We asked the visual artists from our Paradox issue questions about the creative spaces that make their art possible. They then answered those questions, delving into their ideal conditions for creation, creative rituals, and inspiring musical and literary works. Read on to learn more about Derrick Beasley, Kate Kelleher, Jefferson Liu, Mollye Bendell, David Goodrum, and Tatjana Krilova. Make sure to check out their work in Volume 11: PARADOX!

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Derrick Beasley

What is (are) your favorite creative ritual(s)? In other words, what habits/practices help you access your creativity?

I have a daily practice called Breathe Gather Write. Each morning I strive to spend time with myself breathing in nature, gathering inspiration (whether through being in nature, reading, or conversation), and lastly writing a self reflection on my gathering time or on the goings on in my life. This practice centers me in my body, the world, and gets my creativity active!

Where did you create your piece(s) for Vol. 11? Did your chosen spaces influence your work(s), and if so, how? 

The images from my featured works were created using portraits of friends and comrades. These people are active in making their communities a more just place and are folks I admire and love. Working with folks I am in community with is core to my practice. I believe community is the answer to so many of our social challenges. 

What other media (music, movies, books, etc.) influenced your work(s) for Vol. 11? 

My featured work was inspired in part by an article I read about pictures being taken of black holes. I’m also a science fiction enthusiast. The new configuration of people was inspired by Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy.

What jumpstarts your creativity when you’re feeling blocked?

When I’m feeling blocked, I immerse myself in some sort of awe-inspiring natural environment. Sometimes this is my backyard. Other times this is a state park or museum. 

What advice do you have for artists starting out in your medium?

I think it can be helpful to not allow oneself to be limited by medium and to focus on ideas. While it can be helpful to master a particular craft, I think sometimes nestling so comfortably in one medium can prevent you from fully articulating your concept to others and for yourself. 

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Kate Kelleher

What is (are) your favorite creative ritual(s)? In other words, what habits/practices help you access your creativity?

I tend to be an early riser, regardless of how late I may have stayed up the night prior. My best creative days, I have a lot of dreams, awake early, drink black coffee, and take my dog, Journey, on her longest walk of the day while it’s still cool outside.  

During this walk, I spend half the time in a mindful state in the moment with her, appreciating her simple joy and sense of wonder and gratitude in being alive, and half the time daydreaming and problem solving in my mind on whatever project is upcoming. When I return home, I set up my studio drafting desk corner for what I’ll be working on, and turn on my music, usually to shuffle, and begin to make art.

Where did you create your piece(s) for Vol. 11? Did your chosen spaces influence your work(s), and if so, how? 

I moved my mattress to the floor of my living room so that my one bedroom apartment could have an art studio in what should have been the bedroom. I utilize this space in a surprisingly organized way, with paints organized by medium and color hanging on the walls with nail and scrap wood, everything in its place. 

That is perhaps in ease of creation, but in terms of influence, I have a scavenged deer skull, photos from a project of Alienation with a woman wearing a space helmet in different environments, pieces from my Empty Seat series etc. that could have influenced the idea and mood of the pieces.

What other media (music, movies, books, etc.) influenced your work(s) for Vol. 11? 

I didn’t consciously utilize other media in my influence of my work, but I am sure it had some influence subconsciously. Images of humans in animal masks, Animal Farm, even sayings such as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” no doubt had a role. I was stuck on a Spotify playlist that included artists like Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Plants and Animals, Listener, Milky Chance, King Lazy Eye, Modest Mouse, and the like.

What advice do you have for artists starting out in your medium?

You can learn how to do a lot of things by just doing them. You might be surprised by how much you can figure out in the process of trying.

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Jefferson Liu

What is (are) your favorite creative ritual(s)? In other words, what habits/practices help you access your creativity?’

My work is inspired by memories of past experiences, viewed through the lens of who I am now. I often use misdirection, hiding pieces of myself in images of other people. I replay and process these memories in the background as I go about my day, especially when I'm walking my dog, Florence. In these quieter moments, whether I like it or not, the past begins to resurface. This compels me to find ways to disguise these memories in my work.

Where did you create your piece(s) for Vol. 11? Did your chosen spaces influence your work(s), and if so, how? 

I have a studio in Baltimore at the School 33 Art Center, where I create most of my photographs. For the cover image, I found an empty room in the gallery and worked there... don't tell anyone.

What other media (music, movies, books, etc.) influenced your work(s) for Vol. 11? 

As a child of the '80s and '90s, I draw a lot of inspiration from old coming-of-age movies and comic books.

What jumpstarts your creativity when you’re feeling blocked?

