Meet Doug Foltz

We recently connected with Doug Foltz and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Doug, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I don’t think my work ethic came from any single source… in fact I think its still developing. Sure, I work hard at what I do, but I really think it’s more like “discipline” that helps me move ahead.

I’ve been creating most all of my life… and painting professionally for more than half that time… and I still practice – make a mark – every day. It’s the love of “doing” rather than the love of “completing” that fuels the work. I get bored easily so I love to learn and to grow… and that only comes with constant seeking. So, it’s not so much work ethic as it is a natural desire to move for me … it doesn’t really feel like work.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m probably most known as a painter, though I do a lot of other things. I have a business here on the Northwest Florida coast that I call SaltCrust Studios. It’s sort of the umbrella under which I explore and produce, and most of what I both explore and produce is based in the natural coastal environment – thus the name.

That’s the special part for me… I get to authentically explore the way those wet, salty places make me feel and then I get to communicate that feeling to other people – through my creative work. When it’s really good is when that transfer sparks some new feeling in them as well… and maybe pushes them to explore a bit more themselves.

I spend an awful lot of energy and time supporting the work of others that are connected to preserving and advancing the natural and creative worlds. Those two are a great marriage – nature and creativity – and they’re the theme of most of the exhibitions I do around the southeast.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

From a creative standpoint I think one of the most important qualities I count on is the simple act of “noticing.” Listening, seeing, working to understand relationships – both physical and emotional. If you can embrace that act – simply noticing – it will inform everything you do in a much more realist and authentic way.

From a skills standpoint, it’s mastering the basics – in your own way. Your own basics. If you’re a musician, play your scales… if you write, understand how people use language… and if you’re a visual artist get the craft down so that you can focus on infusing it with art.

Lastly, I’d say no fear. Make mistakes, fail, and you’ll not only gain new knowledge, you’ll gain an understanding of what success really is. That’s a great energy to cary forward – the knowledge that no matter what… you’ll gain.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

They taught me everything I’ve just mentioned. The value of exploration, of noticing… love of the natural world, confidence even in failure… and the value of being me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dougfoltz.com
• Instagram: @dougfoltz
• Facebook: doug.foltz.35
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUvZ0K2gAJUOm122YkfnZz0jOn5lfp2aI

Image Credits

All studio images by Stephen Kennedy as part of the Cross Country Camera Series.
All artwork images by Doug Foltz