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

Hi Joe, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

My work is considered photography, but it’s become so much more. More on that later.

I received my first “real” camera from my parents for my 16th birthday, MANY years ago! My uncle was a studio, family photographer and I learned about lighting, posing and “editing” by spending hours with him in his studio. I knew immediately that his choice of photography wasn’t what I envisioned for myself. Heck, I was a teenager and didn’t have a CLUE what I really envisioned. Being a Medical Doctor led the list as my father, Joseph was a Hospital Pharmacist and his brother, my uncle, Vincent, was a MD specializing in Geriatric Care. So, a career in Medicine was just something that I believed was “in my blood.” Unfortunately, while I was a good student, I didn’t have the dedication to do what was necessary as an undergraduate at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA to become a MD. At that point, I changed my focus, probably due to my ability to make friends easily and engage them in meaningful conversation, to Psychology. I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and immediately decided that was it for schooling.

However, the degree came in very handy as I pursued a career in corporate sales and used my training to develop very strong relationships that led to a very successful career in technology sales. All throughout my career, Photography was just something that I’d do at family gatherings and while on holiday. My actual first paying gig as a photographer was while I was a teen taking accident scene photos for a personal injury lawyer! It wasn’t until I moved to Florida, having already spent most of my life in the south, as I relocated for the companies for which I was working, that photography began to play a larger role. It was during this time that I began perfecting the ability to take a well-composed shot and re-imagine it as something “more.” I trained myself in editing techniques that enabled me to take a “photograph” and make it “art.”

It wasn’t until I suffered an aortic dissection, which has an extremely high mortality rate, that I chose early retirement and began focusing my energies on creating art. While my early work was very rudimentary, the editing skills that I was learning and my ability to compose a shot was what got me noticed. I began selling my work on-line leading to further recognition of my talent. That recognition got me invited to participate in First Friday Art Walk in St Augustine, FL, my new home, at many, varied venues. Being seen more regularly by the public and other artists, got me recommended for inclusion into one of the many amazing Art Galleries for which St Augustine in known! That first experience as a Gallery Artist, led to two very important things: meeting my now fiancée, Jenni Cherry and the realization that I thought I could do better if the Art Gallery in which I exhibited was my own and would give me the ability to include Artists that would prefer a less restricted environment than that offered by a co-op. Thus, Ancient City Art Gallery, in the heart of the Original St Augustine Art District on Aviles Street, was born.

As the owner of Ancient City Art Gallery, I’m able not only hone my skills as an artist, but also present my art to the public in the most pleasingly aesthetic way possible. More importantly, though, is the ability to offer upcoming artists the same!

Joe, 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?

Opening Ancient City Art Gallery has led to many amazing realizations, some good and some really not so good. My first lesson learned was that choosing a business partner was MUCH more critical than I believed. Unfortunately, that’s been the toughest lesson learned. I’ve also learned that not every artist is equally motivated to see their art find a new home with collectors that value their art as much as they value it themselves.

For me, having spent over forty years selling, having my work appreciated enough by visitors to my gallery, such that they want to make it their own, is a true mark of success and recognition that my work is not only good, but also has value. It’s managing that business relationship with the artists, who call Ancient City Art Gallery home, which demands diligent attention and diplomacy.

However, the best part of being an art gallery owner is giving artists who’ve never had the chance to publicly display their work, like Alexter Albury (who was recently featured in Canvas Rebel), their first opportunity to be regularly and consistently seen! I look forward to being able to do more of that as time goes by.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As I mentioned before, I suffered an aortic dissection in 2018. As horrible a time as that was for me, it also gave me the ability to abandon the “corporate world” and focus my energies on honing my artistic skills. Unfortunately, I’ve also had to battle multiple cancers and, praise Jesus, I’ve made it through each time and each time I’ve become stronger. That resilience translates into my creative process and allows me to recognize that my state-of-mind strongly influences my art. Specifically, when I’m having a day where my health isn’t at its peak, the art is “darker,” moodier, but when I’m clicking on all cylinders, my art is upbeat and more vibrant. It’s that dichotomy that prevents my art from appearing repetitive.

The resilence gained from “surviving” multiple times, also can create a laissez faire attitude and amicability that can be viewed as gullibility or being a “push-over.” However, I’m not one that should be taken lightly and can’t be bullied. I genuinely believe that, with Jesus, there’s nothing I can’t achieve and that He also provides me with a significant amount of Grace that I gladly extend to those that are reasonable.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I recently read that “Earth, without art, is just eh.” Creating art and appreciating art can be a refuge for both the Artist and those that appreciate art. It seems to me that most cities have some sort of vibrant art community, I know that’s for certain in St Augustine. Ancient City Art Gallery is comprised of all local artists. Supporting local artists is good for the community and provides a vibrance to that community that few other things can do as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ancientcityartgallery.com
• Instagram: @acagstaugustine
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACAGStAugustine

Image Credits
Joseph A Desiderio