We recently connected with Loren and have shared our conversation below.
Loren, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Ideas! Ideas and follow-through are what it takes to produce art. BTW, I believe life is art; not just paintings, sculpture and such. We, as human beings are all artists and creators.
I start with brain-storming sessions. There are infinite ideas and the more you have, the better chance of one being great. Next, I weed out the bad ones and filter out the good ones. At this stage, new ideas may develop from off shoots of both good and discarded ideas.
Development: I choose my favorite idea(s) and list the steps to bringing them to reality. This may entail more “micro” ideas within the process. At this stage, I imagine my project or goal as completed. This helps organize the steps and keeps me motivated to continue.
Creation: In a timely way, I begin steps to the actual creative process, while always seeing the finished project in my mind.
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?
Life should be fun! I live by this. I experience everything possible that excites me.
I hold BFA degrees in Graphic Design from Kent State University and a BFA in Painting from The Cleveland Institute of Art. I studied portrait painting under many modern day masters as well as my own personal studies of the old masters. I also studied portrait painting at The Art Students League in NYC
I believe that I am as qualified as anyone else to do what I love. I have travelled to exotic unheard-of places on our globe, procuring artifacts and selling them in my galleries.
As well as teaching, I have done many portrait drawings and oil-painting commissions, a passion of mine. I am presently working on three public sculptures to be installed in Cleveland’s Downtown.
Presently, I am leading a creative collaborative art group that anyone may join. We have monthly meetings at our “Church of Art”. Please find us on Facebook and consider joining this fun art/social gathering of creative minds!
Oh! I am also a newer stand-up comedian! Yup, another form of creativity. Come laugh at the world with me!!!!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I tell high school and college students this: Don’t say ” when I graduate I am going to be a…… Do it now! If you want to study car mechanics, portrait painting, running a gallery…don’t wait till you graduate. Do it now. Believe in yourself. You don’t need a permission slip to work in your area of passion. It will put you way ahead of the game!
Keep ideas and energy flowing. Don’t think out-of-the-box; THERE IS NO BOX!!!!! Be out there. PASSION is your driving force! Do what you love. Write down your ideas, your goals. Follow through on your passions.
Make friends with those that can help you on your journey. Remember these “esteemed experts” are just other humans on a similar journey but ahead of you! Stand with them. Assist them. They will bring you along!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
My new group, “The Church of Art” wants members with energy! Yes, you are an artist! All humans are. We all make aesthetic choices that are neither right or wrong. Our brains are geared to form ideas and follow through to reality.
Our creed: “The saying, “Great minds think alike” IS FALSE! We have one-of-a-kind minds developed from our unique genes, life experiences and passions. We are all artists. Art is life. We worship art!
Your crazy ideas are the starting point for our projects. The more ideas, the wilder the ideas, the variety of ideas, the better. We want yours! Now, we all have ideas, but making them happen is the challenge. We are a group of people that share our ideas, skills, expertise, contacts, strengths, tools, to make things happen. Our end game is to all take credit as a collaborative team to produce public art! Yes, all our names are on every project. We each present all our ideas and we can work on any ideas we like or gather the members to work on our own….Hint…. our ideas are not are own. We share them. We all add, subtract, adjust, embellish, develop and create from each other’s ideas as if they are our own.
If one person becomes famous in our elite club, we all do!!! Come join the “Church of Art”! Find us on Facebook, “The Church of Art” and “The Church of Art Congregation”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lorennaji.world
- Instagram: Loren Naji
- Facebook: Loren Naji, Loren Naji World, Satellite Gallery, Emoh, The Church of Art, The Church of Art Congregation
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LorenNaji
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1169198585139288/?ref=profile_plus_visit_group
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071488967192
Image Credits
Loren Naji, Christine Ripley,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
