam for a brief stint this summer. what draws you there? why would you love to live there in the near future?

Arhia: Yes yes, Amsterdam! I can't believe that's happening. I will only be there for a week, but it will be so important. I applied to go there on a travel grant because i am obsessed with Northern European Renaissance Art. Like Van Der Weyden, Memling, Bosch, etc. I want to experience the place for myself--- the place where these sorts of works were created. And as far as living there... so many reasons! The Netherlands is a really progressive country, socially. It also has the most bikeable cities in the world! Which is awesome because Myer and i will never have cars. I like the placement of the Netherlands in Europe; it would be easy to travel around to different countries. All that combined with the historic nature of the place, the beauty, and the art.... Well, there you have it, darling.

kelly: i would love for you to discuss your sisters. i mean, there were five of you sisters on your family’s little acreage, so close. the bond of sisters (sisterhood) is like ...

Arhia: Ah, kelly.... yes. I guess I spoke about my sisters a bit in answer to your first question. You're right, it is like "whoa" pretty much. We are five points of a star, and each just a diamond-shaped *bit* without the others. I miss them all. Our relationships have not always been easy; we go through difficult phases like any other family. When i'm at odds with any of them, or just can't get in touch--- it hurts. I have dreams about them, and it hurts a lot. But that's part of it, you know? We're all unique and creative people with our own idiosyncratic problems... it will never be perfect. But I trust that worse times will always change back to better times. I think about Rhiannon, Annwn, Mirra & Cirrus every day. I love and respect them all so much. They are the most amazing people I will ever meet.

kelly: Arhia! what are your ultimate aspirations in life and as an artist?

Arhia: Such questions, kelly! This is a good question--- difficult to confront. I would like to see this in my future: my lovely boy and myself, living in Groningen, the Netherlands... in a small but pretty place, with a studio for me and private spaces for him too. A piano. A garden. I would make and sell paintings, and Myer would have a career in which he was happy--- a stimulating career that would give him the challenges and the fulfillment he needs. I am not sure what that would be. I see us having enough money to travel once or twice a year, enough to ease the stress of daily life. That is all. We'd have a library with all the books I used to love as a child, and all the ones I've loved over the years. And all Myer's philosophy and music. Yes, that is what I want. Simultaneously unglamorous and difficult to achieve! But I'm not letting it go easily...

kelly: please list 4 reasons why you love your delicious husband, Myer. please list 4 reasons why you love yourself. please list 3 reasons why you love me! :P

Arhia: Haha! just that many? Let's see... Myer. I love him because of his unconventional, energetic, open, creative mind. I love him because he plays with me; together, we are always playing a game of "let's pretend." It makes us child-like, and fresh. I love him because he is an adventurer with a sense of humor--- life is exciting with him in it. And I love him for his gentle tenderness... which somehow comes from such a mysterious place. Myer is so deep. If he were a pool, I could never see the bottom... and myself? Goodness. I like that I am sensitive, I like that i am disciplined, I like that I can see all religions as *true*, and I like that I will never quite "grow up" and become cynical. Ah, you, fair bird! You. I remember when I first saw you, March 2003 after I transferred to Lawrence. Top floor of Main Hall; I was sitting outside waiting for my Catholicism classroom to open up. You walked by, such a vision of glitter and velvet! You had on a long blue velvet skirt... that's when I saw you as a bird of paradise. I stared up at you! But you were in your own place. I thought, who are the people who get to be friends with this girl? How does one get seen by her? What a mystery! What a feeling it would be to stand in her lighted ring. I love you because you're still that shimmering vessel of mystery; I love you for your beauty, which I see all about you, when you move, when you are still, outside, inside, above, beyond to other lives. I love you because of your infinite generosity with others... you give all of yourself to me when you listen. To have such courage--- it is a gift. I love you because of your magical creativity, which I at once both fully understand and will never comprehend. Your slow careful weaving of words, objects, relationships into such a glorious life-tapestry! You inspire me. I think that was more than 3 reasons. But seriously, girl! I can't narrow it down to that.

