We were lucky to catch up with Adam Crowley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Adam, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic stems form a few different places. Firstly, when my wife and I had our daughter a few years back, we both were adamant that we maintain a level of autonomy to continue to pursue the interests that we individually have. A child changes many aspects of ones life, time management not least among them. My wife’s chief interest is gardening, and we have a large organic garden that covers all of our front and most of our back yard. SO it was decided that I would have the morning and she would have the evening. So I began to get up at 5 a.m. to paint before work. This was tough at first, but as it became ingrained in my routine, I really began to enjoy the early morning, with its dark and its silence. And my painting improved! Steady, continual, focused work has proven effective.
I also think about my ancestors a lot when I think about work ethic. My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents specifically, My great grandparents on both sides were farmers and share croppers. They were poor, but hard working folks. My grandparents were decidedly working class union laborers, and both my grandmothers worked several varied types of jobs. My parents continue to be engaged, indefatigable people, even in retirement. I decided years ago that art was something I wanted to do, and in a way, all of these people before me helped me get to where I am. I don’t feel like a should squander that.
Lastly, and sort of more on a philosophical bent, is I think about holy people; monks, nuns, and the like. I think about their utter devotion to an idea, and their willingness to giving up so much of the world in order to know something more fully. I’m not a religious person, but art, when done right, can encapsulate so much humanity and universal truths, that I find myself drawn to routine and contemplation, not unlike acts of piety in religious communities.
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?
I’m Adam Crowley. I am a painter and I live in Kansas City, Missouri with my wife and daughter. I make oil paintings and drawings. My interest in the medium of painting is manifold, but three topics that I keep coming back to are; the relevance of traditional forms of painting in the contemporary world, the notion of the passage of time within a seemingly static medium, and the continuance of beauty in a world filled with upheaval.
We live in a post internet, post social media age, where images can seem more plentiful than grains of sand. With this onslaught of imagery, what is the use of a painting? Painting (especially oil painting) is a slow laborious project. Layers are put down and need to be left for days to dry. In the end, and image emerges. Is this image somehow different than a picture uploaded to instagram? What I think painting, and art in the broader sense, has the ability to do is to allow room for contemplation. This is not a new idea, but one that I think is prescient in a time where lines are easily drawn and the loudest voices drown out the thoughtful argument.
To me, thoughtfulness comes with a sense of place; not only in the world or in the society in which one is currently housed, but our place in the scheme of time, and breadth of our humanity. To be able to connect a work of art made in the 21st century to one scratched onto cave walls strengthens the chain links of what makes us human, and what makes this world a true and good one. nature is neither good nor evil, that dichotomy comes specifically from mankind. So to put something (hopefully) beautiful and poignant into a world of microplastics and drone warfare, it may serve as a tether to what is still here as far as beauty and hope.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Consistent work is incredibly important. There is a lot of talk currently about burn-out, over-working, or being ground down. I think these are important topics as far as employment and ones place within a capital-centered society. Work will break you down if you are not careful. But art should not be that way. Hopefully the studio is never a dreaded place to be, or a place easily dismissed in favor of something less strenuous. I’m not trying to say that you should work absolutely as much as you are physically able to, but a consistent work ethic and the ability to maintain your practice will go a long way in terms of the art you want to produce.
I am a painter, and I am interested in traditional methods of painting. In order to fully understand my interest in painting the way I do, I had to find ways of instruction that helped me along. The internet is a gold mine in basically whatever you’re interested in. Youtube, art blogs, magazines, art theory books and lectures are all easily accessible and will most likely push your work in directions you didn’t even know existed.
Lastly, something I am currently working on is meeting people in your community. Going to galleries or open studios and meeting other artists, musicians, writes etc… will strengthens your resolve to make the best work possible and really keep your interest keen in current topics of discussion within the creative world, and subsequently, the larger world around you.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I love books, and have found several authors whose work has resonated with me. Kazuo Ishiguro’s books are filled with quiet emotion. Jerusalem by Alan Moore showed me a different way to think about time. I’ve read tow books book Lauren Groff, The Vaster Wilds and Matrix, both of which deal with god and nature in a profound and sometimes brutal way. I’m really looking for a mood, or a quietude with a lot of the art I take in, and these books have really nailed it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/site/adamcrowleyportfolio/home
- Instagram: instagram.com/adam_m_crowley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adam.crowley.9678
Image Credits
All images are mine.
