Where did you grow up and a bit about your childhood?
I grew up in a small rural community called North Platte in the great plains of Nebraska. I really had an idyllic childhood. I have the best parents in the world and we spent a great deal of time together camping and racing. My Dad was an open wheel racer and piloted modified’s and sprint cars until his early seventies just a few years ago. My mom grew up in a sod house in the sandhills and we spent much of our time in the country making soap, canning, gardening, catching and frying fish from the dismal river. Again it was a perfect childhood for a young ADD kid. Although we were a middle class family we lacked for nothing, there was a lot of love and laughter in our home.
Went to college where?
My formal education is varied and eclectic much like other areas of my life. I started college at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, VA when I was in the military. I was a graphic arts student for a few years and then I transferred to Central Texas College and finished a degree in General Studies. A few years later I moved on to Colorado State University and studied fine art then again transferred to Regis University where I finished a degree in accounting and business. Most recently I have been finishing my MBA online.
Working history and jobs leading up to where you are today.
Well like most entrepreneurs I started business at a young age. When I was 9 or 10 I used to sell Christmas cards and I mowed lawns and scooped snow until I was driving age. Then I started working in a retail store in the camera department until moving into the printing industry. I worked for a man who provided film processing and lab services, offset printing and silkscreen printing. It was a small local business. Him and I did production work and a few admin and sales staff did the rest. It was a great beginning and introduction to the photographic arts. I was a photographer on the high school annual staff and strung for the local newspaper a bit as well.
From there I joined the USNavy as a combat photographer where I stayed until 1985 or so. We rotated on a 6 month cycle to duty stations so we had many fun assignments. During that time I started a small fashion magazine and also really got involved in rotoscoping and slide animation. It was the optical version of some of the digital effects we do now. Back then to do a nice embossed title for a film or slide show took several hours in a dark room, then a few more hours to process the slide film. The small animated titles we did sometimes took weeks, as it was frame by frame. Just as today a photo-manipulation or nice title effect may have many layers it was the same back then, the layers were just multiple exposures and the masking was done with kodalith (a high contrast BW film) or something similar.
After the military I did a stint as a animation camera operator in the corporate creative world. That was in Phoenix in 1987 or so. I moved to Colorado Springs in 1989 and was the CFO for Triathlon USA. Our goal at that time was to bring recognition and validity to the sport of Triathlon and make it an Olympic Sport, big goal and political in nature but we managed. Now Triathlon is an Olympic sport.
Various other businesses have come and gone along the way. I owned a construction company that specialized in concrete topping and staining, a few franchises in the automotive and food industries, a GNC franchise, popcorn manufacturing, Insurance and Investment Brokers, Real Estate Investment companies, all kinds of crazy things. I went through a period of hard business stuff with no creative outlet. I wasn’t creating art or even shooting any images, I was just focused on learning business and marketing and I gravitated towards businesses that were strong in that vein. Finally in 2002 after moving back to my home town I began to create again. I was a partner in a small portrait studio and learned photoshop from that. That is also where I began to paint, for the first few years using photoshop only. I quickly realized that having a traditional portrait studio was not a good match for me and developed a business plan that would help me focus on where I wanted to go.
Direction of growth and goals, where is the business going?
That is a great question. Currently, and for the past 3 years I have been really focusing on two areas of my business. The first is hopping onboard the internet marketing train. I have invested heavily in learning internet marketing, Search engine optimization, using social media structures and the rest of the stuff that goes with internet marketing. Second, I have really begun to focus on painting and fine art and have let the commercial traditional photography studio fall away. I have restructured my business plan to include high-end commissioned portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and some abstract work all from a fine art combined media perspective as well as information publishing, workshops and coaching. The only products on the photographic side of things are some gum, platinum and other non-silver prints.
Inspiration...favorite artists?
That list is long. I spend a bunch of time looking at art. I have a few favorites in each category. Some of my favorites overall though would have to be John Singer Sargent, Morgan Weistling, and Pino. Again that is tough because there are a few dozen people that I study on a regular basis.
A question I always ask successful business owners is if they went through and put together a business plan including a marketing plan. If so what is the importance of that to your business.
Yep, I spent a tremendous amount of time on a business plan. It is a massive document in a 3 inch binder that sits next to me on my desk. It is the most important tool I have. One of the sections is a marketing plan. That is broken down into online and offline goals as well as process maps to show me at a glance what is next. Weird for an artist I know but it is really critical to success.
Is it a working plan? Does it morph as the dynamics of business changes or was it just for start-up and currently sits on the shelf?