artist's interview: NICK ENDRES

Part Japanese pop star and part Shakespearean villain, flashing a winsome smile and sporting a handful of tattoos, this atypical young man has more than just talent up his sleeves. His engaging personality and quirky charm combined with his Midwestern work ethic is bound to make him a phenomenon. Other stunning attributes include his hella kissable lips, his fluffy Libran flotation devices (?!), and his communicative boldness! introducing ... a best friend and talented artist, Nicky Endressssssssssss! 

kelly: Nicholas! i remember when we first met. you were ninja fighting someone in Ormsby Hall. i was like, "who is that hot weirdo who needs so much attention? we should be friends!" from there, we did all sorts of naughty stuff together, like take drugs, play with boobies, eat Thai food, and get married. wild times. talk to me about your memories of our early friendship. tell our readers about the importance of triangles and soul-mate connections. NICK: Kelly Shaw ... You know, it is considerably difficult for me to remember a time before we were friends. It's kind of like you've always just ... been there! Ha ha ha ha! and I do totally love to be the center of attention. But it's not because I am a narcissist; it's just a talent I was born with. I know you're laughing wildly along with me. this is gonna be a fun interview. But enough about me. Kelly Shaw. Your unabashed emotional sensitivity and your acute spiritual awareness were just some of the characteristics I immediately loved about you. I cannot remember what you first said to me, or what you were first wearing, but i remember your big blue eyes and your platinum blonde hair and I just kind of immediately decided that you were brilliant. Call it love at first sight. You have always had a talent for being both subtle and direct in your communication ... and also simultaneously absurd and poetically lucid in so much of what you do. You are at once the strangest, craziest woman I have ever met, and also one of the most centered, wise, and unassuming. You are so dynamic and generous and honest and curious ... I thought all of these things within a moment of meeting you, and (wow) a decade later (like, WOW!) those things have not changed much at all. On the subject of friendship, well ... I am a loner by nature. I require a minimum of 60% of my life to be enjoyed in solitude. I am also a bit of a misanthrope, but really treasure a brilliant individual when I meet one. And I am not quite so cynical as to fail to recognize that brilliance is actually not quite as rare as we sometimes think. Or maybe I have just been lucky in that I have many brilliant friends! Who can say, really -- even compliments are judgments. In any case, up to the moment in my life when I met you, I would not say that my social life was expansive. I mean, I'm remarkably sociable for someone who prefers to be alone, but I had had only a very few very close friends. When we met, there was a kind of instant connection, and sometime not too long after, you referred to me as your "forever friend" and I remember thinking that was cute and kind of silly because in my mind it was kind of just a given. But I knew what you meant and I dug it ... and you know, that is another thing: you and I are very different people, with very different methods in navigating life. And yet, we kind of speak this psychic-poetry language that bypasses conventional words and just kind of transmits "meaning" ... and I really hate to structure my description of that in that way because it sounds like such science fiction, but I think it is a special part of our friendship worth mentioning. Even when we disagree, we still "get" one another. Of course, it did take some time to really get to know one another, but for the most part, the initial connection was immediate. Another product of our psychic-spiritual friendship has been a strong attraction to the number three, and I guess like the witches of old, we were captivated by the idea of a third friend in our tight-knit circle. Or triangle, more appropriately. That third person changed depending on who was currently enrolled at our University, or who was studying off campus, or who was the newest piece of brilliance to transfer in ... Ha ha ha!!! OMG! I am Jaclyn Smith and you are Cheryl Ladd. Jaclyn Smith was in every season of Charlie's Angels, and Cheryl Ladd was in all but one -- remember, you took a break off campus for that year -- and sometimes we had a Kate Jackson, but then she left, and we had a Shelley Hack, or a Tanya Roberts ... gosh what a silly analogy, but so appropriate! Anyhow, what I really came to respect about a triangle friendship was (and of course this is incredibly practical, coming from me) that the grouping combinations of all three friends were so situation-friendly, especially for us, being independent people who also really love close friendships. There were less politics and competition, cuz there was always a third energy to play diplomat to the other two ... if one person wanted to go do their own thing, the remaining two would still have one another as an option if they did want to do something together. If one person was performing or whatever, the other two could support and it would really feel like a family. And for my part, I learned a lot about diplomacy -- how to be a good friend to two different people, even in cases of competing interests. It was the very first time I ever felt like part of a social group. And we were kind of popular, in our own way! That was fun. And we kind of each had a role to play in the triangle; our personalities sometimes happened to fall into classical motifs referencing the number three -- the one that comes to mind is that of the Fates or of the cycle of life: inspiration/creation, maintenance/maturation, wisdom/destruction. I think we each kind of discovered ourselves by engaging these themes as components of our personal connection to one another and to ourselves. Eventually, triangles came to symbolize magic and strength and transformation and beauty. But you know, if I have to be really honest about it, I must admit that I sub-consciously assumed that our triangle always featured you, me, and the guest star of the episode. You were always my constant. You and I have a way of complementing one another and kind of just cosmically balancing out our various forms of crazy!

