We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lindsey Acree. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lindsey below.

Lindsey , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was born an artist but I feel like everyone is born an artist. We see the world through a completely unfiltered lens. Everything is new and fascinating and beautiful or frightening, euphoric or disgusting. I continued to gravitate towards all things creative as I grew up. My first six years were spent in Hawaii and I would paint naked in our yard all day and then my mom would hose me off when it was time for dinner. Writing poetry was also a passion of mine and reading some of the things I wrote at a young age are astonishing. I don’t think we give children enough opportunities to express their poetic and pure view of the world . When I got to 6th grade and observed the social food chain, I decided I didn’t want to be eaten. I got rid of my bowl cut and sadly hid the artist in me away. My poetry journals were under my bed and my sketches most often thrown away. It took me over 25 years to finally return to myself, the artist.

I feel a sense of loss for all those years I pretended to be someone I wasn’t to fit in. Those years fuel my passion to show other people that you can choose art as your path. It’s tough, but you can make a living be an artist. Everyone is an artist in their own way. They just choose to ignore it or hid it away.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The origin story of the gallery is my favorite story. Here are the Cliff’s notes. I was at a place in my life where I felt like a saltine cracker, Not depressed just stale air. I went to the ocean. I met a friend. We walked away from each other and into Covid and isolation. We became pen pals of sorts. He told me my paintings were not silly and to keep painting. So I did. It was my eleventh hour moment. “The last possible time before it’s too late”. I needed to do something that I felt really mattered in my life and the time to act was right then. As artists we are full of self doubt so it just takes one person to say they believe in you to continue on. Here are the rapid fire series of events that changed my life and resulted in our gallery and my sense of purpose, Eleventh Hour Art.

I almost burnt my house down experimenting with different mediums in our garage, got an art studio in DUMBO so I didn’t roast my family like marshmallows, met my business partner Carter, who life and the gallery would cease to exist without and made me feel like we could actually make art into a business, met all these amazing artists completely randomly, freaked them out with my enthusiasm about their work, had our first art show very quickly and it turned out to be a big deal, had a weekend getaway with everyone that created a forever bond as an odd creative family, looked for a bigger space because we had outgrown the studio, walked around Brooklyn cold calling random brokers numbers in windows, met at a space that was filled from floor to ceiling with old junk and had holes in the ceiling, for some reason both Carter and I knew it was our new home, renovations from the building owner because he liked us – shout out to Peter, we love you – beautiful gallery space created, Grand opening with all the people we could possibly imagine showing up and being fabulous, exhibitions, exhibitions exhibitions, work space for artists, openings, more exhibitions, art fairs, overwhelmed but absolutely in heaven with this wonderful wacky place, sleepless nights, film screenings, courtyard parties, more insanely talented artists, laughter, sculptures, music, neighbors, love, great art, learning as we go and all of it.

I never planned to have an art gallery. It was like the universe planned it for me. I just kept saying yes as these incredible opportunities and people fell into my world and paid no attention to the fact I had no idea what I was doing. I like the idea of simplifying things. If I like a person and their art they are invited into our world and hopefully other people like them and their work too. I still have no idea what I’m doing but I think there is a freshness, an authenticity that comes with charging forward fearlessly and learning as you go.

.We are constantly in a state of evolution. It’s an anything goes/anything can happen type of atmosphere, which is exciting I think art is the most important thing in the world. It brings people together and makes us understand each other. People are often intimidated by art and it’s the opposite vibe here. We want everyone to feel at home and safe to explore and discuss ideas. When someone comes in and connects with an artists piece – that’s just the best feeling in the world.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I don’t believe that anyone is “non-creative”. Everyone is creative. Systems of control train us to think and behave in a uniformed way but no one mind is the same. You could be wildly flinging paint on a canvas or you could be typing numbers into a computer. You are doing something in your own way.

When my business partner and I were still at the studio and skipping and giggling around New York, we would ask everyone “are you an artist?’ The UPS guy, the barista, the janitor. Honestly, everyone would be weirded out and say no but when asked again would say something like “well…I do make mosaics out of things I find on the sidewalk in my free time.” Or “I paint faces I see on the subway”. And we would tell them they had to fess up that they were artists.

The thing I find the hardest about choosing to make a career out creativity is the erraticism of inspiration. You can’t fake it. Inspiration comes like a lightening bolt and it could be in the middle of the night or when you are having dinner with your family. You have to get up and write it down or paint it because it’s like a spirit that has possessed you and could vanish at any moment. My brain turns on around 10pm. It’s quiet at night and there is a sense of clarity in my mind that allows me to make room for new ideas. It’s not good for non-creative life. I have a 5 year old so staying up all night painting or writing and dropping her at school in the morning in splattered overalls isn’t a look everyone understands. Nor do they understand that I can go home and take a nap. It reads a little crazy which is frustrating because in my mind going to bed at 10pm, waking up at 6am putting on a suit and tie and sitting at a desk all day reads crazy.

Our last exhibition was called “Hysteria”. It was about many things but one of concepts examined is where do you draw the line between genius and crazy. Who is to decide? As artists we get ideas in our head that other people don’t understand. One of my best pieces is beautiful and sculptural but made out of tampons. It’s a really impactful piece but someone could justify putting someone in the loony bin for staying up all night gluing tampons to a canvas. It’s tough. And I think for artists themselves, you question a lot of your ideas. Am I crazy or is this genius? Just don’t cut your ear off.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I honestly don’t understand them whatsoever. I’ve tried. I took an online class on them. My brilliant artist friend does them. I just don’t get it. If someone could explain that would be great. Like what.is.going.on.

Expanding on that and I have no idea if what I am saying is even relevant because I don’t understand NFT’s, I do think digital art and owning the rights to your work is important. Photography for instance is an interesting situation in this digital age. You are a photographer, this is your work, your soul etc. How do you prevent people from stealing your images. Even if it’s not high quality someone can reproduce it. Also, if you take a beautiful image and it’s easily printed many many times what is the mentality of keeping the editions limited? I don’t know.

I don’t have anything against digital art but it’s not for me. I like seeing paint brush strokes. I like mistakes. I want to know that there was a real human somewhere at sometime painting this canvas and putting their heart into it. It makes me feel like a human being connected to other human beings and moment in time that is real. They were there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eleventhhourart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eleventhhour_art/

Image Credits

Alejandro Portela Photos