Animation Insider interview of James Bowman

Interview of James Bowman

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Ryan - 

2) Where are you from?
- Miami - 

3) What do you do?
- cg supe at buck. - 

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

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Commercial art has been booming for thirty years, since cable tv, the Internet, and cheap printing. Fine arts has descended into Tiny niches mainly because it has been fragmented into many many pieces via subcultures. Fine arts reaches fewer and fewer people -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Kamala - 

2) Where are you from?
- The Milky Way, Earth, NYC. - 

3) What do you do?
- DJ and produce music. Mastering the art of living. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Love of music, positive and creative outlets, social service. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- The arts are forever evolving and expanding despite political resistance and corporate manipulation. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Aiko Tanaka - 

2) Where are you from?
- Japan - 

3) What do you do?
- content development, marketing etc. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- my interests in media x culture -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- unlimited -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Michael Lindgren - 

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

3) What do you do?
- Freelance writer, poet, and musician - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I have always felt the need to express myself with words and music, and have been fortunate to be shown how to attempt to do so by parents, friends, teachers, and co-workers. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I have faith that artists will always find a way to get their work done; but there are many factors today that make it hard to feel optimistic. The current political trend towards cutting support for arts, education, schools, libraries, and so on, is disastrous, and very angering. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Iris Huey - 

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

3) What do you do?
- Live life and grow spiritually. And I bring what I learn to my creative outlets like filmmaking and acting. I also enjoy performing spoken word. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- The fulfillment I experience from making films and acting impels me to work in these areas. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- It is ever expanding. More and more people seem committed to creating opportunities to share their art with the world. Great things are happening. Beautiful art is everywhere. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Dawnn Mahulawde - 

2) Where are you from?
- Cleveland, Ohio - 

3) What do you do?
- Model and Jewelry Design - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I've always been expressive in the arts. I graduated from the Cleveland School of the Arts majoring in Voice and Creative Writing in highschool. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- Art is being guided by the consumer and what the consumer wants to buy at that time. This shapes the art that is created by the artists creating limitations for their outlet. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Kimberly Townes - 

2) Where are you from?
- Virginia - 

3) What do you do?
- Filmmaker - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- I never perceived of doing anything else. Maybe I thought of being an anthropologist. But the two closely relate if you think about it. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I think the art scene is bursting, maybe not flourishing. Everyday a new tool is created making them abundant and cheap. There is no excuse to not create something. There is no reason to not tell your story. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Ann LePore - 

2) Where are you from?
- Saratoga County, New York - 

3) What do you do?
- I'm an artist and educator. I like to build, hack, break, edit, project and animate. - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Delmer Herrick, my high school art teacher believed in me. If it weren't for him, I never would have pushed myself creatively, or gone to art school. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- The state of the arts in this state is not great- in terms of official NJ support, or American arts support for that matter. However, as artists, we create our own communities and our own support networks- and while we have very few monetary resources, we support each other better than any government ever could. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Michelle Zada - 

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

3) What do you do?
- Professional Dancer with Dallas Black Dance Theatre - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- Fell in love with dance as a young girl and decided I was going to follow my heart. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I feel the arts and particularly dance is flourishing, but there is always room to grow! -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Araia Patrick Tesfamariam - 

2) Where are you from?
- I live in Chicago but I am originally from Dayton, OH - 

3) What do you do?
- I am a copywriter and commercial producer - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- My father bought a camcorder when I was 13 years old and he used to let me make little movies with it. I loved the idea that I could make people see what I wanted them to see, to have a vision in my own mind and be able to impress that image on another person. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- I believe that technological advances will continue to make it easier for people to create and distribute their projects. But if all this access isn't paired with real talent, all we have is noise. -

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE ARTIST

1) What is your name?
- Karol - 

2) Where are you from?
- Wisconsin (near Green Bay) - 

3) What do you do?
- Game Artist - 

4) What inspired you to pursue your creative career?
- At age 5, I saw a Disney cartoon and decided I wanted to be an animator. In high school I saw Toy Story then decided I wanted to be a computer animator. I got pretty hardcore into gaming in the 90s when I first noticed story-telling become an important part the gaming experience (ie. Tomb Raider and Metal Gear Solid: The twin snakes). That's when I decided I'll do games. -

5) What is your view on the state of the arts?
- A career in the art and entertainment industry has historically been a risky endeavor to pursue. I'm sure the hardships involved in trying to get an opprotunity might have been magnified by the rough economy. I'm working full-time as an artist so I have no complaints about my life as an artist per se. The main thing that worry's me are lay-offs. Once you find a job you hold on to it for dear life because it could be months to over a year or so until you find full-time work again. Its pretty scary out there. -

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! -