kelly: you know i am super-proud of you for following your dream. you’ve had a dream for a long long time, you’ve held onto it, you’ve indulged it, and you hold fast like a golden bulldog. what was it like to leave Wisconsin for Los Angeles? tell me why L.A. is the perfect fit for you as an artist. NICK: You did such a good job summing that up, love! Well, leaving Wisco for L.A. was an adventure to be sure, but a really lovely one. I remember calling my mom from my mobile as I was driving on the 10 into LA, and I said joyfully, "I'm home!" I had never visited Los Angeles before that. I'd never even been west of Minneapolis. But I knew I was where I was supposed to be. It wasn't hope, it wasn't desperation, it was just ... destiny, I guess. I was just supposed to be in L.A. And five years later, I still feel the same way. I just love it here. I mean, L.A. is everything you hear it is, both the good and the bad. Most of it is pretty true, for better or for worse. But all things considered, it is a beautiful place to live, and it has so much opportunity, especially for creative professionals such as myself. I mean, for actors, it's kind of the only place on earth you can really make a career. Other markets have fantastic opportunities to be sure, but nowhere else is as expansive as L.A. Professionally, for me there were two options: New York City or Los Angeles. Easy choice: it SNOWS in NYC...

kelly: your accomplishments in acting are plentiful. give our readers a lil list of appearances you’ve made on t.v. and film. any favorite experiences in this way? are you working on anything independently these days? NICK: I love that you consider my resume to be plentiful! It's all just marketing to make it look as A-list as possible, even if it is like... G-list. The entertainment industry is highly competitive in this day and age and the industry is evolving rapidly, largely in part due to the rapid advancements in technology and the changing expectations of viewers. To be honest, I am lucky to have worked at all, statistically speaking -- I mean, my industry is over-saturated with people just like me. But don't get me wrong, I don't suck. I won't be so audacious to declare that I'm a brilliant actor, but I am talented and I have a "look" and I'm professional, so when I am fortunate enough to book, I typically do a good job and those I work with enjoy working with me. And really, that's all you can ask for. As for a favorite experience... I remember when I co-starred on Pushing Daisies. It was my first time on a high-profile television series and I was so thrilled when I got my own Star Wagon -- those are the brand-name trailers that we use as dressing rooms. And even more thrilled when I discovered that the studio actually staffed regular stand-ins for both the regulars and guest cast. Now, when you're working on lower-budget projects you have more technical responsibilities, one being to stand in to help set camera and lights and stuff. So when I was informed that my stand in was going to be doing whatever this and that, I was like, "What?! I have a STAND-IN?!" don't get me wrong. I love all aspects of making films and television, and I don't mind standing in; I was just accustomed to working as a stand-in for myself. I felt like such a big deal when I was told to sit and relax in one of those director-style chairs while they set up the shots using my stand-in! Oh, and I just LOVE to do action sequences. I love to get punched and shot and strangled and stuff. My favorite moment doing action scenes is when the director calls "cut," and then the crew ask me if I'm okay because they genuinely thought maybe a stunt or fall or whatever went wrong and I really hurt myself. Luckily, I've never REALLY been injured, but to make it look like I did means we sold the hit. And that is really cool. But don't get me wrong, I am a trained martial artist and it's always safety first!

