We recently connected with Thomas `Thoune and have shared our conversation below.
Thomas, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I was 6 years old the first time a fellow student tried to diminish me. I had an audience around me as I was drawing kids picking apples off of
an apple tree. “You think you’re so big,” he said. I could feel my face
turn red with self-consciousness. It would be the first of many moments
when people would want to steal some of my shine. Along the way,
though, I have been encouraged by some wonderful friends, teachers
and family. I learned a way to be concerned with what I think is valuable
in my work. This is an ongoing balancing act. “Haters” will always show
up; it’s up to me not to take their words personally and to expand my
world of opportunity. The same joy of making art is the same joy that
kept me striving to create even after having a stroke at age 53 – This is
my recipe for healing myself. I am so fortunate to have the capacity to
self-heal. At this point I need to practice physical therapy for the rest of
my life. You might think the complaints about this addition to my lifestyle
would make a person bitter. I do have moments of feeling sorry for
myself; I have had meltdowns. But my life-companion, friends, family
and the Charlotte community keep investing in my success. I am writing
Thankyou letters. It is good fortune that I am able to do this.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My latest project, titled “Water Samples,” is about making collage works using water from a local creek source incorporated with the junk mail I’ve received on my porch. I have identified an eco-anxiety thus I experiment around the use of many art materials. The stroke I suffered in 2014 compromised my once-dominant left hand, my painting hand. Mostly recovered now, I’m actually ambidextrous. However, I still like to use my right-handed scissor skills for speed. So, collage became my choice of expression. I began a collage practice with whatever paper was within reach. Now, I’m more conscious of my choices. But also, my collage work is a self-prescribed physical therapy. The fine motor skills in my hands are being developed and refined by the making of collages. The right hand is tricking the left hand into a collaboration. I work out a feeling of having purpose with the doing and the teaching of reused materials. The explorations of materials sometimes often happens while teaching workshops and classes where I facilitate an outlet for creativity. My latest collage work is an attempt at describing my memory while I was in the intensive care unit (ICU), post stroke. Currently this work finds its way int Airy Knoll Ats Project’s febuary show https://www.airyknollarts.org
the Artium Health CMC Art Gallery 2/1-4/30 https://atriumhealth and the Artfields 2024 copetition. https://www.artfieldssc.org
My Autumn 2024 project will be a self-directed residency, funded by the Arts and Science Council in Charlotte, NC. I will explore Héric, France where I have discovered my mother’s family gets their name. In and around Héric, I will be making art work with local “debris,” incorporated with local sea and fresh water. Who knows what the results may be.? I’m fascinated by the possibilities. Much mental energy will be expended around imagining a different future, rethinking travel, waste and sustainable art practices.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I am committed to excellence in my art practice. In the face of setbacks such as a stroke, I still retain qualities such as passion, endurance and
adaptability. Along with these traits, I value being on time. I always want
to do something better. I don’t take insults or compliments personally.
Compelled to look at other paths that other creative people took, I read
Julia Cameron’s “The Artist Way”. As per her advice, I started a daily
writing practice in Summer, 2022. I am noticing how many goals that I
wrote down have come to fruition; I got so much out of that book. For
example, I have had a years-long complaint around finding gallery
representation. This month, something ignited action on my part, and
now I am currently getting ready for three exhibitions. I keep in mind that
an art practice is a long game, so I take good care of myself as much as
possible, with proper sleep, eating and exercise, all this self-care is also
an interesting topic in “The Artist’s Way.”
The advice I would give around an art practice would be to find a sense
of play in it. Don’t be afraid to find the effort and the calm part of all
tasks. I find my expertise is facilitated in time spent calmly. In a yoga
class, I heard from a creative mentor/yogi, “In every pose and in every
task have both ease and effort, ‘Sthira and Sukha’. ”
A book I’m reading now is “The Creative Entrepreneur,” given to me by
a good friend. I recommend it for creatives. Simply put, It deals with
teaching visual organization, making that part of business fun.
Other inspirational quotes that I return to:
“As for speed, be quick, but don’t be in a hurry.”
And from other artists:
Ben Knight says, “When getting to your studio, Get to it! ”
Janet Echelman says, “Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself.”
Maria Brito says, “Why so many layers?”
Dorothea Rockburne’s process: “When I work, I don’t think. I think
before I work, and I think after I work. While I’m working, I’m not
thinking, I’m doing.” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N_FgE-
lVs8s&pp=ygUJI3N0dWRpb29m
André Gide said, “Art is a collaboration between God and the artist,
and the less the artist does, the better.”
I heard someone at a party say, ”Mine the personal to find the
universal.”
When I go into my studio practice with the intention to create. I think of
something William Kentridge said: “…A studio, to operate, needs to be a
safe place for stupidity.”
I recommend viewing Craig Gould’s conversation with William
Kentridge, @williamkentridgestudio https://wiseinterviews.com
[email protected]
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Closing Question The number one obstacle I deal with is post-stroke symptoms;
sometimes they are not an issue. Symptoms that do come up are
vertigo, unstable balance, nausea and tremor. And fatigue is both a
trigger and a symptom. Other symptoms are triggered by myriad things –
One way my vertigo is triggered is from all the fine-motor-skill
movements used when organizing, sorting and cleaning. Other things
that trigger my vertigo are anxiety, being overwhelmed and being
rushed. When it’s at its worst, I have incapacitating dizziness and
nausea. The triggers are unavoidable. Doing the tasks in front of me,
despite the triggers, is also how I heal. I have eye exercises I will do for
the rest of my life that combat vertigo. I do strength exercises as well.
The challenges are always there. There are no shortcuts. I am in an
endless practice of letting go of the past way of doing things and leaning
into my “new normal.” The results are worth the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: tomthoune.com
- Instagram: sugarphile
Image Credits
Raymond Grubb
