FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Chris Collins -

2) Where are you from?- I grew up in New Jersey - 

3) What do you do?
- I am a freelance cinematographer based out of Hollywood - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I was fortunate enough to have a great teacher in high school who taught American literature from a Budhist perspective. Having grown up in a conservative environment, that was the first time I was encouraged to explore the way other people might think about the world. Film was a natural medium for me to explore, and it didn't take long before I realized that I belong behind a camera. Now I use the camera as an excuse to experience new people, places, and things. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- The art world is finally in a state today where anybody can potentially turn passion into a career. It wasn't always like that. The internet has given artists a platform on which to stage whatever it is they may be doing. I think filmmakers and musicians have benefited the most from this transformation, and I give thanks every day.

I would also appreciate it if one of these trailers made it in there somewhere. Thanks man!

https://vimeo.com/40320920

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Ashley A. Woods - 

2) Where are you from?
- I was born and raised in Chicago - 

3) What do you do?
- I am a freelance artist (illustrations, story boards, concepts, and comics) - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I grew up immersed in games, comics, and anime / cartoons and always knew I wanted a career in something related to that. I just always knew that I wanted to be an artist, ever since I was very young. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Right now it seems that some schools are cutting art programs which I think is very sad. I believe that our schools need more workshops and classes to encourage and invest in our young artists. I try to help by teaching at various schools and I've taught all ages (preschool to college).

As for industry related topics go... I noticed the line between gaming and movies have blurred a bit with the art direction. Particularly the concept art and even the way some games are executed; they're more lifelike and the cut scenes have a very movie-like quality to them.

With comics, I've noticed a lot of industry artists are turning to kickstarter to launch their own independent titles rather than trying to publish them with brands like Marvel, DC, etc. I find it really interesting. I know some of these artists but have yet to pick their brains about why they are choosing such a route when they already have established careers with these companies. I think it's really intriguing. I think a lot of people's focus are turning more towards what the independents are doing. Now I'm not saying that people will forget Marvel, DC, etc because they won't. But people are scouring the net for new things. I also fear the demise of the printed book since everything is turning digital. Personally, I love holding an actual book in my hand as I read. I can lean my face close to the page and study the art and layout, I can pull back and see the page as a whole and appreciate it, flip the pages back and forth and study the pacing of the story... I've read lots of comics online but i just really prefer to have an actual book in my hands. Also, I'm more likely to be robbed for my phone while reading a comic on it in public than being robbed for the actual comic LOL! -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Julie Dash - 

2) Where are you from?
- New York City - 

3) What do you do?
-I'm a filmmaker - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- When I was a teenager I was inspired by the foreign films screening at the Studio Museum in Harlem. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I remain, smuggling daydreams into reality. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Lafotographeuse (nee Amanda Adams-Louis) - 

2) Where are you from?
- I hate this question because I don't have an easy answer for it. To be 100, I'm still trying to figure out where I am from. 

I have a US passport. My dad is Haitian, mom is American and I grew up in Panama City, Dakar, DC, Budapest, Toledo, Lugano, Gaberone and Conakry. And I've resided in Brooklyn my entire adult life. -

3) What do you do?
- I am an freelance photographer, visual artist, hip-hopographer, creative producer and arts educator. -

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I attended a private, boarding school in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland for high school. I had access to amazing analog photography reproduction facilities, got to go on photo field trips and shoot various European capitals and go to amazing historic museums. So by the time I was 17 and thinking about the whole college/career thing, I had already been shooting for four years so I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Things are in flux right now. The funding is low but at least there is still some out there. I see a lot more collaborations that I did a few years ago and I think we might be seeing a lot more work that invokes the state of the economy. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Stacey Robinson - 

2) Where are you from?
- Upstate NY - 

3) What do you do?
- Visual Art - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- A lack of imagery that reflected my life's desire among a whole dissertation of other things.. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- The state of the arts is wide open. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Phyllis Johnson - 

2) Where are you from?
- Brooklyn, NY - 

3) What do you do?
- I'm an actress. I'm currently starring in a play at InterACT Theatre company called ETCHED IN SKIN ON A SUNLIT NIGHT by Kara Lee Corthron. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I was inspired by my teachers to pursue acting, I was inspired as I found how healing and illuminating live theatre and storytelling in general can be. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- My view on the state of the arts??? Uhh... I think there IS no state of the arts. It seems like the entire industry is for or not-for profit. But nonetheless for profit. There seems to be little public money available for supporting developed artists.
I wish there was more! -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- TASNEEM - 