kelly: who are you in love with now and why? NICK: Me. It is not narcissism, but a healthy self-love. I am my first priority. This makes me a shitty boyfriend, however -- at least in the conventional sense. I reject the idea that love must be confined to a singular person or singular object. Every interpersonal connection I make is special in its own way, as each individual is unique. My philosophy is simple: be honest, be respectful, be thankful, and do not make promises! I do not believe there is a template for a perfect romantic relationship. Love is expansive, not confining. Relationships, for me, are too political; Love however, is remarkably simple and genuine. But if I HAD to choose just one person to "be in love with," it would be Anderson Cooper, the Silver Fox. Because he is beautiful AND smart!

kelly: i would like to know your 6 favorites fruits and 5 favorite veggies, please. NICK: In no particular order, I love: apples, pineapples, mangoes, red grapes, bananas, and strawberries ... as for veggies: broccoli, carrots, spinach ... are potatoes veggies? and peanuts are legumes. and legume is "vegetable" in french. so peanuts. peanut butter, actually.

kelly: i think it is really neat that you are multi-talented. you are an incredible henna artist, a talented reader of auras and tarot, a maker of beautiful books, cards, tattoo designs, and graphic art. how do these aforementioned creative skills feed your spirit and mouth? are you making money in L.A. with these ventures? NICK: I am SO grateful to be multi-talented and to have had a great University education (thank you Mom and Dad!). I am a naturally creative person who gets restless easily. It is very difficult for me to be happy in a lifestyle that is too routine. I am of course comforted by a sense of security, and I hope one day to have more financial flexibility and freedom. Something I learned very quickly after moving to L.A. is that every experience is an opportunity, and that you can sell anything if someone will pay for it. Los Angeles is a very commercial city -- in addition to being a major market/port for the USA and for the world, the entrepreneurial energy here is abounding, and there exists a kind of encouragement for innovative ideas and for business-minded creativity. In terms of an acting career in Los Angeles, the conventional wisdom has been (and to a large degree, continues to be) that a career in entertainment and having any other career is mutually exclusive. As an actor, you kind of have to be available ALL THE TIME -- because every audition is an opportunity to book a job. And auditions happen when they happen. You show up or you do not show up. For every one actor who can't make it, there's at least 10 who are rearranging their LIVES to make a 5-minute appointment. It is highly competitive, and there is no financial payoff until you book an actual job and have a contract, work the job, and wait for payroll to cut you a check. It is a really inconsistent and unpredictable business, so one must be prepared for those realities before committing to such a lifestyle. Because of this randomness in scheduling, it is difficult to hold down a traditional 9a-5p. Many actors also possess a mindset that they will never be a successful consistently-working actor if they invest too much energy into a non-acting side career. I had this mindset for a while until I had the benefit of managing a theatre for four years, during which time I met and dealt with these "consistently-working actors" who were now acting teachers and coaches, trying to make a living between acting jobs by doing the only thing they thought they could do outside of acting: teach acting. And these folks have spouses and babies and mortgages and cars, which are difficult to afford if you are only a D or C list actor. There simply are not enough simple acting jobs out there for anyone to really make an "American Dream" type living unless you are A list or B list and/or have a regular gig (like a television show) or a large paycheck (like from a major studio feature). Something I should also mention is that being an actor is essentially like being self-employed or having your own small business. The expenses you incur just trying to get an audition can very easily cost you more than you will make from the job, should you even book it -- especially if you're not already established. Some advice a professional actor gave me before I moved to LA was very accurate: "Think of anything you could do for a living and be happy. If you can think of anything other than acting, then go do that other thing." I could not think of any other thing, at the time. But after 5 years here, my perspective has matured. I now call myself a Freelance Creative Professional, and it is my goal to master as many random skills as I can market, professional acting being just one of many. I do creative and artistic work as well as tech/computer work, and I also do entertainment/hospitality stuff. I am blessed with being both talented and a very fast learner, so I am very fortunate to have many choices and opportunities. I also have rather low minimum requirements to be happy, which helps financially. My #1 rule is: don't buy it if you can make it. #2 rule: everything is useful. #3 rule: good health and hygiene = happiness; everything else is just luxury.

