We recently connected with Eli The Man Maness and have shared our conversation below.

Eli The Man, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Throughout my life and career I have learned skills and techniques from a variety of sources. Some skills I have acquired through classes, school, or structured learning such as various printmaking techniques, but I would say I have learned equally as much if not more from gigs and jobs that I have jumped into with little or no prior experience like art restoration, gallery curation, and mural making. I have been fortunate to work for some amazing and very talented people that have recommended me to others. For me, it really has been a one thing leads to another process. Throughout the past several years I have expanded my network and grown my skill set greatly. As far as my artistic style goes, I have been developing it and pushing its evolution for many years. Some years harder than others! I would certainly say that the more I do the better I get.

I worked in the service industry for a good many years which definitely had its pros and gave me a whole different set of skills. I think it mainly taught me how to work with a mixed bag of personalities; a skill which I value highly and one that continues to serve me. While I don’t regret the time I spent taking orders and running plates of hot food Its possible that I could have jumped that ship a bit sooner to focus more intensely on my artistic development.

I think if anything stood in the way of learning more sooner was me. A fear of rejection and a general shyness kept me from reaching out more and finding places to showcase my work and talent. It took me a long time to break out of my comfortable, introverted shell and take more chances with my creative process. To any up and coming artist I would suggest failing early and often and get used to rejection but don’t get discouraged! Difficult but crucial.

Eli The Man, 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 Eli. I go by Eli The Man which is a take on my last name, Maness. It is also a simple discriptor like Eli The Shoe but I am not a shoe. I am a creative with years of experience making art and enhancing human experiences. Having grown up in Colorado I have always had an affinity for nature and adventure. My background is in Printmaking and Fine Art. I received a BFA from California College of the Arts in 2004 and have remained based in the SF Bay Area ever since. After graduating college my efforts expanded into many realms including production/writing/acting for “The Mr. Stinky Show” which was a pre YouTube absurdist variety sketch comedy show created in collaboration with my 4 brothers that we aired on the local cable access station. We also created The Game Show Show; which was a live interactive game show experience complete with a light up buzzer, coreographed dance routines, and live re-mixed classic game show theme songs. Throughout my post college years I juggled various jobs and gigs, many in the creative field and many not (ie. my extended stay as a server at a certain Bay Area vegetarian restaraunt with a great view. ) All the while I continued painting, drawing, collaging and designing. Whether I was making posters and flyers for my Psych-Surf Punk band, or compiling layouts and editorials for my variety Zine Dun4, I was creating content and collaborating with other creative types. I quit working in the service industry 7 years ago to focus more on my own art and art related gigs. My exit from the service industry came with a wonderful opportunity to work under a very talented art director for a large scale music and art festival. Alongside an incredible team we organized and provided the visual art elements for the entire festival. This included the set up and preparation of multiple massive 30X20 ft canvases for international muralists to paint live during the festival! After a 5 year run and with the arrival of the Pandemic the festival was discontinued. At that time I was connected with two gigs that I continue to this day. One is art restoration. I was fortunate to be brought on to a very small company that specializes in the maintenance and restoration of both large scale outdoor sculpture and smaller indoor works. I have learned a ton about how to care for and maintain works of various materials such a bronze, marble, steel, and stone. The other company I connected with and still work for occasionally these days is a Design and Fabrication facility that designs, constructs and installs a great variety of imaginative creations. A lot of the work I did for them centered around the post-pandemic reopening of workplace offices. We helped liven up and re-fresh workspaces with exciting environmental art installations. These days I spend a lot of time curating shows and hosting events at the pop-up gallery I run in San Francisco called 5 Olive. Designing and creating murals and public/private art installations also occupies much of my time. I love working with clients to transform spaces and create visually stunning environments. Collaborations with brands and other individuals is also very rewarding. One of my favorite things is seeing people stop to take in something that I have helped to bring into existence. It is very satisfying to see one of my creations having a positive impact on someone. Whether it is a public art installation, a private commission or a design collaboration, I believe that art has the ability to change a persons mood. People who feel better tend to treat others better and in this way art has the power to positively affect personal relationships, communities, societies and ultimately the wold! Its a bit of a butterfly effect if you ask me.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Art is vast and open to interpretation and artists come in such a wide variety that it is impossible to speak for everyone but I know that it can be difficult for non-creative people to understand or appreciate what we do. I think a lot of people don’t consider the amount of work, time, or effort that goes into the creation of a piece. Say you want to hire someone to paint a mural. You are not just paying them to put paint on a wall. There is the time it takes to discuss and consider the design elements/ color choices. There is the time spent rendering the mock ups and there is also the preparation of the wall and consideration of any additional equipment that may be necessary (ie. ladders, or lifts), all of this before any paint touches the wall! Value is a topic I discuss a lot. What is it worth? I often go back to the saying you can have two of the following High Quality, Low Cost, and Quick Turnaround. In my experience this applies to art and design as well. The other thing I would say is that when a person does a non-art related job they do it and in most cases are done. The People who experience whatever job was done don’t necesarily associate that particular person with the job. But as an artist, especially a visual artist, that work remains there as an extention of the artist so long as it exists. So as an artists you are really putting yourself out there and being vulnerable to people’s judgments/ critiques/ and opinions. It takes a certain resilience to be a successful as an artist.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love seeing a project come together. After the planning, proposing, adjusting and executing are all complete and a work is finally comes to fruition its extremely gratifying to step back, enjoy the creation and see others react to it for the first time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elitheman.com
• Instagram: @1elithman1. @5olivegallery