We recently connected with Carson Ferri-Grant and have shared our conversation below.
Carson, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
Nurturing our artistic creatives, while life trauma exposes our frailties.
Hope is fantastic yet fragile, promoting us to undiscovered heights of magic or imploding to spiral us to depths of self-destruction. As many of us have experience beyond our everyday tasks and skill sets, unexpected crises can halt our life energy then stall us in a corner-crossroad.
Surviving and learning from a life trauma can fuel our inner strength. As a creative person, my emotional vulnerability feeds my imagination, but can work against my persona, which alerts my seasoned coping mechanisms.
Carson, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Now seventy-two, I spent five decades in NYC as an actor and artist, participating in hundreds of creative projects, (LES, UWS, five boroughs) then moved to LA in 2019 to continue my Quixotic adventures.
Recently I have been cast as an expansive character in a new twenty-episode series “Second Chances” scheduled for late 2023 release, written and directed by Michael Caissie. My filmography is listed on IMDB under ‘Carson Grant’.
I exhibited my oil painting series “Splash” and “Swim” in the LA Art Show 2023. My latest artistic acrylic painting series of twenty-five pieces, “Contrived Feeder” celebrating California positive energy forces, will premiere in the LA Art Show 2024. Some of my artwork between the shows may be purchased on Ebay under ‘carsongrantstudiogallery’, on Artsy, and through my representation Filmpen.com Studio Gallery.
Please view them if you get a chance. My artistic deeds can be found across social-media platforms.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As a creative person, how have I found the exit door from self-pitfalls, and established a health checklist to compass my way through the storms?
Inhale long calm breaths while I search for my interior self-being. I examine my primary senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, and sense my oneness with my surroundings. I take a walk to rediscover my youthful innocence exploring the enchantment of life; the vibrant color of a violet, the aroma of an iris, a chirping bird melody, a warm breeze rustling the trees, or a celestial display at sunrise.
Now in California’s bountiful gardens I find solitude during a peaceful stroll in any direction. I remember yesterday, examine today’s crisis, and consider my potential tomorrow, then make positive decisions to move forward with resolution.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
In first grade the teacher brought our class to the hallway for finger painting, cutting small pieces from a paper roll. After finishing three small works, I asked if I could take my own piece, then proceeded to roll out a twenty-foot-long blank sheet. Within twenty minutes I had painted a Springtime orchard of flowering trees and lands with singing birds. So birthed my creative career in Rhode Island, and the attention of the grade-school teachers who nurtured my state-award-winning artist impulses, and then at the age of twelve, encouraged attending Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Saturday classes.
Since then, I have challenged my visual media with imaginary worlds and echoed social issues, never concerned with fitting into any box. Usually, I see visions in my pre-awakened state, and at times while painting I feel I am revealing the image below the blank canvas.
Reading the writer’s intentions and subtle word choices is a guide into the physical movements and emotional journey of the character’s arc of existence. Although I have mapped out my general performance choices, I actively remain open to improvisational blending probing every nanosecond which sparks my actor’s creative spirit.
Billie Holiday’s song of hope “God Bless the Child” has influenced my uninhibited creative motivation to explore the unknown.
I celebrate my late seventeen-year-old “Jack” Russell Terrier who before he passed, fostered the rescued puppy “Bebe JJ”.
We all are the ‘Covid generation’ which has placed entire populations of people under great survival pressures and challenges.
Coupled with global warming and major weather changes throughout our planet, we must strengthen our human bonds and resources to prepare for tomorrow’s events for ourselves, our children and their children. Thoughts to contemplate and share, Carson Ferri-Grant,’23
Contact Info:
- Website: http://carsongrant.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carsongrant01
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carsongrant
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsongrant/linkedin.com/in/carsongrant/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/carsongrant
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/carsongrant
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0335300/ https://www.facebook.com/carsongrantandjack https://www.ebay.com/str/carsongrantstudiogallery https://www.carsongrant.net
Image Credits
Carson Ferri-Grant Rodolfo Silva Cavallaro Stephen Linsley