07 Jul 016: Stephen Schubert – artist, polymath, movie buff, judo expert and specialist in neurogastronomy
I meet Stephen Schubert – a hugely accomplished artist, polymath, movie buff, judo expert and specialist in neurogastronomy. He started painting at the age of 33 – as Stephen describes in the interview, he literally woke up from a dream and pursued the creation of what he saw in that dream. The result was a fifteen year run of 3 dimensional birchwood wall sculptures which were exhibited in over forty-five galleries nationwide. Watch the interview or listen to the podcast to find out more about Stephen’s fascinating life and his love of creativity.
1:16 – Stephen’s background and the Japanese phrase that drives his philosophy.
2:05 – What “Kohan ni Shitagau” means to Stephen, literally translating to “follow the request.”
4:02 – Applying “follow the request” to life.
5:28 – Balancing the tensions in the life of an artist.
6:40 – Habits to help stay in touch with your own creativity.
7:38 – Being aware of the work of others as well as your own work to stay creative.
9:04 – Matthew and Stephen’s mutual friend whose creativity is always evolving.
9:46 – The importance of failures; David Whyte’s work of bringing humanity to corporations in Crossing the Unknown Sea and having self-compassion.
11:07 – Stephen’s view of motivation to create art as a journey of self-exploration.
12:54 – The surprise of caveman art in relation to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and what that means for creativity as a need for self-expression.
14:24 – Art as a mix of ability and channeling inspiration.
15:30 – “Tips For Artists Who Want To Sell” by John Baldessari in the Broad Museum and how that applies to channeling inspiration.
16:22 – What circumstances often lead to people being featured in museums and the cyclical nature of trends.
17:40 – Stephen’s interest in Jeff Koons’ career.
18:54 – The effect of art competitions on creativity and making art.
20:20 – Parallels between art and entrepreneurship; accepting criticism for both art and business approaches.
24:24 – Finding the “X-Factor” that works for you that helps you hit at the correct time and adapting for the times.
26:55 – Why intellectualism may not always appear to the mainstream as work and views of success.
28:32 – Moving away from the exchange economy and what that means for artists.
29:20 – Stephen’s current fascination for subjects in his abstract work and his view of feedback on his art.
32:22 – Stephen’s “Brush with Nature” project.
35:07 – The plans for and process behind the “Brush with Nature” project.
38:23 – “Green Towers” and the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser
39:45 – Moving away from every project needing to have a definable, commercial value; moving from scarcity to abundance mindsets
42:21 – Preparing for the different switches in life.
43:13 – Putting momentum behind purity in creation.
Resources and Links Mentioned:
Crossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte
“Tips for Artists Who Want to Sell” by John Baldessari
Contagious by Jonah Berger