Shockoe Artspeak

Most of the time, there is a huge gulf between those who are elite and those who are elitist. In this installment of 30 Below, Ryan and Garreth discuss two often misused terms and the way we can understand them within art and design practice. We usually feel that we know the difference, but it ...

While artists and designers are extremely varied, one thing that seems to tie us all together is the crippling, unwelcome visitor known as Imposter Syndrome. We’ve all felt its cold stare and heard its demeaning lectures, but how do we work against this (seemingly) unavoidable roadblock? Like most roadblocks, there can sometimes be good reason ...

It’s hard to navigate the grasp of the scrolling world of shared content. Does it help our work? Does it hurt it? We all came from somewhere and we know our work does, too, but with Americans spending an average of 2.5 hours on social media everyday, what kind of influence is it having on ...

Critique is a word that elicits different reactions. For some artists, it’s positive, complete with ideas about improvement, community and wisdom. But for others, the word may be burdened with some heavy–and even traumatic–baggage. Wherever you may find yourself on this spectrum, critique is a necessary part of any artist or designer’s life. So how ...

Social media gets a bad wrap…or maybe it doesn’t. While it is hard to imagine art and design practice without Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or any of the portfolio social media sites, it can also be debilitating, time-consuming and depressing. So how do we use it as a tool in our work without being consumed in ...

As artists and designers, we are always working with other people; but how do we do it well? People aren’t always the easiest things to work with or for, and we can’t promise that every day will be a good day with plenty of coffee and sunshine. So, what is cooperation? How is it different ...

We are live at Current Art Fair and answering your questions! In this third of five live episodes, we talk about all the stuff that surrounds your art. No matter what we make, it lives somewhere, and sometimes we forget just how important that environment is. How do we begin to think about where our ...

We are live at Current Art Fair and answering your questions! In this second of five episodes, we approach the juggernaut of graduate school and the mighty MFA. While a great avenue to pursue your passions as a maker and seek answers to your deeper questions about art and design, grad school isn’t for everyone ...

As artists and designers, we are always working with other people; but how do we do it well? People aren’t always the easiest things to work with or for, and we can’t promise that every day will be a good day with plenty of coffee and sunshine. So, what is cooperation? How is it different ...

We are live at Current Art Fair and answering your questions! In this first of five episodes, we tackle juggling all the things in life, how to push yourself to do more, and we even have time for a quick reference to Luniz’s I Got Five On It. All in under 30 minutes. No, for ...

On this episode, we speak with Carey Kight about professional projects, learning while doing, and LA-area mullets. Carey is a Brooklyn-based writer, director, producer, editor, and actor. He is a trained screen and copy writer who used the Post-9/11 GI Bill to study Film Studies at The Ohio State University and Creative Writing for Entertainment at ...

As we near the end of season one, we will be spending the next few episodes unpacking what we mean by the ecosystem of art and design. The ecosystem is the interconnected web of organizations, events and people who make up what we think of when we talk about art and design in our communities. ...

As we near the end of season one, we will be spending the next few episodes unpacking what we mean by the ecosystem of art and design. The ecosystem is the interconnected web of organizations, events and people who make up what we think of when we talk about art and design in our communities. ...

As we near the end of season one, we will be spending the next few episodes unpacking what we mean by the ecosystem of art and design. The ecosystem is the interconnected web of organizations, events and people who make up what we think of when we talk about art and design in our communities. ...

In today’s episode, we sit down with contemporary painter and VCUarts professor Ron Johnson to discuss fighting Joe Rogan, music, creativity and sports. From his background as a college athlete and later as a member of the band 50 Watt Alarm Clock, Ron leads us through the experiences in his life that brought him to ...

Third time is a charm, right? In today’s episode, we make our third and final lap into the swamp of anxiety and professional practice. Where the first two episodes focused on the causes of anxiety that we feel in our professional lives as artists and designers, this episode focuses on the things we do to ...

In today’s episode, we circle back and continue to discuss our experiences and how they have shaped our views of the balance or integration of work and life. And this time we sit for a while on the topic of anxiety in professional practice. “Oh wonderful!” you may be saying sarcastically. “I wanted to start ...

On this episode, we sit down and speak with painter, Ashlynn Browning. Browning’s work contains a hybrid of geometric and organic forms created through an intuitive painting process. Browning earned BA degrees in Studio Art and English from Meredith College in 2000 and her MFA in painting and printmaking from the University of NC at ...

In today’s episode, we discuss our experiences and how they have shaped our views of the balance or integration of work and life. And don’t forget the anxiety of professional practice. It’s a very big topic. A common question from our students and listeners revolves around how to make sense of all the things that ...

Raised in Richmond, Virginia, illustrator and painter Sterling Hundley earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Art and Design from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1998. His work has appeared in Communication Arts, American Illustration, Print, 3 × 3, Graphis, Step by Step Graphics, and in publications of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, the Society ...