2) Where are you from?
- I am East African Gujurati Indian born in Canada raised in Oklahoma lived in NYC and now in LA ; ) -

3) What do you do?
- I am a musician actor and educator -

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- When i was a kid i heard Sade's smooth Operator on the radio i knew i had to play that saxophone been doing it ever since. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- The state of the arts is ever evolving which one of the things i love about it. The internet has changed music so much and i don't think its really anymore about being the biggest star its become for a lot of songwriters and bands about writing good music that people gracitate to, which gives me hop

twitter.com/iamtasneem
-

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Lyndon McCray (Lyn-Don-McCray) - 

2) Where are you from?
- Brooklyn, NYC - 

3) What do you do?
- Recognizibly a film & video editing magician (by trade haha). Often credited as a producer. My background and bachelors degree is based on my achieviments as director (as well as the other culminating factors of filmmaking). Recently discovering my niche as post producer of mid-higher end short form video presentations such as demo/sizzle reels, trailers and journalistic segments. McCray Media + Co was a company I established to focus soley on that end of the film broadwalk. Let's see where it leads... -

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- My lust for not only art in general but the celebration and integration of other artists and artforms. I've considered my work a network. A hub to either combine my vision with the work of others, or as a plaform to showcase and highlight the works of others. We're living in technologic times where we all need an image (biggest to smallest) representing ourselves and our efforts. Everyday I aspire to creatively play a major, advocate role within that process. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Hmm the state of the arts... I appreciate the democracy despite the number of bullshit politicians haha. The playing field is undoubtedly more level than ever (#DOPENESS), however we've got a lot of quality players sitting on the bench while nonsense runs the caucus race (#Wonderland) and is getting rewarded. It's temporary, thank goodness, we're figuring it out. All and all I've had the immense honor of not only working with phenomenal people, companies and orgs, but I've also hand selected filmmakers on the brink to participate in online platforms, international film festivals and local series'... I can personally vouche that there's more beauty in the art world than most of us fans are even aware of. We've just got to keep up the good hustle and play our respective parts. That's my Jerry Maguire speech, now show us the money! -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- K Nicole Allen is who I am known for in the industry... Kirstin is my first name. - 

2) Where are you from?
- Atlanta, GA. - 

3) What do you do?
- I never know how to answer this question because I do more than the obvious ... yes I am an actress, dancer, model, singer. but I write and do so much more - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Since I was kid I was interested and begin doing play at a early age. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Its going to another level! so many talented film makers are coming out with original concepts and not just remaking movies like hollywood. Breath of fresh air! -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Hamilton Hardin - 

2) Where are you from?
- Nashville, TN. - 

3) What do you do?
- Producer/Musician/Composer - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- A God-initiated drive to make music/ learn it/ perfect my ability to create and perform it. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Dying in America. The overwhelming majority of Americans can't fathom the function of music or any of the arts past being entertainment. The idea of creative art has lesser and lesser appreciation. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Nefertiti Jordan - 

2) Where are you from?
- Phoenix AZ. - 

3) What do you do?
- Web/Graphic Design Intern - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- My love of story telling, cartoons and video games -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Art is a powerful medium that can inspire change, as well as serve as a commentary on the current human condition. I feel that in many ways people have forgotten this and neglect to support artists who strive to express themselves. Despite these challenges, artists have found creative and innovative ways to get their message out there. To sum up, I would describe it as a time of change for the arts -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Andrew Burroughs - 

2) Where are you from?
- I was born in East Orange NJ but I grew up in Plainfield NJ. - 

3) What do you do?
- I am a filmmaker/entrepreneur - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- My movie experiences as a kid. My father taking me to see the 1st Superman movie (blew me away) -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I feel that the arts are in a good state. With all the new tools and technology the arts will continue to thrive -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Jai Anthony-Lewis Husband - 

2) Where are you from?
- San Dimas, California - 

3) What do you do?
- Animation Director/Creative Director for Jairation Joint Productions, LLC. Produce and animate web, broadcast and theatrical animated content. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- My God-given talents provided me the creative passion and skill to do what I do, and my father, a Disney Animator provided me the access to the creative world of entertainment storytelling and art. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I believe the state of the arts is a place where patrons of art/consumers have had their aesthetic appreciation of creativity dulled from commercialism and mediocrity, and it is our challenge as artists to reinstill in the consumer of artistic content a heightened expectation for excellence and craft, rather than accept mindless, fodder for the masses that passes for film, television and popular art forms. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Matt Buchwalter - 

