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

Ciaran, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Growing up, I never considered art to be a viable career path. Neither of my parents or anyone we knew worked in the arts. My family encouraged an interest in art as a way to have a balance and well rounded life but never as a true vocation. Art was simply a hobby or pastime. It wasn’t until I went away for college that I was exposed to people who were fully committed to pursuing art professionally. The dedication and trust, my classmates had in such a seemingly uncertain career was really captivating to me. Seeing as there was no one set path to guarantee a successful career in the arts their lives seemed to be similar to a problem solving game rife with excitement, adventure, and mystery. In contrast I was contemplating a very rigid path in business and finance, which offered no great allure other than stability. Still, I remained resolute in my path as I felt I owed it to my family to follow a more financially secure career. It wasn’t until I got my first job working in a cubicle, filling out daily spreadsheets that I knew I needed a drastic change. In the evenings I’d work on art and making and in the days I’d go to work at my office. Slowly I saved up enough money to tide myself over for a bit and I quit, which then allowed me to begin pursuing art full time.

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’m a multimedia artist that has a background and familiarity in experimental video art, bookmaking, and animation. Much of my practice has been dedicated to exploring the lives of normal people, many of which have been friends and family members. I’m most proud of the work I’ve done that’s helped chronicle the memory of people that have passed away. There is such an intense culture of celebrity worship that all too often regular people’s lives are regarded as inconsequential or less interesting. What I find so powerful about art, is that there is a balance of research and abstraction that allows for any subjects to be perceived as unique and important. In 2023, I had the opportunity to screen a film at the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation called Soul Search, which is about my cousin, Donovan Brown, who was murdered at 24 years old. That screening allowed for a room full of complete strangers to get to know my cousin and learn about his story. All though nothing can bring Donovan back, I hope through this film I can at least help preserve the memory of him.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think the most important thing society can do to best support creatives is be more vocal and open about the art they like. In art, entertainment, and most creative fields, there is an intense hierarchy that relies on a minority of selected critics to act as gatekeepers and purveyors of taste. This dynamic keeps success rather circular and amongst very specific people, making it difficult for emerging artists to gain mainstream acknowledgment. Further this reinforces trends, which other creatives then try to mimic in order to be successful, thus in the process hurting the dissemination of diverse ideas and original thought. Out of fear of being judged, audiences and consumers frequently hide their favorite artists or musicians in attempt to conform with perceived “good or fine art.” In reality, however, everyone has extremely eclectic tastes and if people were just more forthright about that then many of the divisions within art would disintegrate and there would be more path towards success for unique creatives and innovative thinkers.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the freedom I have to fail. I’ve always been overly concerned with success and outward perception and often the fear of failure has prevented me from doing a lot of the things I’ve wanted to. But with art, the idea of failure is completely subjective and relative to so many abstract factors that failure essentially ceases to exist. Mistakes are just mini experiments that can eventually lead to better results than ever expected so ultimately risk and failure is a necessary part of the creative process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://allstnyc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/all.st.studios/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@all.st.studios