Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christian Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Christian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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)

As an independent creative, I have somehow managed to maintain an artistic lifestyle in my community. The challenges arise when it comes to affording art supplies, music production equipment, food, clothing, housing, all while trying to generate support for the arts in my community. Instead of saving for retirement I invested all of my hard-earned income (subsidized by a normal job.) on my passion for art and music. During the beginning of my journey to become an artist I took a huge risk: I rented a small room as a studio on Main St. in my hometown to create in; instead of renting an apartment to live in. I managed to work part-time to afford the bare minimum. I would sleep in my car at parks during the day and stay up late into the evening, building and stretching canvas to paint on. I would produce music to listen too while I worked. I gained confidence as I began to work toward bringing art to my community through the support of a great friend and mentor, Steve Gruber. Steve spearheaded the Elkhart Arts Alliance here in Northern Indiana. Through his kindness and fondness of my artistic determination he helped me produced my first solo exhibition at his gallery, Arts on Main. Through various showcasing opportunities and local art fairs I began to gain recognition. I eventually produced two murals in Elkhart, I was awarded my first purchase award at a juried regional competition at the Midwest Museum of American Art and produced my first joint exhibition with renowned artist and master print maker, Bob Cross, at the Garrett Museum of Art in the Fort Wayne area.
Since the COVID pandemic I have become somewhat of a recluse and have not been producing much for the public however I do release ambient music through my pseudo name, Goat on the River. My music is always a mirrored perception of world events and philosophical thought on current events. I have released 5 albums since 2020.
My risk taking and sacrifice to maintain the “Starving Artist” status quo is absolutely not a path for most people to endure and I don’t recommend it. I have never made much money pursuing my artistic endeavors and most certainly have never covered my overhead cost throughout the past decade. Creativity in itself is a risk if you are trying to make a living solely on art. I have learned that not many people value art like it should be valued but I have given my life to art, music, and the discipline behind my creativity. Creating is not about money to me but it is absolutely about bringing parts of my soul and perception on life into the world. Abstract Art and Ambient Instrumental Music will always surpass all cultural and language barriers and is something everyone on this planet can enjoy and that is what allows me to take the risk and give my life to creativity..

Christian, 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?

My name is Christian Smith. I have been an independent creative for well over ten years. My artistic endeavors include building and stretching large scale abstract art, producing ambient instrumental music, marketing my work, and now I am currently offering novelty laser engraving services. Growing up in poverty in America I have always thought about ways I could escape the cycle of poverty. I realized I had talent and artistic drive that most of my peers did not have. I wanted to share my philosophy on creative discipline to help motivate and encourage personal growth in individuals throughout all cultures and society. I could not afford college, so I worked tirelessly to procure everything I needed for my artistic vision. I took a huge risk to invest all of my hard-earned money on my creative aspirations rather than to save for a retirement.
I started playing guitar as a teenager and was not at all good at it, but I never gave up. I began to explore ambient sound with delay pedals, reverb pedals, synthesizers, and drum machines. I realized music was a language that elicits emotion from its listeners regardless of language or cultural barriers. I could “speak” philosophical thought and human emotion through sound. That realization became my foundation for my perception of creativity. I began to think about ways to stimulate a human’s visual stimuli, so I learned how to stretch canvas and began creating. I wanted to have a symbiotic relationship with sound and visual art. I began to draw and paint while listening to the music I created. In order for me to encompass both of my passions I created Micro Dot Studio Productions. I created my personal website as a virtual art and ambient listening gallery. My mission is to allow viewers and listeners of all walks of life into my personal realm of creation. A space of collective purpose and neutrality to inspire and motivate others to follow their passions.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

My perspective is that American society is a fractured environment of unnecessary competitive toxicity and unrivaled selfishness. From my experience, I have had a hard time encouraging people to come together as a community to collectively conceptualize the importance of art and understand the value that creativity can bring to a community. Society can better support artists and creatives by eliminating divisive political belief systems, detrimental close-minded thought processes, and personal biases that ultimately chain and hold captive a society’s collective “subconscious”. These negative thought patterns within divisive individuals stifle freedom of creativity, free belief systems, and ultimately destabilizes the capability of humans to understand freedom of expression and conceptualize a way to progress the human species into something evolutionarily better.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Books that have helped me throughout my life have been: Frank Herberts’ “Dune” saga
Robert Pirsigs’ “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”
Carlos Castañedas’ “The Fire from Within”
Kahlil Gibrans’ “The Prophet”
Hermann Hesses’ “Siddhartha”

Contact Info:

• Website: microdotstudioproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micro_dot_studio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goatontheriver
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/christian-smith-1415b1a2
• Other: https://goatontheriver.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Christian Smith