We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gary Vlasic. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gary below.

Alright, Gary thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I would have to say that my performing and dance career was the most meaningful decision and experience in my multilayered career. I can’t say that there is one meaningful project that stands above another. It is layers of many projects that create the performing life and the processing is never ending.
I have found that the underpinnings of the performing life has opened every creative door and career shift(s) in my life. There have been many layers in my career pursuits, but at the core is the understanding that the ephemeral nature of the live performance and the many opportunities to bridge my dance world into set design, costuming, lighting design and choreography opened up the world of the experiential and event design studio.
The dancers life is short and you are forced to move into a reinvention in your later years as a performer.
After having a dance / theater company with two wonderful co-directors for 12 years… I segued into the event design world.
I have literally hundreds of performances and art installations in my life’s work.

Gary, 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?

I am a fine artist and experiential designer. At the core of my studio practice are many mediums, collaborators, and design practices. My studio is called V. PROJECT Studio. (v-project.co) I created this studio to house my many interests and talents. My business has included product design, exhibition design, hospitality interior design, floral design, live performance and my personal art studio. I work in mixed media and
sculpture.
I have been able to handle a broad range of mediums and design work within the umbrella company I created.
I personally needed to have a design studio that has many dimensions and the greater opportunity to work with a variety of talented collaborators.
I believe that my design studio brings a fresh and sophisticated approach to the clients that I have worked with. It is always about elevating…
I do believe that the my performance life and dance training is the core to my design process and art making that pushes my work and informs the sense of theater that creates unforgettable experiences.
Experimenting with one’s own life is the most fundamental medium and being an artist isn’t just about what happens in the studio. There is no separation between art making and the whole of life. The way you live. The people you chose to love and the way you love them. The generosity and gestures of your life. The ability to influence the things you believe in. Your obsessions. Your vulnerabilities. Your failed attempts… all of this pulls from each project, performance, product and design opportunity.
The dream of creating beautiful spaces and unforgettable experiences is the fuel to my process and studio life.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The reward of being an artist and creative is the extraordinary diverse mediums that pull together to create unforgettable visual experiences. The creative studio experience gathers a diverse team of collaborators and talents to explore the boundaries of art, performance architecture and design. The collaborative spirit is embedded in the process and you are only as good as your team. Kindness and generosity are the core values in my studio. More than any other vocation, being an artist and designer means always starting from nothing, trusting the blindspots of the unknown. It is a fragile process of teaching oneself to work alone and to hone creative obsessions to make a vision come to life.
Starting from nothing, trusting the process and knowing that the process includes failing over and over again regardless of the successes that may come as well.
The art life only gets richer and denser as you grow and age into your craft.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think that if there is any struggle to understand in the creative artist journey is the simple concept that you must not be risk adverse in your life. Being an artist is only risk driven. The creative process is a mystery… it has ebbs and flows. It has times that demand being solitary and working alone as you process visual ideas. Hours and days are spent exploring your mediums. This process is an alone experience. You must be comfortable working long hours with no guarantees that anyone will understand your work or concepts.
The art life is the richest experience and most extraordinary endeavor. There are no guarantees as you move through your visual explorations. I believe that is what separates the non- creative from the artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.v-project.co
• Instagram: v.projectdesign