We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adrien Converse a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Adrien thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

Artistic expression has always been a mainstay in my life for voicing what has been ignored and overlooked. I grew up in a very authoritarian environment where being heard and being accepted depended on a sort of “smile for the camera” attitude. Pretend everything is fine, and don’t rock the boat!

I was trained as a classical pianist starting at the age of five, and in my hours off the clock I learned to make up my own music as a form of emotional catharsis. I came to do the same with visual art, as a way to reflect on my own sense of reality. All through my childhood and into my teenage years I received accusations that my artwork was demonic (yes, I grew up going to church). I’d be lying if I said this negativity had no impact on me—but regardless, I didn’t let it stop me. I committed to making my art no matter what people said about it.

Into my young adulthood many of the influential people in my sphere had written me off as mentally ill and fundamentally damaged. My art was often pointed at as evidence of this assertion.

I lacked the support to know the full picture at the time, but I refused to give up on my art. A lot of twists and turns followed before I really could make sense of the truth: that I was never crazy. I was profoundly repressed under a fear-based worldview that did not allow me agency or freedom. My art, rather than being evidence of my insanity, was my pathway to liberation.

I am still healing from my experiences of having the vulnerability and honesty of my artistic expression used against me, and additionally being objectified by would-be saviors who saw that my art was “special.”

I hope to transform all these experiences into ones of empowerment as I continue to hone my craft. I believe that the best art is the most honest art, so I have no doubt I am on the right track.

Adrien, 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 am what some might call an artist’s artist. Others might call me an activist. I don’t just make art, I live my own philosophy of art. I’m a community builder, visionary, and dreamer. I know first hand the healing power of art and its importance in shedding light on truth that those in power would like to look away from. I’m someone who will get on a soapbox about it with strangers in a coffee shop. I believe in art as a movement that can help the most downtrodden break free. I know, because it has done that for me. I’m a believer in realness—not just the shiny stuff that makes everyone feel good. The people I want to build momentum with are the people who are unafraid to look the truth right in the face, and actually say something about it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve always been an artist, but I built a career as a professional content marketer. It was never actually something I planned to do.

I sort of fell into it during the scrape of the recession back in 2011—things were pretty dry for my freelance art situation, and I had an unexpected appendectomy I needed to pay for. So I applied for a bunch of different jobs.

I just so happened to interview well for a marketing job at a tech company, and I’m a good learner and problem solver, so I became very good at the work. So good, in fact, that I built my own team within that company, which grew, and grew … and then I quit that job and started my own marketing agency which I ran for five years.

I’m fortunate to be building my career as an artist on this foundation of experience. At the same time I am very conscious of the fact that viewing art through a marketing lens can fundamentally corrupt the artistic process. In my view of art, it’s not about making what people want. It’s about speaking truth, regardless of what people think.

It’s my challenge now to use my skill as a former professional marketer to help me connect my art to the right people—but not to allow the knowledge of what people are looking for to cheapen my art for money or audience growth.

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

I’m personally not a fan. People can be into it if they want.

For me, so much of the value of art is about getting grounded. Whether that be the experience of witnessing something that emotionally resonates with your own depths, connecting with a real person sharing a real expression, or having a tactile experience that taps you into your own senses. NFTs do none of that as far as I can tell, so it’s really hard for me to care.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/adrienconverse