We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Channing Smithson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Channing below.
Hi Channing, thanks for joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
Two investments come to mind…
I remember hearing Warren Buffett say, “The best investment you can make, is an investment in yourself. The more you learn, the more you’ll earn.” One investment I’ve made as a creative is to continue learning under professional ceramist such as Eric London and Stephanie Shih. The conversations that were sparked during our making always amaze me. You get to understand how these creators developed their craft into a sustainable business. I’ve also picked their brains as to how they’ve entered the International Art Market.
My second best investment was buying a Rode Mic for the podcast. It’s so easy to use at events and interviews and allows us to capture extemporaneous interviews and discussions we never imagined we could have.
Channing, 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 come from 25 years of working in the medical field. Throughout my career I’ve trained nurses, technologist and even doctors in Cardiology, Interventional Radiography & Neuro Interventional Radiology. Neuro Radiology always fascinated me because at the end of some of our neuro procedures we would show a series of artworks to our patients and we could evaluate their condition based on their response to the art. This impressed upon me how we should never diminish the value and utility of art, even in the medical field.
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My partner and co-host Leah Smithson is a interdisciplinary New Media artist who explores the human condition using portraits that mirror an emotional state or frame of mind, rather than the likeness of a person leveraging public art, traditional media (i.e. murals, paintings, sculptures) and new media (i.e. 3D animation, AR/VR, extended realities) Watching her create over the years has been inspiring. I’ve seen how art has changed people’s lives in interesting ways that can’t be calculated or narrowed down. She’s always encouraged me to exercise my creativity as well. I just didn’t have the confidence or think I had it in me to become an artist. When we moved to Los Angeles I stepped into Still Life Ceramics Studio in DTLA and loved what I saw. I purchased two pieces that day. My partner kept nudging me to take a class. After I took my first class I was hooked. Artist draw inspiration from other creators. I’d listen to a variety of different podcast like “Akimbo”, “Tales of a Red Clay Rambler” & “The Potters Cast” to draw on other artists inspiration while I was developing my own style. Then one day I thought “Why not create my own podcast with my own agenda?” Leah and I developed a show about art and your brain called, Vessel: Art as a Doorway Podcast. We are now into our 3rd year with the show. We interview art collectors, architects, curators, artists and the like. We’ve even had the honor of being featured in some of the podcasts I drew inspiration from.
We’ve had both celebrity creatives like Simon Haas, Ben Carter, Paul Blaiss & collectors like Karen Rabinovitz and others. They describe to our audiences how their work has influenced the world and how art has influenced them. These discussions always make for good conversations. In each conversation, our audience finds pleasure in listening to the stories of how these artists and collectors embarked on their creative journeys, and the profound influence their work has had on communities and individuals alike.
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 come from 25 years of working in the medical field. Throughout my career I’ve trained nurses, technologist and even doctors in Cardiology, Interventional Radiography & Neuro Interventional Radiology. Neuro Radiology always fascinated me because at the end of some of our neuro procedures we would show a series of artworks to our patients and we could evaluate their condition based on their response to the art. This impressed upon me how we should never diminish the value and utility of art, even in the medical field.
My partner and co-host Leah Smithson is a interdisciplinary New Media artist who explores the human condition using portraits that mirror an emotional state or frame of mind, rather than the likeness of a person leveraging public art, traditional media (i.e. murals, paintings, sculptures) and new media (i.e. 3D animation, AR/VR, extended realities) Watching her create over the years has been inspiring. I’ve seen how art has changed people’s lives in interesting ways that can’t be calculated or narrowed down. She’s always encouraged me to exercise my creativity as well. I just didn’t have the confidence or think I had it in me to become an artist. When we moved to Los Angeles I stepped into Still Life Ceramics Studio in DTLA and loved what I saw. I purchased two pieces that day. My partner kept nudging me to take a class. After I took my first class I was hooked. Artist draw inspiration from other creators. I’d listen to a variety of different podcast like “Akimbo”, “Tales of a Red Clay Rambler” & “The Potters Cast” to draw on other artists inspiration while I was developing my own style. Then one day I thought “Why not create my own podcast with my own agenda?” Leah and I developed a show about art and your brain called, Vessel: Art as a Doorway Podcast. We are now into our 3rd year with the show. We interview art collectors, architects, curators, artists and the like.
We’ve had both celebrity creatives like Simon Haas, Ben Carter, Paul Blaiss & collectors like Karen Rabinovitz and others. They describe to our audiences how their work has influenced the world and how art has influenced them. These discussions always make for good conversations. In each conversation, our audience finds pleasure in listening to the stories of how these artists and collectors embarked on their creative journeys, and the profound influence their work has had on communities and individuals alike.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
For more than 6 years, I have studied crypto and spent time in many crypto communities. Since there has been so much misinformation surrounding NFTs and crypto, in my opinion, I feel that has caused much confusion about the enormous benefits and advantages this tech can actually provide. Similar to the horse and buggy, tape player, or turntable, it is merely a technological tool that can be utilized appropriately or inappropriately. Regardless of our personal feelings, it’s simply a technology.
I remember when I first started Xray in the 90s’, we would take X-rays on film and process them in the developer and hang them on a line to dry. Then years later, there came this new digital ‘thing’ that almost put companies like Kodak out of business. The same can be said with digital assets. I prefer saying digital assets over Crypto Currency because there’s nothing ‘cryptic’ about it. It’s all on the blockchain. All transactions and trades are easily seen thru blockchain technology including art, real estate & voting.
NFTs in the art world are simply a record of provenance or digital authentications of art. This is a unique moment in history where artists and other creative individuals have the opportunity to showcase their work to millions through digital means. Simultaneously, they can enable a select few to possess digital copies, paving the way for a sustainable career based on future sales. In the past creators were kept away from their collectors. Now blockchain provides an opportunity for creators to connect with their collectors/audience in a way that hasn’t been provided in past times.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
As an art collector, I also really enjoy supporting small creators and makers. I’ve collected work from artist around the world including other ceramists.
Creating more opportunities for artist will have a tremendous impact on society. For instance, back in the 1930’s Franklin D. Roosevelt created ‘The New Deal’ which was a series of programs, public art work projects, financial reforms, and regulations in the U.S. A variety of different art programs were created which resulted in a tremendous boost to the economy. Several artists, such as Aaron Douglas, Dorothea Lange, and Jackson Pollock, who were involved in this program, emerged as innovators, offering a compelling case study on how essential art is to our quality of life as humans
Contact Info:
- Website: https://clss.studio
- Instagram: @justglazechanning
- Twitter: @vaadpodcast
- Youtube: @leahsmithsonart4910