Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charlie Pogue. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Charlie, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I’m absolutely happy to be an artist. I swore off the corporate world years ago. I’m not built for that kind of thing. I can’t imagine doing anything other than being a creative. I believe I was born to do this. Every other job I’ve ever had I felt like I was just living someone else’s dream. If you’re not creating then you are just consuming and at the mercy of others. I’m not good at pretending anymore, so whatever job I do have can’t be too “regular”. These days I prefer to not have to mask, and thankfully with my current situation I don’t have to. I don’t really think of my art as a job, although sometimes I do have to treat it like one for the sake of productivity.

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.

I’m an artist. Painting and drawing, mixed media art. I was born in Knoxville Tennessee. I’m 36 years old and I’ve been making art all my life. I got into art because I was basically born into it. Both my mom and dad are artists and I have an older brother who also paints and draws. My art has always been something that I can tie myself to. Around the time I turned 20 I realized it was something I really wanted to do. I had just gotten out of school and nothing else really appealed to me. I’ve never been interested in the business side of art, though it is nice to make money doing what you love. As of right now I’m just trying to show my work as much as possible and selling originals. I’m proud of how far I’ve come as an artist. I’ve worked on developing my style for years now. I think one of the most important things for an artist is to develop their own individual style. I am not trying to do anything like anyone else. My paintings are filters of my thoughts, feelings, ideas. I like to use universal symbols and metaphors that have open ended meaning, that way they can speak differently to each viewer. I want my paintings to be direct, bold, and have presence. I paint a wide range of subject matter because I get bored doing the same thing. My art has to always be evolving in some way and that is what keeps it interesting to me.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Our society needs to create space for artists. I think our society neglects art because they don’t understand it, however when you look at the world, all the things we love and enjoy are art. We need to set aside time and space for people who are true artists because our capitalistic society does not work for many of those people; but, that doesn’t mean that they have nothing to contribute to our society. Also, of course, buying artists work is one the best way to support. When your artwork is selling and people show appreciation for it, you are going to be more motivated to create more.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

For me, almost every painting I make could illustrate resilience. I’ve had to create so much work to get to where I am now with my art. Developing my style and approach has been a lifelong journey. Not always an easy one. I went through a period when I had just gotten out of school, that I felt like my art was falling flat, and kind of in an awkward stage. I didn’t have any direction; and in a way, I think I had to integrate what I had learned in school, with my old style that I had already developed before I studied art. That being said, I never let my low points with art get to me enough to keep me quit creating. I spent many years producing work from my bedroom and working with very little, material wise. Now I have a small studio which is great and certainly makes it easier for me to focus and produce work at the level that I like to.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/like_the_void
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charliepogueart