Mine is a working plan, or rather a work in progress. It is a culmination of my dreams and goals with a map to guide me on the current path to get there. Sometimes the path changes and new opportunities arise so I am not legalistic about it. The biggest thing is that it is there to keep me focused and kind of curb the “going down a useless rabbit hole” syndrome, although that still happens frequently. There are so many ideas and ways to create, my plan is an attempt to keep me on track and pursue the ones that I believe have the highest ROI specific to time and other resources. Here is one example of how I used my plan. I had really been soliciting art shows so I could get my work out there. After a year of doing that I finally began to get juried in to some higher profile shows. As I put together a schedule Allison and I talked about the time away from home and the expenses involved with showing. I cracked open my biz plan and when I bounced that concept off of my ultimate goals I determined it wasn't a great match even though it sounds good and emotionally I really wanted to do it. Had I been on the ball I would have bounced it off my biz plan before I spent any time pursuing shows at all. (Note: Fall of 2011 update has me beginning to Jury into very specific shows in m target market.)
Who were some early mentors in your life.
My parents have always been great mentors. If I could be more like my father I would be happy with that. Specific to business, my first boss at the printing company was a great mentor. From there I have had a few high level business people that graciously took me under there wing. Early on one of my mentors taught me the emulation principle. He said if you want to accomplish what others have you just need to do what they did. That advice also came with a warning not to get snared in only looking at the monetary side of things as there are some wealthy people who are not happy nor the type of person I wanted to be. His advice, look at the whole life of someone and bounce that off of your core beliefs and goals before you pattern yourself after any one person. So for me that meant to attempt to pattern my life after my ultimate mentor and hero Jesus Christ. I realize that may be a turn-off for some but it is what it is and it is who I am. I make no apologies for that.
How about current mentors
My parents still, and on the artistic side of things my friend Woody Walters helps me with creativity and photoshop chops. Darrell Chitty is my digital painting mentor. There are a few people I cant mention currently that help me with traditional media and Karen Sistek is my chosen mentor for my new venture of silk that I am really excited about.
Are you part of a formal mastermind group?
I have formal mastermind groups specific to SEO, business development and internet marketing but not for artistic endeavors. I have a few groups and we meet every other week via GoToWebinar. We share ideas, brainstorm new methods to test in marketing and also have a accountability portion to keep us each on track. My groups are fairly structured and formal. Each person is expected to give some value in order to stay in the group. Mastermind groups I believe are critical to business success. They only work for those that realize they may be the top dog in one area but not EVERY area. We all have the opportunity to learn from one another so you must be teachable. You need a heart of humility for this type of group to work well for you. Prima-Donna's get the boot rapidly.
How long have you been using Corel Painter?
I started with Corel Painter in 2004.
Are there other software or plugin applications that you use?
Plugins are numerous and varied. I still use Lucis Art, Topaz, and several I cant remember the names of. In terms of software I use Corel Painter and Photoshop as primaries but I delve into Poser and other 3D modeling software programs as well.
What does your workflow look like? Is it always the same or does it differ according to the image?
My work flow is a really a mess, at least it would look that way to an engineer. I do have a specific workflow once I start painting. It differs a little specific to the final product and the media that I am working with but I believe it helps me in the creative process. If I use the same steps each time it may seem tiresome but it allows me to paint almost subconsciously which is where ones most creative chops exist. If I have to worry about workflow that thought process gets in the way of creating. So painting that way is like putting on an old worn pair of shoes, I know they will fit and be comfortable on the journey but I may not yet know where I am going.
Tell us about the message in your art. What would you like to express through your creations?
I have a few different sides to my art. I have the commercial portrait side of things and then I have my personal art. My biggest goal in all of my art is to elicit some type of emotive response. Anger, fear, laughter, anything; although I prefer introspective thought and laughter. The message I want to impart is more for those individuals who don’t see themselves as an artist but have a desire to create happiness and live a full life doing what they love. Art is in each of us. To me it is the passionate pursuit of something pure, it is an attitude and lifestyle thing that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with picking up a paintbrush, pencil, stylus or chisel. Is not the engineer who creates a symphony of choreographed light or water an artist? The mechanic who tunes an engine to run at peak performance, a teacher who pulls the dreams and desires from a child’s mind is an artist also.
Do you listen to music when you are painting? If so who.
Sometimes. When I am painting I usually listen to something Baroque. (Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Arcangelo Corelli, Claudio Monteverdi, Jean-Philippe Rameau and Henry Purcell.) The functional tonality of that period soothes and relaxes me allowing a purity of focus I usually cant attain otherwise. As with many things though my music taste is eclectic in nature. I love The Doors, Pink Floyd, Yo Yo Ma, various Jazz, Blues, and Fusion bands, even a touch of country, blluegrass and pop.
