While brainstorming an idea for a blog post, the thought of art continued coming up. I wasn’t sure how to incorporate it into a blog post that the whole community would enjoy, though. Then I realized how many talented artists there are in the StepUP community and I thought making a post briefly showcasing everyone’s art would be a really cool way to get to know everyone a little better. I told everyone interested to send me 3 pictures of their work and a brief artist statement or paragraph about what art means to them. So, here it goes. Meet the artists of StepUP!
“I am so grateful for the ability to embrace creativity and produce art. Art allows me to wind down after a long day, process my thoughts and emotions, and challenges me to discover my boundaries and limits. Art has taught me lessons of patience, acceptance, and gratitude. I hope to learn much more about myself and others through art in the future.” -Lindsay E.
“My name is Ricky. I am a junior at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN studying film, graphic design and photography. Over the years, and project to project, I am finding my approach change. As a photographer, I am a silent observer; snapping shots of tiny moments happening around me. As a designer, I resort to 90s era street art, old wood block prints and flashy colors with big letters to draw the viewer in. As a filmmaker, I want to pull my audience in with gripping stories and moments sublime.
Not only do I study these three areas, but I have some training as a drawer, painter, printmaker, different positions in front of and behind the camera and as a student of art history.” -Ricky T.
Ricky has a website with all of his work.
“I am a musician living in St. Paul. Music seems to be the thing that holds me together. My drinking had destroyed me as a person and my creating of music. I thought it was over when I got sober because my addiction was so intertwined in music, but my music just blossomed when I followed the 12 steps accordingly and used patience instead of attacking my dreams with addict-like drive. I even wrote a song about it called “Loop.”” -Isaac H. (Alumni)
Isaac also has a website with all of his music.
“During my time at Augsburg College I have reignited a passion for creating artwork. This has allowed me to investigate personal and interpersonal issues. Amongst other mediums, photography has become my primary source for exploring personal issues through artistic expression. The three photos showcased are excerpts from a larger body of work, STILL, that centered around the emotional struggle that ensues at the height of mental illness episodes. Through documenting and creating visual narratives from past and present struggles, my goal as an artist is to process personal issues while fostering dialogue with my audience. I am currently working on a body of work centered on femininity, innocence, and family lineage as it pertains to becoming and being a woman.” -Audrey C.
“An important part of my road of recovery, self love, and finding a purpose in this world was, and continues to be, finding things that make my heart happy. I’ve always enjoyed art and creating things, but during my use and my depression, I lost the desire to do anything I loved. This year, I’ve opened up my heart again to my love for art. Creating art is one of the few things that comes very natural to me, and makes my whole body feel comforted when I’m doing it. I get lost when I’m in the midst of a painting. I really appreciate learning about other artist’s and understanding every individual’s unique style. Pursuing creativity has been one of the best things I could have done for myself.” -Connie K.
“My name is David Baboila and I am a photographer born in, and based out of the Twin Cities of Minnesota. All of my photography is on medium format film. It’s shot, developed, and printed by me in a darkroom in Minneapolis. I am extremely passionate about photography, not in a commercial sense but in how it can move people and can evoke a great diversity of emotions, from whimsical and humorous to lonely and scared.
All of my photographs focus on an aesthetic of the void or vacancy in everyday life in Minnesota and largely the greater Twin Cities metro area. To me photography is a fine art based in concepts. Currently I am extremely interested in the vacancy of landscapes and buildings as it relates to more rural or suburban areas as well as the death of industry as it was in the 20th century. The area of this I focus on is vacancy in places that used to be occupied but are now idle and disengaged. On a very surface level I personally am inspired with the history of these places and the past occupancy of them and really enjoy presenting them after this period of time. It reminds me of death and the way we sit idle after passing. The stark transitions these places have made create dialogue not only from my personal life to the viewer but also draw on one’s own experience and with this subject matter. My work is very personal but I hope to present in a broader sense what happens societally when we consume and do so too much. It is a sad yet humorous challenge to the way we have been known to operate as Americans.” -David B.
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