We were lucky to catch up with Tracy Duck recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tracy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Growing up I was always surrounded by art. My family is all pretty creative, so I was just in my genetics. When I was little I always wanted to be a art teacher. Over the years I have had the opportunity to do just that. I have taught art for several non profits and artistic based shops. Teaching has always been something I come back to. I enjoy sharing my struggles and what I have learned to help others achieve their dreams.
Tracy, 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?
As a child I was always enthralled with things from an earlier time. There is something about seeing the pride that people put into their craftmanship. Things from a time where everything was built to last. I enjoy using found objects to pay homage to a lost ideal of handmade skill. We have transformed into a money hungry and disposable society. Everything is now made cheap and fast by machine. The little hand details, the “makers mark” are disappearing from our society.
I find a lot of my inspiration from things from the 1920 through the 1960s. I just love everything from the photographs, to the fashion, cars, and tools. With most of my work I try to bring in that old world feel, whether it is through images, patinas or things most people would consider to be junk.
Although I love mixed media art, my other passion is for the theatre. I have spent over over 15 years working in the theatre and entertainment industry. I have done a little bit of everything including set design, building, props, lighting, security, hospitality, bartending, and even some acting. While working with the theatre I have taught scenic design classes, and worked at least 100 shows. My theatre background has really helped me learn the skills needed to now focus on building immersive art spaces. I currently work full time with Prismajic as their Operations and Project Manger. I helped them build Natura Obscura as a intern in 2018-2019 and Have officially moved to Denver form Wyoming to help take lead on their new permanent space Shiki Dreams in the Colorado Mills Mall. Shiki Dreams has been one of the largest projects I have taken part in. There has been many challenges along the way but I have figured out new ways to use my MacGyver skills to overcome them.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal as a artist is to not be afraid to fail. So many times I see other artist struggle on starting a project, because they afraid of making mistakes. Life is full of mistakes, and what is important is learning how to embrace them. Sometime you have to let art show you what it wants to be. Some of my most successful art pieces have been where I just play with my materials, and let them guide me to the best outcome. It’s like playing a game of Tetris until you find the perfect way things go together. I recently watched a video by John Cleese on Creativity In Management. He talks about how everyone is creative if they just find the ability to just play. When you compare kids to adults, kids are more daring to try to new things. They are not as afraid to fail, as we grow up we lose the ability to play, and become afraid. I strive to always be willing to fail as that’s where I learn the greatest lessons.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding thing about being an artist is getting to connect with other artist. I have always loved being in a co-working space as I feel the most creative when surrounded by others. It’s not always working on projects with others but more the sense of community and talking about our dreams and projects.
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