What are your most immediate projects?
I have a few things right now that I am working on. I am putting the finishing touches on an instructional product called Digital Painting Techniques that has been several months in the making and will be launched next week. (March 23, 2009) Then of primary importance is working with the Digital Art Academy and promoting new classes and the awesome teaching staff there. Finally I have another product I am working on with my mentor Darrell Chitty that we will be releasing at the end of April. Fun stuff!
Where does your inspiration come from?
My dreams and goals come from wanting to serve my family in the best manor I can. I want the opportunity to spend quality time with Allison and the kids while still having the ability to make a nice living doing what I love. God gives us dreams and also the means to attain those dreams. Our family dreams big, I think it is just part of being an optimist.
Tell me about the work with digital. Have you had process resistance? People that balk at an image being produced in part digitally, if so how have you overcame that?
Like many artist I have had that challenge before. Not so much any more. The reason I don’t have it any longer is I changed the way I described my work. To me the process just isn't that important. The software and plug-ins we have in our tool box as an artist are just tools. The person using the tools is what make the difference in the final imagery. I have been a results orientated person most of my life and the creation of my combined media art is no different. Either people like it or not. I don’t let the “digital art” social moire come into the picture any longer. How I created it is not important. Most people have huge misconceptions about what digital art really is, many people believe that because a piece is digital it is somehow worth less money or takes less talent to create. I believe it takes a different talent to use digital tools, not less talent. Just as a most master oil painters cant pick up a chisel and carve a masterpiece from stone without years of study and practice the same is true for artist who work with other media, digital technology is no different. It takes years of practice in the medium to develop a style. What I really do like about where digital technology is taking us is the opportunity to create beautiful prints on demand. We no longer have to invest tens of thousands of dollars for lithography or offset printing to sell reproductions. My originals are all mixed media so just like an oil painter, water colorist or any other traditional media we have to have a quality scan from the original then we pull our giclee prints from that file.
Do you think that it is deceptive by not telling someone it is digital art?
No. To me it is just semantics. What is digital art? That is a big question and it covers a bunch of territory, it is too broad. Just like saying what is 3D art? There are many answers, each media and tool used will give a different answer just as each media and tool will yield a different creation. I prefer to simplify the question and tell them what my art is, in most cases a combined media painting. If I want to get specific it would be listed as combined media, dye and oils, or ink and acrylic etc. Does a sculptor identify their art by the tools or methodology used, or any other artist for that matter? Not that I know of so I don’t either again, I don’t think it matters. What does matter though is the few people out there who are selling a giclee print for an original. That is not an original, it is a print and calling it an original creates issues. The man thing to me is to differentiate between what your original is and what a print or a reproduction is. There is only one original that was created by the artists own hand, a print or reproduction is purely a mechanical process. Having said that I personally layout some of the creation process in the artist statement area of my certificate of authenticity. I want people to understand that the original is combined media and what that media consists of.
What hobbies do you have, what do you do in down time?
I love chilling with my wife and kids. We camp, watch movies and hang out at the events the kids participate in. Also I am a voracious reader and still love to paint even in down time. We normally have a good size organic garden and I enjoy tending that as well.
What advice do you have for photographers or new artist that want to begin exploring digital painting?
Invest in yourself. Spend your resources on educating yourself and continue learning all of the time. Take classes, courses, workshops and buy mentoring programs. Find an artist whose work you really like and would like to emulate and go for it. You have to be willing to spend time in developing a new skill-set.
What are some of the biggest changes you have seen in the last few years specific to marketing?
The transition from push to pull marketing giving rise to a better opportunity for small businesses to compete on a global scale. What I mean is now more than ever marketing is about relationships. It is no longer based on big dumb companies cranking out in your face ads at every turn. That no longer works. There is a tremendous opportunity now for me to slaughter the big dog companies. As a small entrepreneur I am light, nimble, quick and I can relate to an individual much better than a huge corporation. I believe we will continue to see a splintering in the market because of that. Small businesses will continue to grab market share from the giants because they are willing to serve needs, solve problems and to listen and respond to suggestions that drive the market.
How long have you been Blogging?
I started with a typepad account in 2005 or so but only since 2008 that I have looked at it as a viable marketing tool.
What other methods of social media marketing do you employ?
Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Squidoo, Article Marketing, Podcasting, video marketing, bookmarking, I cover the gamut of social and content sites.
What is the importance of social media in todays market place?
I think that is an easy question. If one is not doing it, you wont have a business very long. I hope and pray my competitors are not on board because it will give me a huge advantage.
