gangSTAR* Creative Podcast Devona Stimpson

Maria Brito is an award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, curator and the bestselling author of “How Creativity Rules The World” (HarperCollins). A Harvard graduate, originally from Venezuela. Brito has been selected by Complex Magazine as one of the 20 Power Players in the Art World she was named by ARTNEWS as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world.
She has written for publications such as Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, Elle, Forbes, Artnet, Cultured Magazine, Departures, and more.
For several years, Maria has taught her creativity course in companies and, in 2019, she launched “Jumpstart”, an online program on creativity for entrepreneurs based on years of research and observation in both the areas of business and art.
She has curated exhibitions in three continents and in 2019 she created and hosted "The "C" Files with Maria Brito", a TV and streaming series for PBS's new station "ALL ARTS".
Maria and her projects have been featured extensively in national and international publications including The New York Times Style Section, T: The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, W Magazine, ELLE Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Time Magazine, New York Magazine, The New York Observer, The Daily Beast, The Economist, Interview Magazine, VOGUE and more.
She works with a number of celebrities, including Sean Combs, Gwyneth Paltrow and fitness guru Tracy Anderson.

In this episode, we discuss... How Maria went from being a corporate lawyer to becoming a successful art advisor What an art advisor does and how they price their services How she was able to work with celebrity and wealthy clientele Her inspiration for her new book "How Creativity Rules The World" How to navigate the prestigious art and gallery world And so much more! Social Media & Links: https://www.mariabrito.com/book
https://www.facebook.com/MariaBritoNY/
https://www.instagram.com/mariabrito_ny/
https://twitter.com/MariaBrito_NY
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariabrito-ny/
https://www.mariabrito.com/
@devonastimpson
devonastimpson.com
artbydevona.com

Amy Malkan is a public artist, artrepreneur and community developer. Her family heritage from India and Africa and travels have influenced her artistic expression. She is best known for her community based public art projects. Malkan fundamentally believes that everyone deserves access and exposure to the arts, therefore she strives to engage the public in the design and production of most of her public art projects.

Malkan uses art and creativity to bridge the relationships between the public and public places. Over the past 6 years Malkan has facilitated the design, coordination, and production of over 70 public art projects across the Houston area and has recently expanded outside of Texas. Some of these projects have been co-created with the involvement of over 3,000 area youth, artists and hundreds of community stakeholders. Through each public art project, everyone experiences a hands-on involvement and becomes an active participant in the creative process. At the end of each project the participant is left with a deep and meaningful feeling of stewardship and ownership of the final work.

Each public space is unique and has its own culture, therefore the design, motifs, and imagery captured in her work, is a direct reflection of the community. This type of public art expands the style, social context and technique for the execution of her work into broad and diverse territory. Her intention with every public art installation is to transform the environment into a cultural and artistic destination to help showcase the beauty and uniqueness each community has to offer.

In this episode, we discuss... How Amy got into art and mural work Her journey from leaving an abusive relationship and being homeless, to building a successful life and career How to balance being an full-time entrepreneur and single mom How to go about pricing your work Some of her biggest mistakes made in business How she gets her clients and projects And so much more! Social Media & Links: https://instagram.com/amymalkan
https://tiktok.com/@amymalkan
@devonastimpson
devonastimpson.com
artbydevona.com
 

Michael Buffington Jr. AKA Drawaholic1124 was Born & Raised in the historic Mission District of San Francisco, Ca.

He’s been a professional Concept Artist doing pre-production artwork and design for over 18 years in the Video Game and Entertainment Industry. While Michael has worked on many projects in his career, his most notable gig was working as a designer on season 3 of Clone Wars for Lucasfilm Animation.

For the past 17 years he’s also taught at the college level. 9 years ago Michael accepted a full time job as an a College Professor and department head at a prominent University in The Bay Area. As a master curriculum designer, Michael went on to build the #1 Program for Concept Art in the US... from the ground up (BFA & MFA). It was also ranked #3 in the world in 2019. 

Michael is the founder of Drawaholics Anonymous, an international drawing community with hundreds of members. Most recently he founded “Grind Before Glory”, An art fundamental skill building programmed designed to help young artist develop their foundational skills before they get to College.

