We recently connected with Sumner Brock and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sumner thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In 2017, I worked with 40 artists from around the world on an artwork called The Streetcar Project. For this project, each artist created a piece of street art that represented something they were passionate about. I compiled all of the pieces together and created a cohesive design that was then wrapped around a 1995 Volvo car. The inside of the car was also covered in art with knitted seat covers and a painted ceiling. The car went on tour to multiple locations in Oklahoma, and then traveled up the West Coast. It now permanently rests in the LeMay car collection and museum in Tacoma, WA.

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

Creativity and Community are main themes in my life.

I was born to creative parents who studied woodworking and art history and I grew up drawing often. My creative passion became a graphic design degree, and then a career. I started painting a couple of years ago. Although I love painting and design, my favorite moments involve pursuing art with others.

A great example of this community + creativity is an art residency in Colombia, South America I attended last September. Over 30 days, I painted 30 paintings on human emotion, and simultaneously, I experienced human emotion and interaction firsthand with the other artists. There is truly no substitute for the encouragement, idea generation, and collaboration that happens when individuals pursue their art together.

Looking to the future, I plan to expand that Colombia project with a project called Sur. Sur entails a 6-9 month van trip around South America and a massive collaborative art project along the journey. The project will explore universal theme pairings such as masculine and feminine and violence and peace in the context of South America. The project will also be used as a mobile art studio and inspiration factory with the intent of jumpstarting creativity in the communities it enters.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I am on a mission to let the world know that:

1. Everyone is creative, what matters is the outlet

Many people think they aren’t creative, but I believe that they just haven’t found the correct outlet yet. Creativity can take many forms. Accountants are creative in the way they organize numbers for example. I am passionate about helping people transcend the mental block that says “You are not creative and you are not able to become creative.”

2. It is crucial to start from where you are, even if you think you suck.

I also want the world to know that it is ok to suck at something creative or artistic, and that the only way to get through that period and get better is to start TODAY and keep at it. Everyone has moments where they make shitty art, the key is to keep the spark and energy going through those moments and work through it.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I am going to flip this question, and instead give three reasons NOT being on social media has given my creative career an edge.

Note: My phone is a Light Phone II and is a black and white phone that only sends and receives calls and texts. Also, I have not used social media for my business for the 15 years I have been a freelance designer, and my career comfortably provides for my life.

1. Original Work

By not being on social media, I am less susceptible to falling into trends. If everyone is drinking from the same inspiration pool, the work is going to look similar much of the time. I believe not being on social media has giving me an edge in originality by forcing me to find inspiration in unique places such as obscure art, thrifted print, and old books.

2. Saved Time and Energy

Second, I have saved a ton of time and energy by not being on social media. The time I would normally spend scrolling through Instagram is instead poured into my craft.

3. Face to Face Connections

Last, I have engaged in many more face to face interactions that I would have not had with social media. I have gone door to door downtown asking for work for example, and this has built up personal and impactful work relationships.