We recently connected with Kelcie McQuaid and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kelcie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Not too long ago, I answered a message on LinkedIn. A man named Victor was requesting an interview for a company called RoboHood Inc. I stumbled onto their website, full of language barrier typos and images of happy workers, a seemingly small start up in the field of technology, developing the software and tools to create original paintings using a Robot. Yes, you read that right… Robots making art.
I’ve been painting professionally for years but after a long spout of covid isolation, I was ready to hit the job market looking for something to fill my time that wouldn’t bore me to death. So, I agreed to meet Victor in the beautiful co-work office, Spaces right on Las Olas later that week.
Needless to say I got the job… I’m sitting in my office right now, watching a robot paint a painting of a painting I painted, writing this story because, well it’s one that just MUST BE TOLD…
The prompt for this interview is simple, it’s a story about a time I took a risk…
Well, I think as an artist, risk is essential to the creative process… so here we go…
I’ve always struggled with the idea that creative expression can belong to anyone. I want it to, but I don’t always buy it. I’ve wondered if my ability to paint is just the result of all these years of experimenting, or if there’s some god given gift I just haven’t appreciated properly yet. I’ve taught young children how to paint and I’ve been inspired by their progress. I’ve mentored and watched as emerging artists become successful professionals who seem to never slow down. And now, I’m teaching a Robot how to paint…
And let me tell you, this thing can ACTUALLY PAINT.
On my first day at Robohood, I helped attach a lightweight robot to a table with heavy duty clamps, mixed some oil paints, ran some calibrations and very quickly learned the software that would render out a reference image I provided and start to actually paint it. My mind was blown.
I’m no stranger to technology, having a background in marketing and graphic design. I’m used to using tools to create the best images I can produce, but this is different. This is a physical painting, generated by unique vector pathways that tell a robotic arm to apply actual paint to a canvas, mixing colors right on the surface. It’s something out of a jules verne book, a total Sci-fi thriller.
A lot of thoughts went through my mind that night as I tried to explain to my husband what my new job would entail. I worried out loud that artists of the future may become obsolete. I probably even had a glass too many of wine and ranted on about all the ways this would destroy my people, the evil it could do to the “creative type”. (As if we aren’t destructive enough on our own – Laugh out loud.)
But then I had another thought… I remembered how I broke my hand earlier this year trying to stop a stray from fighting my cat, slamming my thumb into my wrist and panicking because I was sure it would be the end of my creative life. Oh how I annoyed the emergency room doctors as I cried about my poor hand and bragged about what a great artist I was before I broke it…
It was obnoxious, but true. I felt completely lost when I confronted the idea that I might not be able to paint again. Ofcourse, as soon as I could, I began to retrain my hand with paint and a brush, and it’s fine now. But this is where the Robot comes in…
What if this technology could allow someone who was otherwise unable, to create. What kind of feeling could that provide to a vet who lost a hand? Or a child with a tremor who just wants to have arts and craft time like the rest of their friends? What if this tool could provide a person who has always told themselves they weren’t good enough, with the ability to feel what it’s like to create a real work of art?
I’m almost tearing up thinking about it.
I know this could change everything. And I’m here for it….
So that’s the risk I’m taking now… I have no idea what will come of it, but for now, I’m inspired and excited for whatever the future holds (in it’s Robotic hand).

Kelcie, 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’m Kelcie McQuaid, Artist, Curator and marketer. I started painting many years ago, and just never really stopped. I got into this industry by taking risks, following my heart and being super helpful along the way. I have worked for several major art institutions in Fort Lauderdale including NSU Museum of Art/ ArtServe. I’ve run ShangriLa Collective since 2014, curating solo + group exhibitions, marketing emerging artists and creating co-op promotions throughout the Tri-county area. I was the curator of Open Canvas Project where over 500 local artists and volunteers turned our former city hall into a public artwork spanning an entire block in downtown Fort Lauderdale. I won Best Emerging Artist in Newtimes in 2015, after my first solo show Universe Expanding. I created a model for alternative art spaces throughout south florida, helped start the Fat Village / Mass District artwalk, and I’ve been an all around go-getter since before you were born, just kidding. I provide all kinds of creative services, everything from commissioned paintings to brand development, from grant writing to exhibition curation… in other words, I solve problems with my big creative brain. I think my sense of humor sets me apart from others. I am most proud of my ability to be resilient.

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

The best way to support artists is to buy artwork from them directly. Artists often double as graphic designers, or furniture makers or great art tutors… Never forget to ask your artist friends what they’re capable of, because they may surprise you. A Thriving creative ecosystem takes cooperation. If people could have more empathy towards one another, I think the chances of a thriving creative ecosystem would increase. The best way society can support artists and that ecosystem is by giving us the space we need to think and be creative. We all have different needs, but it seems creative types like myself are more sensitive to our own needs, so some compassion and space to just think or not think at all would prove very useful.

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

The process of creating is the most rewarding aspect of being an artist. It’s not the feedback, attention or input of others, it’s the actual process. It feels great to paint when there’s no pressure. State of flow is one of the most profound feelings I have ever experienced, and if I could live in that feeling forever I would.

Contact Info:

• Website: KelcieMcQuaid.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelciemcquaid/

Image Credits
Kelcie McQuaid