kelly: how many puppies will you own someday? what kind? names? why do you love puppies so much? how are puppies and boys alike? NICK: I will have two miniature schnauzer puppies. They will be named "Puppy" and "Doggie" because that's what I'd end up calling them anyhow. Puppies are my kryptonite! I think they are the epitome of CUTE. I am a dog person rather than a cat person (despite how many people say that *I* have the personality of a cat.) I love dogs because of their desire to be a part of a team. They want to know their place. They want to know the rules. They want to fulfill their responsibilities. They know nothing but to live in the moment. I have a supervisor/manager personality and am best suited to such professional positions, so I also happen to make a good pack leader. Although I am a dog lover, I do not really sentimentalize them or anthropomorphize them. I love them because they are dogs. And dogs tend to like me immediately, too. Recently, I met a very large dog who was very sweet and I thought, mmm... maybe I should get one miniature schnauzer and one giant schnauzer and call the little one "Puppy" and the big one "Pony" cuz it would be big enough to ride. Not that I would ride it, of course, but it seems ridiculous and adorable, so that is reason enough for me. As for how boys and puppies are alike ... both humans and dogs cannot help their nature. I'm more forgiving of dogs, I think, because they do not rationalize excuses the way humans do.

kelly: where would you like to honeymoon with me? do you think i’m hot, baby? NICK: Australia comes to mind first. And of course I think you're hot -- and a lot of other adjectives!

kelly: Nicholas, talk to me about some of your ultimate aspirations in this lifetime. what are you working toward? what comes? what is? NICK: Sometimes I fear that I am not ambitious enough because I refuse to specifically define my life goals. I do have daydreams of being a celebrity of sorts. I am good with popularity, and I think I could positively contribute to society as someone who garners a lot of public interest. It sounds silly to me to claim that I would be a good "role model," because there are plenty of things about myself I would definitely not encourage others to embody! But in all honesty, I do think that if I ever did have the benefit of being in the limelight, I would use the opportunity responsibly, and hopefully promote something constructive. HOW this daydream may become fulfilled is up for grabs. I love acting and would love to have a serious, consistent job doing what I love. I am also writing a book. The literary and publishing world is an industry I am still learning about, but creative writing has always been a strength of mine, and I figure I should use it if I was lucky enough to be born with it. In any case, in my most unabashed fantasies, I am a celebrity who is regarded for his talent, uniqueness, and attitude. And, as every famous and/or wealthy person should do -- for either (both) practical or (and) altruistic reasons -- I've also already chosen my area of humanitarianism: education. If I weren't a freelance creative professional, I would probably have chosen a career in the improvement of education -- first here in the USA, and then in other areas of the world.

kelly: you are a self-proclaimed gaysian misanthrope. tell us more, please. NICK: "Gaysian" started out as a derogatory homophobic-slash-racist slur ... but I thought it was cute in spite of its intentions. And um, it is kind of, like, well... accurate. I am gay and I am Asian. And I like a good portmanteau. However, just to clarify, I use "gaysian" as a tongue-in-cheek kind of comedy bit; it is not something I seriously incorporate as part of my identity. Misanthrope, on the other hand ... yes, I kind of am. It's not that I hate all people, but that I despise so much of human nature itself. I am fundamentally mistrustful and suspicious of people because we are all so human. We are fragile, weak, lazy, greedy, and cowardly. I look at all of humanity's lowest common denominators. But don't get me wrong, I'm not really so bleak. I also recognize and celebrate the brilliance of humanity -- our resourcefulness and ingenuity, our capacity for love, our noble natures and the profound ways in which we connect to one another and to ourselves ... humanity is also quite beautiful. I say I am misanthropic because I assume that all people are capable of the worst of their natures ... but I do still remain incredibly open to witnessing individuals becoming more than their most base components. I may have disdain for humanity as a general concept, but I treasure and celebrate individual people. Many sociologists contend that misanthropy is a result or expression of an individual's hatred of himself or of his own nature. I do not disagree. I recognize my own faults and weaknesses and vindictiveness and selfishness, etc. but I work so very diligently at living my life beautifully, in spite of those things, that I find I have very little patience or tolerance for other people who do not work as hard as I do -- work as hard to be their personal best. I always return shopping carts to designated areas instead of leaving them in the parking lot. I admit when I am wrong and my apologies are genuine. I investigate myself and challenge myself to learn and to grow. I remain open to things that are foreign to me and things that make me uncomfortable. I take responsibility for my actions and do not victimize myself. I try to locate the owner of a lost possession. I do not depend on other people to give me a self-esteem ... these are qualities I admire in other people, qualities I want to live in my own life, qualities I do not believe are common to all of humanity. I do not suffer fools gladly. I suffer them only so much as to think I could learn something from them. I'm not about to go out and try to change people who are different from me, or try to convert those who do not agree with me. But I must admit to a general pessimistic outlook on the most general concept of humanity and of human nature. I may not be all that much better, but damn it, I try to be.