That’s a great question. I haven’t cracked this yet. Any suggestions?

What advice do you have for artists starting out in your medium?

Don’t let money distort your art.

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Mollye Bendell

‍What is (are) your favorite creative ritual(s)? In other words, what habits/practices help you access your creativity?

Most of my rituals involve making space for large blocks of time I need to focus. No email in the studio. High protein lunch. Specific music or podcasts I associate with work time. No procrastinating on my laptop - I use my phone during breaks. I limit working from home. I schedule admin work for non-studio days instead of letting it blend. I get treats like coffee. Overall, I try to be conscious of what keeps me away from the studio and eliminate those sources of friction. 

Where did you create your piece(s) for Vol. 11? Did your chosen spaces influence your work(s), and if so, how? 

The forms in these pieces are fragmented 3D scans taken from the ship graveyard in Mallows Bay, Maryland - the so-called “ghost fleet.” So the pieces were documented on site in a kayak, and all the processing and rendering was done in my studio. 

What other media (music, movies, books, etc.) influenced your work(s) for Vol. 11? 

I did a lot of archival research on the site itself which was really fascinating. The oldest shipwrecks are over 100 years old and they all have unique histories. 

What jumpstarts your creativity when you’re feeling blocked?

Drawing, walking or finding other time away from a screen. 

What advice do you have for artists starting out in your medium?

It's a steep learning curve, but that makes it that much more rewarding when you get what you want. 

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David Goodrum

What is (are) your favorite creative ritual(s)? In other words, what habits/practices help you access your creativity?

Walking outside – whether in my backyard, neighborhood, the forest, the coast, the mountains – is a very direct way for me to get the creative juices flowing, whether it’s looking up, looking around at the terrain or panoramic view, or looking down at the smallest detail. And I always have some kind of camera with me. This practice carries over indoors as well. These points of view feed both my photography and my poetry practices.

Where did you create your piece(s) for Vol. 11? Did your chosen spaces influence your work(s), and if so, how? 

Two of the photos were taken while walking around and observing in my neighborhood. Another taken while contemplating the motion of water during a ferry ride. And “Cosmic Time Lapse” was taken indoors at a friend’s house while carefully studying objects on their coffee table. I’m always interested in taking a close gaze at what most might quickly glance over.

Much of my artistic work focuses on nature, captured as I move in and out of the liminal states nature offers—between variations in landscape and topography, between micro and panoramic perspectives, between the personal garden and wilderness, between seasons. My intent is to capture imagery and experiences that might instill in others—as they often do for me when I make them—a sense of calm and tranquility. I hope to create a visual field that momentarily transports you away from hectic daily events and into a more spiritual place that delights in an intimate view of the world. In the quickness of our modern lives, we often lose the small details as we step over them, look away, stare straight ahead, distract ourselves with devices. Instead, these photos are from experiences of pausing and contemplation.

What other media (music, movies, books, etc.) influenced your work(s) for Vol. 11? 

Imagistic poetry in journals and books (as well as music like that by Ólafur Arnalds) both inspires and reminds me to pause and contemplate what is being perceived by my senses. 

What jumpstarts your creativity when you’re feeling blocked?

Fresh air.

What advice do you have for artists starting out in your medium?

For both photography and poetry, my advice is to try to capture/frame what you know, what is at hand, what is within reach, what is within sight out to the horizon, whatever captures your gaze. Stop and stare. Then close your eyes and note how the moment makes you feel, what or who it reminds you of, what sense of self connects to the moment. Then relish that gift and share it with others.

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Tatjana Krilova

What is (are) your favorite creative ritual(s)? In other words, what habits/practices help you access your creativity?                                                                                  

Meditation.

Where did you create your piece(s) for Vol. 11? Did your chosen spaces influence your work(s), and if so, how?                                                                                                  

The first two drawings were made in the hospital, the two oil pastels were made in the park (I love to work in open space...). 

What other media (music, movies, books, etc.) influenced your work(s) for Vol. 11? 

“With Headless Woman” was influenced by The Headless Horseman (novel by Mayne Reid).

“Red Square and Black Square” was influenced by Malevich’s painting “Black Square.”

“Come Down Moose!” was influenced by Louis Armstrong 

“Poet in the Forest” was influenced by poet Vladislav Martynovitch, his poetry, his thinking style…

What jumpstarts your creativity when you’re feeling blocked?

Meditation.

What advice do you have for artists starting out in your medium?

This medium I will call “Light Space and Time.” You don’t need a special studio and time. You can work anywhere and anytime. Just do it! And good luck!

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