We were lucky to catch up with Bill Kambol recently and have shared our conversation below.
Bill, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I was torn between a creative life or a life in the sciences. I chose to attend college thinking I might want to go into the medical field, which I thought would be a better way to make a living. Shortly into my freshman year, my oldest brother, who was at the same university as a med student, asked me see the cadaver he was studying. I turned him down and knew that I could no longer ignore my calling to a creative path. Soon after I visited my counselor and discovered the many ways to make a living being creative.
Bill, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I studied Industrial Design and was able to have a 30+ year career designing and implementing in-store displays for multiple consumer product companies, with the last 21 years at a major pet food manufacturer. I developed solutions for multiple brands and multiple retailers. Some of my major accomplishments included display programs that launched new brands and won multiple awards as well as creating an inclusive creative process that made all involved vested stakeholders. The ideas and concepts that became large scale programs touched many lives. Not only did it directly affect the consumers, our beloved pets, but also employed people across the U.S. and Canada. Working with companies that employ individuals with disabilities was the most rewarding.
Recently, I chose to pursue other creative outlets, including watercolor painting. Painting portraits on a clay surface called Aquabord is my specialty. My portraiture focuses on those split second moments that I love to capture and make them last a lifetime. It is incredibly rewarding whenI see how happy it makes my clients. I also do some floral and landscape painting. Growing up, my parents owned a floral shop which is a great influence on my creative career.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I don’t think society quite understands and appreciates the value of a living artist, or they don’t feel worthy of having original art. We have so much information on our sports “heroes”but we rarely give notice to the craftsperson and/or artist next-door that help shape our world. Having original art in your home can bring a moment of pleasure everyday which is unique and different from a 2-3 hour dinner or ballgame. I’m not taking anything away from those things but you could spend less on a piece of art and have just as a rewarding experience. And, it could gain value and become an heirloom for future generations whereas the meal or game will be long forgotten.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There are so many things that are rewarding about being an artist and a creative. I have a great sense of accomplishment in creating something I may never thought I could accomplish. As a designer, it’s a sense of collaborating with a team of creatives and non-creatives and all reaping the rewards of the end product. As an artist, it can be a personal accomplishment of expressing an emotion that I may not have been able to articulate nearly as effectively in words. It is also special when a client trusts me to create a piece that is undeniably important to use my talents and skills to express in my unique way. It’s also rewarding knowing that they are looking at it every day with a great deal of happiness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.billkambol.com to be live May 1st
- Instagram: @wkambol
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-kambol-425916/
- Other: Coroflot http://www.coroflot.com/wkambol