In this episode, we discuss... How Michael got into drawing and art The kind of skillsets needed to become a concept artist How the concept industry works Balance life as a freelancer and professor Pricing your work as a concept artist And so much more! Social Media & Links: https://www.artstation.com/drawaholic1124
https://instagram.com/drawaholic1124?utm_medium=copy_link
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTd5BtYBE/
https://www.drawaholicsanonymous.com/
www.grindbeforeglory.com
@devonastimpson
devonastimpson.com
artbydevona.com

Born in Holguin, Cuba, in the late 80’s, Cinthia grew up watching her late father - classically trained Cuban painter and sculptor Daniel Santos - work. Her love of art began at a young age, and grew as a means to send her father photos and letters after his move to Mexico when she was 5. Moving to Miami at the age of 10, Cinthia’s love of art shifted focus to illustration after being exposed to unlimited cartoons and comics upon arriving.
While acquiring a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design and Manufacturing, Cinthia’s illustration and design skills quickly turned into internships and job offers, leading to a 4 year career in apparel and textile design. Still in love with visual art, Cinthia was approached by a restaurant designer while painting a mural outside of her employer’s studio in Wynwood in 2013; this was the start of Chalk & Brush!
What was initially lettering a chalkboard for a neighborhood bagel shop turned into countless local businesses reaching out to Cinthia for her artistic talents. Her then-boyfriend (now husband) Ben, joined along as projects started getting larger, and eventually left his career as a pediatric ER nurse to focus on the business full time. They invested in professional training to grow their skills and kept up with design trends using Cinthia’s fashion knowledge. As demand grew, Cyn and Ben shifted the focus of their company to murals, and their sign painting skills quickly gained them a reputation for painting the cleanest and most photogenic pieces in town.
After eloping in 2017 (and famously sending proposals from their honeymoon), with demands for Chalk & Brush’s work steadily on the rise, they decided to grow their business by assembling a team! Cinthia now focuses on creative direction and design, Ben has assistance with project management, and they both oversee and manage a 6 person paint team. They both pop in and out of projects whenever their skill sets are needed, or when they feel like getting their hands dirty!
They have painted countless murals for brands, public arts projects, businesses, and are known for the popularity of their work across social media platforms. Their team helps free up time for them to stay current on trends, keep pricing competitive, and give each client the attention they deserve! Their work has been featured by national brands and truly shines through in countless of their community’s most beloved small businesses.

In this episode, we discuss... How Cyn & Ben got into the mural business The things you should have in your contracts to save you time, headache, and money How to hire employees for your creative business How to go about pricing murals What their process looks like when someone hires them to paint a mural And so much more! Social Media & Links: @chalkandbrush
@cynno
chalkandbrush.com
TikTok: @chalkandcynno
@devonastimpson
devonastimpson.com
artbydevona.com

Let's welcome Laurence back for his second time on the show!
Inspired by successful Entrepreneurs, Artists and Entertainers, Laurence paints vibrant portraits of some of the most influential people who have helped shape the world we see today.
Having always been fascinated by understanding what it takes to achieve success  and the individual motivations behind it, Laurence paints figures who have inspired others and his own success.
His work focuses on capturing the entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, dedication and persistence required to achieve whatever it is you want from life.
Laurence is a self taught artist who continues to produce unique paintings with a positive message.
He currently has a solo show/residency running at South Place Hotel in London until April 29th!
In this episode, we discuss... Thoughts on whether artists should get their own studio Story behind how he got to collab with Rolls Royce How he partnered with Hobbycraft Different ways he's been building and connecting with his audience Everything about his new residency at South Place Hotel in London And so much more! Social Media & Links: @laurence_m_white
@laurencemwhite (TikTok/Twitter/Clubhouse)
Www.laurencemwhite.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/8yYWhxMq
@devonastimpson
devonastimpson.com
artbydevona.com

Nicole Mueller is a San Francisco, CA based visual artist. Her work includes large-scale paintings, murals, and installations that mimic the effects of stained glass. Driven by process, her abstract works are highly saturated, built with layers of collage-like shapes. Her work explores the complexity of color, states of flux, dichotomies within painting, the transitional nature of being, and the threshold between interior and exterior, the tangible and intangible.
Mueller earned her BFA in Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD in 2011. Her work has been exhibited in California, New York, and Maryland. She has been an artist-in-residence at ArtPoint (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco), the Vermont Studio Center, and Proyecto 'ace in Argentina.
She has completed public projects in collaboration with the City of Alameda, California Arts Council and Downtown Alameda Business Association, ArtSpan and the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco, as well as commercial businesses throughout San Francisco. In 2017 she was the recipient of the Mark M. Glickman and Lanette M. McClure Artist Award for emerging artists in California.
Mueller is also co-host of Beyond the Studio, a podcast that interviews working contemporary artists about their career paths and aims to increase transparency in the art world by hosting candid conversations about their business practices, time management, financial planning, and how they're navigating the unique challenges of making a living, creatively. The podcast received an Alternative Exposure grant in 2017 from Southern Exposure in San Francisco, with support from Facebook's Artist-in-Residence Program and the Andy Warhol Foundation. Beyond the Studio is a cultural partner of Art World Conference, and a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media.

In this episode, we discuss... How Nicole became an artist Methods she uses for pricing her different kinds of works How she gets projects booked with big budgets How to break down the costs that go into a big budget of a project All the steps that went into creating the biggest commissioned painting of her career And so much more! Social Media & Links: www.nicolemariemueller.com
www.beyondthe.studio
@nicolemariemueller (Instagram)
@devonastimpson
devonastimpson.com
artbydevona.com