Randy Colosky shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Randy, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Who are you learning from right now?
Lately Ive been watching science lectures from the Royal Institution, I like seeing experts in there field speaking about research their directly involved in and passionate about.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Im a multidisciplinary artist working in the field for almost 40 years.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
As a kid I once saw someone throw a pot at some craft fair and the motion of it and watching the person work the clay captivated me. When I was 11 I had moved and the new school had a pottery wheel. I just sort of blew off the art assignments and went to work on the wheel during art class. I picked it up fast and I felt like i had found something that I was good at and the motion of the wheel and the clay was intoxicating. The art teacher started letting me come in after school to keep working while she was cleaning up. Her doing that and getting better and better at it was the first time I felt like I had something that made me unique.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes absolutely and there were times in my life where I focused more on my job or having things other people have and be less a “bohemian” but in the rear view mirror I look back and realized that even when I tried to live a more “normal” life my efforts would be undercut by outside forces like the economy. I came to realize that for better or worse the most secure thing Ive done is stick with my art practice through everything and in later years I was able to make that my job.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Im actually pretty introverted so being around people takes energy for me. What I learned is you have to engage people in the arts to grow your practice. I started looking at people around me who I thought handled themselves well in these situation and literally start trying to emulate how they engage people. Over time I did sort of build an alternate persona in social situation. But its was more about learning to listen to people, to be less defensive and understand that not everyone hates me or my work and if they do so what.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I just turned 60 so this is a legitimate concern. A few years ago I realized that i was so caught up in these public projects that entailed so much bureaucracy and attention that my studio practice was not growing and if that’s not evolving Im not going to be happy. So I dropped the public projects and went back to carpentry and construction to maker money and then spent about 2 years fumbling around in the studio trying to develop new work. It honestly was very stressful but now I have this body of work that I feel is my best work in years so it was a good move.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.randycolosky.com
- Instagram: randy_colosky
Image Credits
all images by artist
