Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hank Von Hellion. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Hank, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I’m in a position where I can do both and it’s preferable. I have a day job raising money for non-profits in the arts sector and I have space where I’m able to create, sell, and express that creative drive. I have never enjoyed being told what to do and how to do it, creatively, so my stints working as a full time artist have been mixed bags for me, personally. Frankly there’s a constant revolving door of whats chic and popular in the arts, particularly when it comes to public art. If we’re being honest here, a lot of it just doesn’t speak to me. It’s not always the kind of work I want to be engaged in and when ones way to pay rent is wholly dependent on creating what others want for money, one often finds themselves working on projects just for the money. On top of all that these kinds of “take the money and run jobs” are inevitably lead by some white guy in boat shoes that couldn’t point out a color wheel if it hit him in the face, trying to art direct you. No F’ing thanks. After a while, I would simply stop chasing that kind of money and I found myself feeling much happier with the jobs I did take on in those interim moments where I had a day job to offset the decline in art gigs.
I love my day jobs. I’m particular about what roles I take on and have no problem telling someone, nope. Being able to support other creatives, to help give them a platform, some mentorship, even the occasional paycheck is incredibly rewarding for me. Any opportunity to support real people, creating work that has real depth, is a win in my book. Bonus points if it also ends in a real person beating out some AI bot for a job. Living in both of these worlds allows me the freedom to create whatever I want and say whatever I want through art work without having to worry about paying the light bill this month.
Hank, 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’ve been working in the arts sector for ten-ish years officially, much longer if you count projects I was invited to work on and DIY creative things. I’ve been an artist since I can remember though not in any way that could be considered professionally until my late 20’s. I am a multi-media artist currently working in wood-based work that feels sculptural to me. I also work in acrylics, oils, markers, and conceptually. I co-founded a large international street art festival in Massachusetts, I’ve written columns in a number of zines and papers for my long running conceptual art project, “Bad Advice Club”, I’ve shown work across the country and have been able to get up in places all around the world. I’ve been on dozens of arts-centric nonprofit boards and held leadership positions in several galleries, community art spaces, and creative venues. In short, I think I have a terrible case of creative hyper activity disorder and my work history shows it.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
It’s a fad dreamed up by tech bros to rip off gullible and hype thirsty “collectors” Nothing will ever replace the experience of engaging with something tangible surrounded by other humans sharing a similar experience. Should I sugarcoat this?
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn, comparing my work to everyone else’s work. That isn’t to say that it’s not cool to be inspired by others’ work or to use your experince engaging with that work as a template for what you’re trying to elicit through your own. I can also feel good about comparing technical skill in crafting artwork. It gets to be unproductive and intimidating when I start comparing popularity or aesthetics, or sales. I had to learn to be ok with creating in my own voice and have faith that I would find an audience that connected with the art on my terms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.badadviceclub.org
- Instagram: badadvice_club
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hankvonhellion
Image Credits
All images of my work and or/by me.