We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shawn McCann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shawn , thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

As a creative person, I have always looked for creative inspiration. I grew up in a small town in North Dakota and when I went of to college for art, i realized there was a whole world I never knew about. Being surrounded by other creatives in many different avenues really created an atmosphere for creative inspiration. it didn’t matter if it was a completely different practice, what i really loved and learned from is how we each go about creating differently. As much as we all want to be like others we admire, finding your craft and perfecting it is what is the most important thing. you will come out as your true self by learning from others, learning from your mistakes and being open to new possibilities and ways of creating. It doesn’t matter your age, we all can continue to learn and get better

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.

I have always been someone that has wanted to be an artist from a very young age. When I went off to college at the Minneapolis College of Art and design i fell in love with illustration and painting. I learned from some of the best and when graduation was over i pursued my career as a book illustration and fine artist. I was thankful for the 30 plus books that i was able to create and also being featured a number of times at the LA Times Festival of Books. However it was a change encounter at a gallery event i was a part of where someone asked if I could recreate one of my paintings as a chalk art piece on the sidewalk. Having not done that since I was a child, I told them i could try and ended up loving the process and the interaction with the public as they watched it come to life. now 20 years later, street art and murals have become my full time work as an artist and wouldn’t be where I am at today without taking that risk. It has lead to creating art in dozens of countries, being featured at Dubai canvas, one the worlds most prestigious street art festivals, and have gone on to start and organize over 10 street art and chalk art festivals around the country., Being able to share ones love for art in many different facets is wonderful. Whether they are ephemeral and temporary or are permanent with the murals, being able to make a living creating art is the most wonderful thing.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

One of the most important aspects of my current practice is helping bring art and artists to communities that may not have access to them. Over the last 10 years , i have started over 10 street art festivals and chalk art festivals that has brought artists into the smaller sized towns in the midwest (and a few large ones too). These events not only provide opportunities for numerous artists to come and showcase their artwork, but it allows amatuers and students to work alongside some of the best artists out there and get that same inspiration that I have been blessed to have over the years. Working alongside, with and near other artists is a natural way to learn new techniques and ways to create and also builds those networking and friend relationships that let us all continue to grow as artists and people

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFTs and web3 are a unique and wonderful avenue that is just starting to provide paths for artists. The overall digital ownership and continued royalty possibility gives a new way for artists to continue to benefit from the sales of their works. Web3 also has so many crossover possibilities with traditional businesses and groups with communities that have collectors and an audience worldwide. I think as the future continues to evolve on the digital realm, I believe the use of NFT’s and other digital realms will give lots of opportunity and need for all sorts of creatives

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shawnmccann.com
• Instagram: @shawn.arts
• Facebook: @ShawnMcCannArt
• Linkedin: @studiomccann
• Twitter: @studiomccann
• Other: TikTok @ShawnMcCannArt

Image Credits
Photo of me working: MichaelangeloLC