2) Where are you from?
- Columbus, OH - 

3) What do you do?
- I am currently employed as a musician for ShadowboxLive, the nations largest resident theater company. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Music has always been the driving force for me. Both of my parents have always been very encouraging and supportive of my passion, so to an equal degree, they inspired me just as much. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- My view on the state of the arts is always clouded. In my specific field, live entertainment; the state of the current economy directly affects our numbers in terms of ticket sales and revenue from food and drinks while attending the show. There is always a fear of job security in this industry, but I believe that that fear helps to fuel the passion that pushes us to be the best at our own personal craft. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Micheline Hess - 

2) Where are you from?
- Roosevelt Island, New York - 

3) What do you do?
- I work as a freelancer Designer at a company that produces interactive e-books for kids.
I also draw in my spare time and am currently working on my own interactive comic for kids. -

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I was working retail at the time and had saved up my money for a Powermac clone. I was immediately addicted to programs like Adobe Photoshop, but it wasn't until I discovered Macromedia Flash (which was version 2 at the time) that I really began to imagine how much fun it would be to give life and interactive capability to my own character and storytelling concepts. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I think its a wonderful time to be into the arts, but especially digital. Lately I have really been getting into creating art with my iPad. I even have a stylus thats a brush and allows me to paint on the screen. The advancements in technology not only make it possible to create in ways that not long ago were impossible to imagine...but it also allows artists to empower themselves and have more control over things like self publishing as well as control of creative rights. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- LEONARD L. THOMAS - 

2) Where are you from?
- COLUMBUS,OHIO - 

3) What do you do?
- I AM A ACTOR AND A PRODUCER. I HAVE MADE OVER 40 FILMS AND I HAVE BEEN ON STAGE IN NEW YORK AND ON TV. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- FOR ME WHAT INSPRIES ME IS THE FACT THAT I HAVE A GIFT TO TAKE PEOPLE ON A RIDE OF THIER LIFE. I CAN TAKE THEM PLACES AND MAKE THEM FEEL THINGS THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE FELT FOR A VERY LONG TIME. TO TAP INTO THEIR EMOTIONS AND PROVOKE THOUGHT AND BRING SOME JOY AND LAUGHTER IN THEIR LIVES IS A VERY POWERFUL THING. AND TO FINE TUNE THAT AND SHARE THAT WITH THE WORLD IS WHAT TURNS ME ON MAN. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I THINK THAT IN THIS COUNTRY WE DON'T THINK OR CARE ENOUGH ABOUT THE ARTS, SO THEREFORE WE WILL LET THEM DO WHATEVER THEY WANT TO THE ARTS IN THIS COUNTRY. THE ARTS SHOULD BE AT THE CORE OF ALL LEARNING BECAUSE IT IS THE POWER TO NOT ONLY OPEN UP YOUR WORLD BUT YOUR MIND AS WELL.-

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Crescent Muhammad - 

2) Where are you from?
- Northern Indiana - 

3) What do you do?
- Blogger, Writer, Actor, occasional Lawyer - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I was completely uninspired by Corporate America. Correction, I found Corporate America thoroughly depressing. I respect it but I found it extremely difficult to excel in it. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Overall, my view on the current state of the arts is a positive one. Technology has made it so much easier (logistically and financially) to create and showcase many artistic endeavors and I think that sort of levels the playing field in many ways. Although it would of course be helpful you don't necessarily need a patron (or a trust fund) to actively explore your art especially in the beginning stages. Granted that doesn't mean that everything everyone puts out is worth digesting but then again what one person might believe to be utter nonsense another person might find inspirational, amusing or thought provoking - you never know... -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Tanya Alexander - 

2) Where are you from?
- St. Louis, MO - 

3) What do you do?
- Spoken Word Performer/Actress/Director/Playwright/Choreographer/Musician/Producer - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I was initially inspired to dance by all the great music artists of the 80's (Michael Jackson, Janet, Prince, Madonna, Jodi Watley, George Michael, etc.) and then inspired to pursue acting and theatre by all the great idols of the 20's-50's (Gene Kelly, Johnny Carson, Nicolas Brothers, Lena Horne, Hines Bros, Donald O'Connor, etc.) -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- When is comes to the state of the arts I feel it's still in full swing, but evolving due to the medium of the internet, reality television and such. It's not worse, but it's much more immediate. I'd definitely like to see all arts programs mandatory in schools and a public/political push for these programs -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Andrew Kwame Danquah... - 