kelly: get magical for a few minutes, love. name 3 things that ease your heart and free your mind. name 3 things that help you to relax. name 3 musicians you love. name your top 3 reasons for loving me. name your top 3 reasons for loving yourself. (giggles!!) NICK: Things that ease my heart and free my mind: dark chocolate, fresh air, and sunshine. Things that help me relax: lavender, making lists, and talking. Three musicians I love: Nancy Wilson, Regina Spektor, Jason Mraz. Top three reasons for loving you: you're brilliant, you teach me about myself, your huge capacity for love (which is both wonderful to be a recipient of, and also inspires me to be more like you.) Top three reasons for loving myself: I'm brilliant, I'm open, I'm growing.

check out Nicky HERE.

artist's interview: MARISSA ARTERBERRY

the queen herself,
Marissa Arterberry

all pieces displayed below 
are original creations by: Marissa.

She is the Universe

Map

Funkstress

Azmera and The Tar Baby

Marissa Arterberry is a positively vibrant young artist whom i had the pleasure of meeting while we both were getting on our feet in New York City. i was drawn to her warm smile, funky fashions, Ma’at tattoo, and her genuinely caring demeanor. originally a California girl, Marissa currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

about her creative work, Marissa writes, "My work centers around rituals created to heal a collective history, and I focus on women as the conduits for these self-created rites. I can't let a photograph of a lynching or the traumatic history of slavery just 'be.' My paintings and drawings essentially amount to 'laying hands on' a particular memory or person. At the same time, these healing rites are a celebration of life and survival, and the strength and beauty that emerges when one comes out on the other side of pain."

may you enjoy this super rich unveiling of my first long-distance artist’s interview. 
queenly insights ahead, no doubt.

kelly: Marissa! an honor it is to interview you. tell me, what drew you to New York City at this point in your life? how long have you been there? … we have similar stories in that we both recently parted from the city ~ you returned. how do you feel about your return? MARISSA: Wow, ecstatic really. It was a blessing to have the opportunity to come back a little stronger and wiser, with both eyes open to the realities of living in this city. In my return, I kind of think of myself like water. I really did just have to let go (of preconceived notions, my issues surrounding materialism and material possessions, so many things!) and just allow myself to flow into this place, and trust that I would be taken care of, and that if I was patient, the things I needed would come my way. I didn't try to force things the way I did the first time around. I learned to breathe and appreciate what was right in front of me.

kelly: how are you creatively impacted by New York City? lay it on me real. on the flip, tell me about your California home and how you feel inspired by that place too. MARISSA: Wow, well as most people know, space is at a premium in New York. It's expensive just to pay rent, much less have a studio space, and the spaces New Yorkers occupy are usually quite small. It definitely altered my creative process and the way I relate to space. I've always painted these big bright canvases, but becoming a New Yorker, the spacial and economic realities of it, pushed me off the canvas. I couldn't afford canvas, and didn't have space for it either. That's when I started to explore works on paper more. I found books on the street that I tore the pages out of and made little watercolor and ink pieces on, and I've started creating this series of hanging figures from cut paper and yarn (stuff I can buy cheap) and that has revealed so much for me about my work in relation to the space around it. So I would say being in this place has lead me in some exciting new directions. In northern California, the art culture is much more open and outdoors, which was great. I would set up at all sorts of festivals, paint collaborative murals in front of live audiences, that kind of stuff. There's a lot of interaction between the artists and the community there. Folks are painting outside, having public viewings at their studios, and participating in all sorts of community projects.

