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

Hi Steve, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Playing at Madison Square Garden for a sold out crowd of 20,000 is the most meaningful show of my career, and one I cherish the memories of. The band was the legendary Allman Brothers, getting together for one more concert, on their 50th anniversary. We had a huge, video mapped mushroom hanging above the band, which we projected I live liquid light show onto.

I come to my art first and foremost as a music fan. I grew up idolizing musicians, and have been heavily involved in absorbing as much music as I can, learning as much as I could about music, and following bands around. For a long time before my light show, I wanted to be a professional musician, and be able to meet and even play with some of the musicians I admired.

Little did I know, that it would be my light show, not my music that would get me in contact with many of the musicians I admired. It was quite an honor to play with a group like the Allman Brothers, nevertheless for a crowd of 20,000 people. I had done some big shows before that, but never anything of that scale. What I remember, more than anything, is the roar of all those people after we finished the first set. It felt like riding a dragon.

I was raised in New York City, after immigrating to the US as a small child. New York is a world class city, and we grow up knowing that. Through that, we end up recognizing all the landmark and famous places it has. One of these being Madison Square Garden, the ‘World’s Most Famous Music Venue’ as the brand it. I have seen dozens and dozens of concerts in that room. It’s a special place for me, both as a fan of music, and as a New Yorker. So to be able to play it was beyond incredible. To come to New York as an immigrant, raised with the idea of the American Dream, and to be able to actually perform at the highest level means more to me than almost anything.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am artist who works primarily in the field of psychedelic liquid light shows and analog visuals. It is a niche artform, but with a long and storied history. The kind of light shows and visuals I do first began in the 1960s, as a visual accompaniment for musicians like Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors, and countless other legends. Any venue that cool and in would have a light show in there. The light shows at the time were considered a real art, and the groups almost always received billing along with the bands that played.

The shows were all analog, using colored oils atop overhead projectors, slide projectors with handmade slides, custom film loops, and improvised light known as Lumia. These were often performed by several people, playing together as a light show band. The performances were usually improvised.

The artform then hit a dark ages of sorts, being considered a relic of the past. It gained a resurgence again in the 1990s with Rave culture. Light shows began springing back up again, along with new technologies. The trend continued, branching off in to VJ culture, but also working it’s way into modern concert production. While the classic analog elements were no longer there, the spirit still was.

When I started in the late 2000s, there were very, very few analog light shows left or doing it. It was virtually a dead artform. Even though much has been written about the classic analog light shows, there were not many people around who actually knew how to do them. I tried my hand at it, to help a band out, and instantly found the magic. The audience did too. The response I would get from people after shows was quite encouraging, and I decided to keep going with it.

Besides performing as an artist, I also began to look up the history of the artform, along with producing some tutorials on what I had learned. I shared this knowledge in hopes of keeping the flame of the artform going a bit longer. It always amazed me when people though I had invented it. Most people had never seen or heard of a liquid light show, and I wanted to change that.

Along with publishing various bits of history and tutorials, I also started selling some of the harder to find supplies to do them. Prior, it was all DIY, which was also a significant barrier to the artforms growth. I offer specially shaped glass and special oils dyes, which were very hard to come by. Interest for these items was steady, and I continued to sell them. First through DMs and such on social media, then eventually to a store. I then began adding other tools, such as optical Moire effects, light tables, and some of the clamps needed. The store has kept going, and I have since had thousands of orders, and sold to every continent except Antarctica.

In addition to my live performances and store, I also provide custom video art to television, movies, and advertising firms. Some of the titles have been The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (starring Benedict Cumberbatch), The Offer on FX, High Maintenance on HBO, Cornell ’77 documentary for the Grateful Dead, Euphoria and Atlanta.

I also have done some art installations as well, when I can. Some notable venues where I have exhibited have been Philadelphia’s 60′ Fels Planetarium at the Franklin Institute, and New York City’s New York Public Library Schwarzman building.

I have also done artwork for a feature article in Nature. Nature is considered the world’s most prestigious science publication. To be able to enter into it as an artist who is interested in science, was quite an honor, and something I am proud.

I have, since I started, seen the artform of liquid light shows grow significantly. Whereas I could find only a handful of people when I started who could do them, there are now hundreds of light shows out there. I often get nice emails where people tell me how influential my artwork, products, and tutorials have been for them. If there is anything I think I am proud of most, it is knowing that I have helped make people happy and find something they are passionate about.

It is quite challenging to manage all the projects and branches of my work. However, I find that making any effort to keep moving forward and make sense of it pays off, so I keep going with it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Sure. For a long time, about 15 years I had worked a parallel career in audio visual tech. I was late to the game getting a ‘real’ job. Most of my 20s were spent on odd jobs and moving around the country. It became scary when you start getting older and have no real prospects. My art was just starting out, and I had no idea it could become what it did. But many of the skills I learned in my projection and production work translated into the audio visual field.

There was a time in my life where all I wanted was a regular job and a career. And for a long time I was proud to finally have a trade that could support me reliably. But all the while, my art career kept growing. It was extremely difficult sometimes, juggling the two. Having a 9-5 doesn’t leave much room for touring or some of scheduling needed for performances. However, I went after the performances anyways, regularly butting heads with my employers. It was uncomfortable to say the least.

I eventually went from playing small local gigs, to some major venues and situations. It was beyond exciting, and way more rewarding than a 9-5 in AV. The 9-5 work still supported me, but it was boring and repetitive. It also often put me into structures where I would have to work under middle managers. I think most people understand that middle managers can present a significant set of challenges, and have the ability to ‘make your life miserable’.

The latter proved to be poignant at the last job I was at. I won’t get into details, but it was a situation which did not respect me. This became especially hard when I would have the successes I had an artist. I felt as if I was leading a double life. It became mentally difficult to handle living in two diametrically opposed worlds. I had began thinking seriously about leaving and going out on my own, and thought about it seriously for about two years.

But I was scared. I was scared to be broke again, scared to throw away a career, scared of losing security, and scared to fail at what I really wanted to do… This is very important to note. It’s almost a cliques at this point to not let fear hold you back, and to go after what you love. But it’s terrifying when you actually have to do it.

I needed out, and decided to start saving all the money from the big ticket gigs I had. I didn’t have that many of them, but when I did, the pay off was good. TV and Movies can pay quite well. It was also easier to put away a large lump sum, than it is to put away a small sum. I eventually was able to save enough to not work or lift a finger for a year if I wanted. This was the impetus for me starting to seriously consider leaving and going out on my own.

I had tried to hold out still, thinking that the two paychecks, one from a 9-5 and another from being an artist, could be lucrative if I could just keep both going at the same time. This proved to be impossible. You have to either do something full time, or not do it at all if you wanted it to work. Both of my careers began to suffer in their own way. That’s when I knew it was time to make a decision. I looked at my savings and looked at what I was dealing with at my day job and decided that was it. Time to follow your dreams.

My artwork and business has improved greatly since I began working on them full time. They say independent entrepreneurs work 24/7. This is true, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I get to work 24/7 now on something I love. It’s not always easy and still scary, but the feeling of being your own person is invaluable.

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

Being an artist means being in touch with your soul. Plain and simple. To be whole with your spiritual self is the point of life in my opinion. It is the highest thing we can achieve, and it feels good to be exactly who I am.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.LiquidLightLab.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liquidlightlab/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiquidLightLab/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LiquidLightLab/featured
• Other: My store: LiquidLightShop.com