We recently connected with Calvin Woodum and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Calvin, thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
When I worked at Lenscrafter from 1994 – 1998, they really taught me about retail sale and related experience. In training their sales staff, they had a step by step sales plan which included product knowledge, customer service and a simple yet effective sales technique. Also they highly recommended you make a connection with your custimer and to hfollow up with them after the sale. This would help you as a salesperson to form a bond with the customer and a relationship for future sales or recommendations. Now, it may seem simple today but nevertheless it was effective. Our daily routine included: meet and greet the customer upon entering the store and inquiring about their optical needs. Then either direct them to the sale floor or the doctor’s office. Once on the sales floor, we took a measurement of their head size with an optical tool, we showed them the layout of the sales floor which was laid out in a tri-price point format and ultimately helping them to choose their optical wear based on their optical needs, the strength of their prescriprion and budget. Product knowledge was heavily embedded in our training routine. Having a keen sense of knowing your product instilled such a self confidence within me like never before. Prior to this job, no one really stressed it as Lenscrafters did. How this relates to me as an artist today is whenever I am going through the creative process, taking the time to allow the process to get you to where the painting needs to be. From inception of my ideas through the process to the finished painting to purchase to forming a bond with my collector, it has such a similar path.
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?
In May of 1990, I left my hometown of Wrightsville, Georgia and moved to Savannah, GA, where I currently live and work as an abstract artist. Even though I was subjected to a lot of art during my first ten years in Savannah, I wasn’t creating at that time. I call it my incubation period. I was attending endless art receptions of my multi-talended friends and various other receptions at The Savannah College of Art & Design. I was absorbing, observing, learning and unbeknownst to me at the time, I was forming a path for my very own creative path in becoming an artist. In 1999, employed at The Savannah College of Art & Design, I enrolled partime in a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree Program studying fashion. In 2003, I enrolled as a fulltime student. In 2004, after dropping out of college because of the expense, in 2005, a year later I was faced with the tragedy of my mother’s death and finished my first painting. Thus finding my life-long passion in becoming an artist.
My creative process is rather simple. I simply pour paint on a canvas and see what happens. My technique is to pour, drip, splatter and splash paint on a canvas. Sometimes more, sometimes less, I build layers upon layers to create thought provoking and unique compositions with universal meanings. As I try not to manipulate the paunt too much, I want the paint to create the shapes on its own. I want the painting to guide me and tell me what it’s about. I don’t have to be in control.
I want the viewer to see one of my paintings and ask themselves, what in the hell is that? I want my pieces to stop people in their tracks. I want them to start that dialogue in finding out what it actually means to them and again, finding that universal meaning that may guide them in their lives somehow. Art is powerful. And art is that powerful. I want my pieces to truly touch someone in whatever way it can.
How did you build your audience on social media?
If you do not have a gallery, a studio or are not represented by a gallery, then social media is your first brick and mortar location. It is no different than physically putting a key in your business door, unlocking it, opening the door and allowing someone to come in to make a purchase. Posting every day on social media is the exact same thing. It’s pulling someone through your feed every day. Shockingly I had to say this to an artist friend and his wife last week. I honestly say this all of the time. If you already have those things, then social media is your second location. And it’s free. So I cannot fathom why anyone would not take advantage of being able to share their art with the rest of the world with caution and protective measures in place, when necessary. Not only should we be concerned about collectors, we should focus on art curators, art museums, art galleries, artist residencies, art competitions and maybe, art critics. I try to like every art museum, gallery and every museum professionals’ page(s) I can. And most importantly, please make a separate art page from your personal pages on whatever social media site(s) you prefer. If you don’t tell the world about you, who will?
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
If a person with means owns a lot of land or has a significant size building, create a non-profit for artist studios. One of the biggest complaint I hear all the time is that so many artists can’t afford a separate studio space. They can’t afford to pay for a place to live and a space to work. If there were art collectors, art investors or local and corporate business owners that would provide such a space, it would allow an artist to flourish. It would not hinder them and alleviate us from worrying about having that creative space. Because I constantly worry about being able to create larger pieces and making a mess on the floors or walls or having to set up and break down, it does hinder my creativity. It actually hinders the number of works I create. And because we are resilient, we create within our means or in our capacity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://woodum469.wixsite.com/calwoodart
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=dlhs565h11m1&utm_content=ozoeqj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalvinThomasWoodumArt?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvin-thomas-02b72433
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalWoodArt?t=JlNCLZmp734cwqjqR52jkg&s=09
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@calwoodart6927
- Other: 1- I am The Chair of Friends of African American Arts at Telfair Museums. FB – https://www.facebook.com/telfairfaaa?mibextid=ZbWKwL & https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1xg3xs69p8ms1&utm_content=m3d2z5e 2- I am in a co-op in Galleey 10 at The Art Center in City Market https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=acsg1ilrhf79&utm_content=q2vbugs 3- Google Search of Calvin Woodum.
Image Credits
Credit to the artist, Calvin Woodum of Cal Wood Art