PDX Profile: Karen Landey, of INDIE ARTS
It's amazing, how many innovative projects make their homes in Portland. One such is Indie Arts, which is a DVD magazine about art, creativity, life, and soul. It's the brainchild of Karen Landey, herself a local artist, and it's also great viewing. You can preview some of the content, and order single copies and subscriptions, over at the Indie Arts website.
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Tell us about the DVD magazine format. How is it different from a print magazine?
The DVD magazine grew from my desire to have a digital version of a paper magazine, which has all the convenience and versatility of a DVD that you can play on your DVD player and watch on your TV or computer DVD drive. I love the depth of information that you can get with the audio and visual medium of videotaped interviews - in a way that a print magazine can't capture. You see the artist's faces, hear their voices, and each interview is loaded with visuals of their artwork to give a very dimensional portrait of each artist. I also have a website that supports each DVD with a printable Viewing Guide which shows a photo, length and description of each segment, so you can jump right to the interview or feature you are most interested in. Of course, you can also watch the whole thing from beginning to end, sitting back in your recliner with your remote control.
One of the original impulses for doing the DVD magazine was to provide artists with alternatives to galleries for showing their artwork. So the Indie Arts idea really took off and grew, with published segments on how to set up a non-profit art center, a street gallery and a neighborhood art walk. I also ran a series on how to get published through self-published zines, how to approach a book publisher with a proposal, and what magazine editors look for. I also offer a digital art gallery, which is a slide show format set to music to showcase both emerging and established artists. The On-Location segments that I do in each issue have become an incredibly rich resource for Indie Arts because I have connected with so many heart-centered artists across the country.
How did you become inspired to start this project?
For over four years, I was a full-time artist, showing in galleries, juried shows, street galleries and arts and craft shows. I also taught a number of classes and had my 15 minutes of fame on HGTV's Crafters Coast to Coast show in its very first season (its now called That's Clever), so my experience in the mixed media community is well-rounded. In addition, during my 10 years as an independent video producer, I found the medium to be the most creatively challenging and rewarding I had ever worked in. The technical aspects of video production require ultimate creativity to deal with the inevitable glitches that come up in every single shoot. And the infinitely dimensional aspect of video production using audio and moving imagery that can be manipulated in an endless number of ways is satisfying in a way that I find impossible to resist. I see so much of the same kind of artwork in the craft magazines and step-by-step craft books, and hear from many people they are hungry for something beyond what is currently being featured. My mantra is "Take it to the next level" and I thought this was the perfect way to take it to open a new horizon.
How do you go about finding people to profile in your DVD magazine?
At first, I contacted artists I was familiar with - either people I knew personally or through their published books. Once I got rolling and started traveling around the country doing interviews, I will now contact those artists and ask for referrals for my next destination. I will also go to the internet and Google artists in a particular area and will contact artists whose art really speaks to me, so I strive for a balance of different mediums and techniques.
What do you hope people gain from the experience of watching your DVDs?
I hope that people will be inspired by the stories that each artist tells of their love of the creative process and their determination to succeed despite the inevitable obstacles. This is not an easy path to take and artists will tell you that theirs was not a straight line career path, but a series of challenges that only made them more determined to succeed.
What makes me the happiest is to hear people say, "I was so inspired that I took out my old art supplies and started working again in a whole new way." I hope to inspire people with the stories of courage and determination that are behind all artists who are not afraid of listening to their hearts and following their dreams.
How do you define the difference between "Art" and "Craft?"
I think ART is anything that comes from the heart. When I am talking to people on the street about my DVD magazine and they say, "I'm not an artist," I will ask politely if there is anything they love to do. Everyone says YES to something and I tell them that if they love what they do, then they are an artist whether they are cooking, taking care of children, sewing, or woodworking. I see CRAFT as something that requires skill, but still hasn't developed that unique voice that can only come from speaking through the heart. This is the life work of an artist.
What are some of your favorite creative spots in Portland?
I love to walk around the streets and wander into odd shops or sit on a bench and observe. I get my creative juice by watching people, catching odd fragments of conversations, finding a strange scrap of ephemera that once had its own life, but now in my hands it will find new life as I weave these into my artwork. Everything is interesting to me and by watching and listening with a quiet mind, I can be inspired by the most mundane activities.
