Seth, appreciate you joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
It was the March 11th 2023, first morning I set up in Savannah Georgia’s Forsyth Park to sell my artwork. I was making my artist debut and was excited and nervous. I knew I had worked incredibly hard to create beautiful pieces of art but the question of will anyone care or want one was still prevalent. My goal for the day was 1-5 sales which I felt was a manageable expectation. I had just started setting up when a couple approached me, asked about the artwork and started to browse. They fell in love with a piece and purchased it before I was even “ready” to begin my day. I was overjoyed, snapped a selfie, and had an incredible day selling 24 prints! That morning my confidence in myself and my artwork was affirmed and set me on a path of success.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have been making art since I was a young child and always knew that I wanted to pursue an education and career in the arts. I attended The Savannah College of Art and Design or SCAD majoring in Interior Design. After graduating in 2020, I decided to stay in Savannah where I worked in the service industry and for a small design firm in town. I was not feeling personally or creatively fulfilled at my design job so I left looking for a new source of inspiration.
My inspiration came in two forms. My younger brother Joshua and my Aunt Sue. Joshua who is three years younger had started a small art business, Primal Spirit Gallery LLC. For two years I watched as he mastered color and lighting while painted his “spirit animals” each of whom are accompanied with a name and poem. I admired his work ethic and how he set up locally in our main park to sell his work to tourists and locals alike. He offered to help and guide me if I wanted to start selling my own artwork. But now the question was, what kind of art shall I create?
My second source of inspiration was my Aunt Sue. Sue lives in New York City and I visited her often growing up. On her shelf was a giant glass fishbowl of matches. She like many others, collected matches back when every restaurant had them at the host stand or bar. This bowl was not only a collection of matches but a physical reminder of her life and story. I always wanted a bowl of matches to be like her. In January of 2022 I bought a collection on Facebook Marketplace. As I sorted through all the little matchbook treasures I saw the possibilities for using matches as a medium of creation to create art that would not only highlight the individual, but create something greater out of the many.
I started to collect and sort hundreds to thousands of matches. I wanted my pieces to be themed either based on a type of cuisine, location/city, color, or misc. Themed pieces help to create a deeper and more meaningful connection between the viewer and the artwork. Now almost two years later, I have almost 60 different compositions, have sold over 3,700 prints of various sizes, and have helped reignite a love for the art and appreciation of matches!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist for me are the interactions I get to have with those experiencing my artwork. Matches, while small in size, hold an immense power of memory and nostalgia. I have witnessed people who view my matchbook collages being transported back in time to specific points of time in their lives. They begin to remember moments, details, dinners, conversations they had some decades ago all thanks to seeing a matchbook. Here are some of my favorite memories shared about specific matches and the collage there are apart of. Cafe Tu Tu Tango, “Florida”, a first date of a marriage of over 25 years. Pineapple Club, “Tiki Bars”, living next door to the bar and being friends with the owner to whom a print was gifted too. Coors, “Americana II”, working next to the factory and going on the “short tour” from the lobby straight to the taproom for a lunchtime beer. The Fish Market, “Seafood I”, immediately recognizing the west coast restaurant because her uncle is the owner. All of “NYC I”, the dapper dressed gentleman was in Savannah just for lunch from NYC and stated he had been to every one of the locations featured in the collage, some of which were his favorites.
When creating the collages I do not always know the emotional impact that the matches I choose to feature carry. I create based on color, composition, and recognition of place. A match that can mean nothing to me but appears interesting can meant the whole world to someone else. Watching people rediscover and experience joyous memories from their past, in the present is one of the many rewards of being an artist of my craft.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
People forget that an artist has to start somewhere and in the beginning there is nothing but an idea. When I started creating my matchbook art, I was at a very unique point in my life. I had just left a serving job where I was unhappy and wanted to focus on being creative again. I was unsure if I still had it in me to be creative at all and what it would look like. I was comparing myself to my younger brother who is a terrific painter. That fear and doubt knowing I could never be him was almost paralyzing and I was afraid even to start. Nevertheless, I persisted and found an idea and concept I felt excited about and believed in. The universe provided me access to three extensive matchbook collections I purchased from individuals who used to travel around the country for work and collect matches. I spent two and a half months working on my first round of about 16 themed collages. At that time I was not making any money, putting all my effort into an idea I believed in that even my closest friends and family couldn’t comprehend or grasp. They believed in me as an individual but could not see my vision. I was steadfast to my concept and vision and my dedication and hardworking payed off. Now in my portfolio, I have over 60+ pieces of artwork and keep creating more. I find it helpful and humbling to take time to look back at the journey that led me to my present day as an artist. I am so unbelievably grateful to get to create and share my artwork with others.