2) Where are you from?
- Hertfordshire, England... - 

3) What do you do?
- My day job is as a shop floor assitant at Selfridges, London, England. However I am a 3D Digital Artist in my heart... - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?- It was a combination of allot of things from early childhood. Mostly films like Jason and the Argonauts, E.T. and obviously the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies (which coincidenlty was made for the most part in my town at Elstree studios). All those types of heroic, magical fantasical doors to escapism that most young kids persued. But me more so. I always knew that whatever happended to me that i had to always have creativity around me. Else I can't function - lol. I am always composing in 3D. I eat, sleep and drink it...Then I come back for seconds. 3D Art is my aeroplane for better for worse...5) In my 3D world of Art - all is good. And still the best is yet to come form me. peacehttp://www.3dartistonline.com/user/DANQUAH-STUDIOZ -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- In my 3D world of Art - it is good. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Jack Anthony Forbes - 

2) Where are you from?
- I'm from Brooklyn NY, born and raised. - 

3) What do you do?
- I'm a freelance Illustrator/Cartoonist. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Art is a huge integral part of the world we live in, through understand it I can further understand the world and through mastery of it take some amount of control over the world around me.

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- From my point of view I think the arts are in an interesting place right now. With digital publishing becoming more of a legitimized we're seeing alot more younger and talented artists emerge, and their niche and an audience who appreciates their work. For instance there are over 18,000 webcomics available on the internet for free right now, which is completely insane but thanks to the internet those people who would have been voiceless now have a place to express themselves artistically without the need of knowing the right people or a publisher. I'm very curious to see how these things develop in another 10 years with print publishing less and less relevant. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Angel Wood - 

2) Where are you from?
- I am from Dayton, Ohio. Currently living in Washington, DC. -

3) What do you do?
- I am a poet, playwright, and novelist. Author of A Spring in the Desert a poetry collection available at aspringinthedesert.com, and I have just completed my novel Clutch. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I wanted to live authentically and writing is my passion. I have interest in a lot of areas and could have pursued any one of them to make a career, but I am a writer, and believe that I can contribute the most in this way. Writing is my gift and I am boldly determined to nurture it and use my gift to its fullest expression. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I believe that it can be very difficult to be a true artist today because of the distractions prevalent in our society and the pressures to conform. Yet, art is enduring by nature and through wars and pestilence it has survived. So I believe that the state of the arts is as it should be, evolving. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- DaVaun Sanders www.facebook.com/davaunsanders - 


2) Where are you from?
- Born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Spent time in Idaho, St. Louis and currently reside in Phoenix -

3) What do you do?
- I'm a novelist and screenwriter -

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- My strongest writing influence is undoubtedly exposure to spoken word. First at Legacy Books and Cafe in the StL. Then in Phoenix beginning with @Divine Valentin, and continuing with opportunities from Black Poet Ventures and @Wisdom.

As for the career aspect, I decided to write full time when the economy tanked and took my design firm down with it. I became serious about the craft of storytelling and left architecture behind for good. I received my first freelance opportunities from @PhxSoul.com and @Iceman Baldy. It's been challenging to hit the reset button on a career, but I don't regret the choice for a second.

My first novel, The Seedbearing Prince, will be out soon. Like my facebook fan page www.facebook.com/davaunsanders or follow me on twitter @davaunwrites for updates -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- There is no better time to be an artist (speaking as an individual born in a country of questionably plentiful resources). The technology we have access to, the specialization in society that allows artists to pursue wherever our creativity can take us is unparalleled. All we need do is add hard work to our vision.

An irony lies in how art is viewed in our society, often as something meant solely for consumption or mindless entertainment. Artists can change this paradigm, but they must be supported by policy decisions which recognize the soul/intellectual nourishment that a robust arts climate can provide for its people -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Mark Harris - 

2) Where are you from?
- Chicago - 

3) What do you do?
- Film Producer - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Wanted to reach the people with telling the man stories I have to tell -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- The state of the art can be descrbibed in one word:dead -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Edwin Pagán - 


2) Where are you from?
- Born in the Lower East Side of New York City in 1963 of Puerto Rican parents and subsequently raised in the South Bronx. Currently residing once again in the ever transitionally-transforming East Village. -

