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

Tim, thanks for taking the time to share your stories 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.

I think one of the first risks any artist takes on is simply putting their work out there for others to like or not like. Many creatives are hoping their work is not only understood, but seen as “good” and validating their efforts, because it’s a lot of work and emotional investment that each artist puts into their expression, and some (probably too many!) live and die by that. Perhaps too many potentially great artists were dissuaded from their endeavors and never realized their potential because they couldn’t handle a rejection or criticism.

Tim, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I work in the railroad industry as my primary source of income, but my passion has always been to draw. From a very young age, I found that drawing was as something that not only helped me to satisfy my creative imagination, but something that I continually strives to become better at. I started by copying cartoon and comic book characters like Peanuts, Spider-Man, or Garfield and I continued until high school where I became more interested with in learning to draw more real life subjects. I won some small awards early on that compelled me to continue to learn and refine my craft. I stayed in the real life arena until around 6 years ago when I rediscovered my love for comic book art. It was alive again with renewed popularity and with new ways to learn from the best artists using digital streaming. I’d always worked in black and white monochromatic art in the real life subjects, but comic book art pushed me to experiment in color for the first time. In the time since, I’ve now begun to attend some local conventions and will step into a larger venue with Cincinnati Comic Expo in late September 2023,

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Especially in today’s environment, I think the most immediate support artists can get would be the prevention of the advancement of AI. While some aspects of AI may appear to be beneficial in certain areas, the idea that original works or creatives in general could become the casualties of a preference towards AI is something that should be of great concern across a wide spectrum of industries and professions.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of my creative work is the moment it makes a connection with another person. Whether I’m doing a portrait of a loved one, or a comic book character that was someone’s childhood favorite, or when a young aspiring artist stops at my table, sees what I do, and opens up about what they dream of doing themselves. Making those connections inspires me to do even more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/timstaceycreations
• Instagram: @timstacey30
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/timstaceycreations

Image Credits
Brooke Stacey Photography