We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rob Lee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rob, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
My life has been about being misunderstood or being an outsider. My podcast, The Truth in This Art, focuses on Baltimore as a place thats often mischaracterized as being bad, dangerous and so on. All negative things. I’m very much a Baltimorean so to a degree I feel mischaracterzied as a representative of this bad and dangerous reputation. My work aims to show the alternatives of that – the bright spots presented authentically. Personally, I’ve had to work within the idea of being a black man but not being ‘black enough’ or being from Baltimore but not being ‘Baltimore enough’. It’s compounded but I work tirelessly to show myself and my city in the most authentic way that I can and recognize I’m not here to prove anything or anyone but really to present myself and the city candidly and truthfully.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Rob Lee is a visionary and cultural curator known documentary podcast The Truth in this Art. This podcast showcases the stories of established and emerging artists, small business owners and cultural leaders. As Rob grows in his art, he has uncovered a strong desire to showcase the brilliance in Baltimore that is often overshadowed by bad press. He hopes his pursuit of the truth will inspire and encourage the locals, natives and transplants alike, to take pride in Baltimore City and all the beauty in its truth.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I got into podcasting initially, as a way to connect with my friends and talk about current events. Just to riff. Over the years I’ve seen the importance of sharing stories that aren’t getting lots of attention – fringe news. In 2019, when Trump talk critcially and disrespectfully about Baltimore, I was activated with a desire to disprove that incorrect but persistent version of Baltimore. I felt the best way of doing that was through helping to share the stories of the people who make this city light up and who make it great. 400 plus episodes later I’m still going strong.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is to connect with people and have them trust me in sharing their stories. I’m creating to make friends and in many instances I have. Relationships are important and I realized that as I’ve grown as a creator. That’s been rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/truthinthisart
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/truthinthisart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-lee-601968191/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/truthinthisart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC55X_osEdwOUU2sQwRBFI1w
Image Credits
Image 1 – Sydney J Allen Image 2 Josh Slowe Image 3 Philip Muriel Image 4 Sydney J Allen