3) What do you do?
- Work professionally as a filmmaker, cinematographer and producer. Manage and edit an online portal (www.latinhorror.com

) dedicated to the genre of horror, particularly the work being made by Latinos across the globe. Pushing "Latin horror" to be a recognized genre in its own right. Mentor emerging filmmakers, particularly media-makers of color. -


4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I got involved in the arts as a member of the Boys Club of America at the Hoe Avenue Clubhouse (now ) at the age of 10 when I became involved in a photography class being thought there under the mentorship of club's art director, Ernesto Lozano, who taught me to develop black and white 35mm negative film, a hobby that eventually became a professional vocation and lead the way to working in film as a lighting cameraman and cinematographer. Looking at my own South Bronx community through the lens of a camera in the 1980s allowed me to later envision the world beyond those borders in a unique and profound manner, both socially and geopolitically.


One of the six exclusive members of the prestigious SEIS DEL SUR (http://www.seisdelsur.com/

) photo collective, who are having a major retrospective of photos of the South Bronx (70s-90s) in September 2012 at Bronx Documentary Center. -


5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- The arts are at a crucial crossroads today. While the arts are experiencing substantial reductions funding in schools and community-based organizations, they are are exploding in an organic way on the streets and via the Internet where expression cannot be negated. These two intersections are inspiring the artistic community and upcoming generation of expressionists to flesh out a new visual aesthetic and language composed of a variety of art-forms and mixing them with the new tools born out of the digital technology that has become ubiquitous. I am hopeful that this moment in time is creating the grand masters of the 21st century. I'm certain of it. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Meron Dagnew - 

2) Where are you from?
- Originaly from Ethiopia but raised in NYC - 

3) What do you do?
- I am a director of an arts organization (non profit) working on capacity building for the arts and culture sector in Ethiopia called "Culture and Arts For Ethiopia" CAFE - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Tried to repatriate back to my country and work in a sector I feel comfortable in, however I came to find out that there was no infrastructure nor the paradigm understanding in the country. It was just too soon to do what I wanted to do so I decided since I want to do what I want and make money I could not wait for someone else to do it so I founded the organization and started work -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- My view on the state of the arts here in Ethiopia is the reason why i do what i do. With the help of hopefully good arts funding, and government support, our organization is trying to shift and move into this new paradigm of thinking that arts is the core of the creative thinking and that all stakeholders have to come together to find a solution. One of our big programs is introducing arts education within the public school system curriculum here in Ethiopia. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Ronin Ali (first & middle name) - 

2) Where are you from?
- North New Jersey (all over Essex County) & Easton, PA. I'm based out of Philadelphia, PA. - 

3) What do you do?
- I'm a vocalist/percussionist/drummer/composer/lyricist/producer/painter/illustrator/penciler/story teller. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Life itself; Earth, Wind & Fire and all the artists at the top of their fields; the ones that people (and artists alike) based their lives and careers off of. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- As long as life keeps moving and the artists stays open and pure the arts will flourish. For those who rely on mass media, well, they'll always be at a stand still waiting to be or waiting FOR "the next" whoever. In short: GET YOUR OWN SELF!!!!!!! -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Scott Antifonario - 


2) Where are you from?
- Dracut, MA - 


3) What do you do?
- Interface Designer for a national TV music network - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Mother -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I like where the arts have been, is, and will be (whatever that may be), it's always changing and that is the most important thing. art needs to be fresh, organic, and today it definitely is. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Melvin Robinson, Jr. ("Melle Mel") - 

2) Where are you from?
- My Mother...oh, what city, Chicago - 

3) What do you do?
- Art, Live Life, Study OurStory, Art, Mentoring, oh, and did mention Art, etc. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Art chose me. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Utilized but, unappreciated by those who could benefit from it most. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Toni Robison-May - 

2) Where are you from?
- Oklahoma - 

3) What do you do?
- Actress, Writer, Social Media Manager, Personal Assistant - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Seeing Shakespeare In The Park in Edmond, OK as a kid - all it took was some popcorn, a picnic blanket and beautiful poetic language. I remember that I didn't know what the actors were saying, but I knew their intent and I felt their emotions. That was it for me. I knew. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I am constantly grateful to be an artist right now. This is the time when creative pursuits have been financially democratized to allow more independent artists to create their own work, and it's only going to get better from here. I am a huge believer in the power of art to heal individuals and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for how artists will be able to expand their impact and bring more good into this world. -