kelly: you’ve been quite fortunate to do some yummy traveling. what inspires you about the places you’ve visited? how do these inspirations live in your art? and what places do you itch to experience next? MARISSA: I have had some very exciting journeys, each taking on very interesting forms. I traveled to Costa Rica with my science class, and we spent our days hiking the rainforests and studying plant and animal life, and visiting these amazing preserved wild areas of land. I traveled to Ghana with 3 Black Studies professors, tracing the journey the kidnapped/enslaved Africans took, from the villages all the way to the dungeons on the coast. We poured libations and laid so much baggage down there. A poetry professor also took a bunch of us to Quebec for the huge FTAA protests that occurred there a few years back. That was an eye opening experience, seeing all these people come together in various forms of resistance, and witnessing the realities of a police state. These journeys have influenced my art on so many levels, but the main thread through all of it has probably been the interconnectedness I've found with people all over the world. My travels showed me that we have so many common struggles and dreams. They showed me the importance of sharing my own story and perspective as a positive voice. People around the world will hear it and share it. Next for me will have to be Brazil. That place is calling to me in my heart and my bones.

kelly: let’s talk about influence. i know you love Kara Walker. i know you are crazy-inspired by music and dance too. you also seem to be a flowerchild/butterfly all your own. so, what artists, musicians, eras, and colors give life to your processes of creating? MARISSA: Oh wow, it always comes back to music. It's kind of funny, I study the lives and work of musicians more than I do visual artists. So much of what was going on in the 1960s and 70s inspires me. You had so many new scenes exploding: folk music, soul music, funk... and the art that came out of it: the psychedelic Fillmore concert posters, amazing album cover art like Santana's Abraxis, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, all the Parliament Funkadelic album covers were just out of this world. I watch a lot of old films, documentaries, and kid's tv shows (old Sesame Street clips especially!) from that era, just soaking up colors, patterns, and themes. As far as visual artists go, aside from Kara Walker, I'm also inspired by the work of Ana Mendieta and Frida Kahlo. I admire their fearless self-exploration.

kelly: i love that you are a writer. atop all your mad talent in the visual realm, you have a skill that i think is super important for all artists to exercise. talk to me about your stories, blogs, and other writings. does your writing connect up with or inspire your painting? MARISSA: Yes, the writing connects with my paintings in so many ways. My ongoing series, Azmera's Journey Back to the Electric Homeland, is a series of paintings and drawings based on a story I wrote. Also, when I come up with the characters I paint, I often give them names and backstories; it definitely takes the work to places it wouldn't have gone otherwise. The blog I write has also been a lot of fun. I get to pick the brains of some super-talented artists, document art history as it's happening, and connect with so many fascinating people.

kelly: you love fruit. you love vegetables, lol. gimme your top 6 fruits and top 5 veggies, por favor. MARISSA: Veggies: spinach, bell pepper, collard greens, cucumbers, carrots ~ ~ ~ Fruits: strawberries, grapes, nectarines, mandarins, pineapple ... P.S. CANNOT MENTION MY LOVE OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES WITHOUT GIVING A LIL SHOUT TO MY AMAZING HEALTH NUT FATHER, WHO KEPT THE KITCHEN FULL OF THEM!

kelly: you love music. gimme your top 4 female artists, top 4 male artists, and top 3 groups. MARISSA:

Female:
Phoebe Snow
Joni Mitchell
Erykah Badu
Roberta Flack 

Male:
Prince 
Stevie Wonder 
Jorge Ben Jor 
Bob Marley 

Groups: 
The Beatles 
Led Zeppelin 
Santana 
Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66

kelly: alright, queen. let’s play the alphabet game. please gimme an alphabetical list of words (one word per letter) that communicate feelings of enjoyment, creativity, likes, loves, self-description, etc. this is a freeform exercise intended to line us up with your coolness. MARISSA: 

A- Authentic 

B- Beauty 

C- cathartic 

D- dynamic 

E- ecstatic 

F- figurative 

G- goddess 

H- happy 

I- interesting 

J- joyful 

K- Knowledge 

L- love 

M- mindful 

N- never-ending 

O- open 

P- purple 

Q- queen 

R- Marissa forgot this one! i vote: rockin'! 

