We were lucky to catch up with David Crismon recently and have shared our conversation below.

David, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

What my parents got right, was they left me alone to learn and explore drawing on my own. They were not micro-managers, or so concerned with future career earnings that they stiffled what I was already enjoying. Now, as a college professor talking to new students and parents, I sometimes see the unfortunate situations where the kid has not been so lucky. I think my parents were just glad that I had found something that kept me occupied and interested. Today, I would be considered ADHD – but my parents saw my love for art and drawing, and began to ask my elementary teachers to channel that same interest to other areas in school beyond drawing. I think this was a very smart decision on their behalf, because at that point school in general became much more exciting for me, and this never really went away. Also, I was not the most gifted or motivated student, so I had to “learn how to learn”. This was a huge lesson when I was in undergraduate school. My parents had always told me I was capable of much more, I was just not “applying myself”. They were correct about this. Again their remedy was not to threaten or coerce, but take a softer, more encouraging approach -let me solve the problem on more of my terms not theirs. In retrospect, I think they were right. I would not have admitted it to them at the time, but they really did take to heart that I as a child had found something I was interested in, I was good at, and that could become a great foundation; something I could hang on to and build on my own.

David, 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 grew up in Oklahoma my whole life. As a kid interested in art, there were a lack of museums and galleries compared to other major cities. I was fortunate in high school to go to a two week camp, the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute. This was a pivotal experience for me because it put me into a community of creative people who were interested in all forms of art. Some of these people became life long friends and fellow artists. This was a fortunate begining for me during high school, since it prompted me to apply and go to art school at both the undergraduate and graduate level. During this time I began to travel and experience what other cities and countries had to offer in the way of culture, museums and galleries, and this is when I decided I had found what I wanted to do, I wanted to become an artist. By the time I finished undergraduate, I was asked to apply for a part -time teaching position at the university level. I did, and got the job, and this was to be the second part of this career / path that has also been very rewarding. So, I now had two careers, one to teach and learn in order to engage in the studio / classroom, and two, to pursue my initial desire to become an artist. I have been doing both of these professionally now for 37 years. I am fortunate. Being both an artist and a professor means most of my day is spent learning, and trying to teach this love of learning to others. I also get to spend time in my studio and pursue my own work and exhibit nationally / internationally. With both of these disciplines, I believe what I provide to others is the encouragement to pursue those things in life that are constructive to our own well being, and give our lives meaning and beauty. That may all sound a bit naive or simplistic given the world we find ourselves in, but that’s exactly why I feel it is important. It is vital for creative people help others by showing the power of making something, something constructive as opposed to destructive, That art, in any form, is a great way to shape our generosity toward each other and the world around us.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes, many. I think all books -or books in general. Over the last year, as an artist / academic, I have had to crack books ranging from black holes, physics, history, art history, economic philosophy, to fiction. I’m alarmed by how many people I come into contact with, spend little or no time in a library or bookstore. I emphasize this offline information because in libraries and bookstores one is more likely to bump into something interesting or unexpected. I think what I’m getting at is; are we really looking for new information, and if so where / how? But, we’re all enamored with lists -I love them as well -so, here’s some current reading that turned my head around and really stuck with me: (in no particular order)

1. Homo Deus, Yuvall Noah Hirari:
2. The Making of the Atomic Bomb:Richard Rhodes
3. Freakonomics: great podcast as well
4. Kafka on the Shore: Haruki Murakami, also Wind Up Bird Chronicles
5. Poetry / Literature. I love the Paris Review Podcast., comes in print form as well.
6. Doubt, A History: Jennifer Michael Hect
7. Monographs or writings by artists themselves. Guston, Vermeer, Velazquez, Duchamp, etc.
8. Black Hole Blues: Jana Levin
9. Watch and read about film. Start with Hitchcock, go into international cinema – wind up in France -that should get you started.
10. Don’t read anymore-it’s time to make.

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

Give a damn…. seriously….an engaged audience is what we all want. Attention is a very valuable thing. I think it’s best to nurture it, and not exploit it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://davidcrismon.wordpress.com/
• Other: Writings / notes on films I watch. https://www.tumblr.com/filmjrnl365

Image Credits
SLAY Exhibition, Me visiting Judith and Holofernes, Kimball Art Museum