Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Grace.
Andrew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I used to tell myself I had to focus on just one thing creatively, but in the last few years I’ve been embracing my creative multi-hyphenate nature. I started taking pictures, acting/storytelling and composing music long before middle school and haven’t stopped since. Here’s a few of the main things I’m up to in all those endeavors.
My fine art, abstract nude photography collection, Second Mirror explores light and the architecture of the human body. I’m extremely proud that my models are of all ethnicities, shapes, sizes, genders, and ages; and that many of them felt seen and appreciated during my first “large group nude” shoot – where nearly twenty people participated at once. Over the last two years Second Mirror has been featured at galleries like: The Door, Light Lab, the Happening and Non De Gen; and I recently published a coffee table book featuring a selections of images. http://www.second-mirror.com/
The next creative arena is acting and writing! Last year I wrote, produced and acted in my first original play, “Cupid and The End of Love.” The show is about Cupid who is given one last shot by God to save modern love or else be sent to where God sends all the fired people… New Jersey. I’ve performed the show since November at Playhouse West with a cast of ten other amazing actors. We’ve had sold-out shows and a bunch of laughs – even receiving an independent encore award after our run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival this year. I’m proud to say out of the ten characters in the show, half are queer, nearly half are women and half the cast are people of color. It’s a really inclusive show onstage in terms of representation, and of course, in the themes itself. Check out https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6089 for when our next show may be! The next on is Sunday July 21st at 7pm.
Finally, the last creative arena is music. Over the last decade I’ve written five independent projects with the group “Inouye.” and have composed the music to numerous theatre shows, short films and podcasts. This spring I released my first solo project “are we still” a contemplative, acoustic and atmospheric record. Feel free to check it out on a moody quiet morning. http://www.andrewgracemusic.com/.
Has it been a smooth road?
For the longest time, I’ve had such grand ideas but found the final product far from what I intended. I am only recently starting to have my talent meet my vision – and only in some areas at that. Some of the struggle for me is knowing which ideas or art forms to pursue at a time. But the more I keep going the more “flow” I find between all the projects.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Second Mirror story. Tell us more about the business.
I think what may set me apart is that I work and create in all of these arenas within any given month. Though in the long run I may become more “known” or “successful” for one of these endeavors, I’ll be using all the skills learned in writing, acting, music, and photography for each and every project.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I work in all of these arenas within any given month so I’m keeping my skills sharp. Though in the long run I may become more “known” or “successful” for one of these endeavors, I use all the skills learned in writing, acting, music, and photography for each and every project. For instance, as an actor who can work a camera, I know how find my light and what is in focus at f18 verses f 1.4. As a writer who is also aware of rhythmic elements in music, I can apply that to my dialogue to have speech flow naturally. For me, all of these fields feed into one another – for better or worse it’s the only way I know how to approach things.
Pricing:
- $10 for a ticket to Cupid and the End of Love https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6089
- Prints and coffee table book can be purchased here: http://www.second-mirror.com/store
- Buy my record or share with a friend here http://www.andrewgracemusic.com/
Contact Info:
- Email: iandrewgrace@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew__grace/
- Other: Abstract photography Second Mirror: http://www.second-mirror.com/
Acting: http://andrew-grace.org
Original Play: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6089
New record: http://www.andrewgracemusic.com/
Image Credit:
Brison Banks, Riley Tsang, Andrew Grace (me)
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