S- squid 

T- turtles! 

U- uninhibited 

V- voluptuous 

W- wind 

X- xylophone 

Y- yes 

Z- Zora Neale Hurston

kelly: talk to me about some of your favorite creative accomplishments. also, i’d love to know what you are currently working on … and what events have you recently been connected up with in the city? ... what do you see for yourself in the near future as far as creative work goes? MARISSA: The project I'm currently working on is a yet-to-be-titled installation in my bedroom. It's inspired by the theme of Osun in a modern-day context, Osun's daughters. I am putting together music, photographs, paintings, and letting it all bleed into performance. I'm creating a large interactive altar that will take up one wall of my bedroom, and having a very small gathering to view it. I'm enjoying the intimacy of the entire process, and the act of creating this little golden realm. I'm also super proud of my Funkstress series, a series of big bright paintings of goddesses inspired by funk music and costumes. It has been so much fun to just put on some Parliament and paint! And the series has been very well received, which is always exciting. I've been connected with a lot of events in the city; it's all kind of a wonderful surreal blur. I've been filming a lot of events for this wonderful Brooklyn-based creative website, Society Harriet's Alter Ego. I received a cute little Flip Mino HD cam from SHAE and I go to different art events and capture performances (like yours!), interviews, and all kinds of groovy stuff. 

kelly: lemme just say to our readers that something i really appreciate about Marissa is her openness in communication through dialogue, letter writing, emails, and dreaming. Marissa, when you moved back to Cali after your first go with NYC, you were open with me about your processes of self-healing during this time of realignment. how does the concept of healing influence your being and creation? MARISSA: Healing is really at the core of all my work. Growing up, I was always a very happy and optimistic little person. As I got older, I learned that things were not that way for a lot of people around me. For a long time I got teased about being "too happy.” A lot of my art came out of wanting to spread that joy I felt inside. I wanted to make other people smile, or help them feel healed. Everything I've done has pretty much grown from that.

kelly: ~ Yoruba ~ Oshun ~ Women ~ Blackness ~ Sisterhood ~ Ancestry. talk to me about these things. MARISSA: …Well, as far as Blackness goes, my very first and very best lesson came from Kermit the frog when I heard him sing 'It's Not Easy Being Green.' The songs parting words are, "I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful/And I think it's what I want to be." When I grew up, I was surrounded by so many people trying to tell me what a limiting thing Blackness was. They would go on and on about how being Black meant you could NOT do this, you could NOT do that, you could NOT associate with certain people. They defined it as this very narrow existence of isolation, struggle, and hardship. I think that is ridiculous, because Blackness is magical. It is a magical state of being that holds so much ancestral beauty and diversity. And if I look to my ancestors, I don't feel limited at all. I feel like I can do anything, because they overcame obstacles I cannot even begin to imagine. I will not boo-hoo about that. I will cry tears of joy for their powerful strength and resistance! And speaking of magic, Osun. Her name literally means "source." She is water, a source of ever-renewing life, of power within. Osun has helped me to find my own strength, to heal, and to find my center when I lose my balance. Her strength runs deep. An elder woman once told me, "Osun talks to you." I have never forgotten that, because I feel it. She comes to me in visions, and visits me in the form of hovering honeybees and random pumpkins left on the street! Sisterhood... something I'm so very appreciative of. I am so blessed to have the most lovely group of powerful and creative sister-friends. If I need a hug and some tea, or to go out, wear flowers and howl and the moon, I could not ask for more wonderful people to do it with. My sisters keep me smiling.

a very special thanks to Marissa for this awesome interview. ❤