Meet John William Bailly

We were lucky to catch up with John William Bailly recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi John William, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

I am forever aware that we are moving through time and place in a singular manner. I have the great fortune to travel throughout the world every year, from Reykjavik to Hanoi, by way of Casablanca and Rome. If this nomadic existence has taught me anything it is that no opportunity presents itself twice in the same manner. Barcelona is a different city every time I visit it. Although planning ahead and reflecting on the past are important, appreciating the uniqueness of each moment, person, city, hike, meal is essential to remaining in awe of discovery and knowledge.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

This is how the exhibition of my artworks “Nomadic” at the Zillman Art Museum at the University of Maine in Bangor came to be. “Nomadic”, curated by Executive Director & Curator George Kinghorn, will open on September 18 and run until December 13.

I am a painter, professor, and public speaker. I teach in the Honors College at Florida International University in Miami. Although these seem to be three distinct activities, they are all interconnected. They all feed each other. For the last two years I have delivered lectures on cruise ships and drawn in each port; I have lived on a ship for five months of every year. In every sea, in every port, on every hike, I make a drawing.

I have produced hundreds of drawings of diverse places, from Cap Spartel in northwestern Africa to Ko Samui in southeast Asia. I have set a specific framework for each drawing. Each drawing must start and end on location-no reworking or reliance on photography. The drawing is above all a documentation of the particular moment that I am making the drawing-am I in direct sun, is someone speaking to me, is a place closing, is it raining, am I out of water? The drawings are the reflection of a moment of existence at a certain time rather than a visual record.

Mr. Kinghorn curated a selection of 30 of these drawings that he aptly entitled “Nomadic” as the drawings aim to capture fleeting moments in timeless settings.

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

Integrity is the most important characteristic of success. Discipline and consistency are also integral. In fact, success should be measured by one’s ability to stay true to principles rather than commercial returns or popularity. The people I respect and want to emulate are the ones that never lose themselves and do not follow artistic trends. They are ready to accept the consequences of rejection and ostracism, but never internal corruption.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

Professor Lidu Yi of FIU taught me about the principles of Daoist and Buddhist art. In this great tradition of Chinese painting, detachment and simplicity are central to expression. I have always been annoyingly overbearing in my relations with the materials and subjects of my art. I have sought too much control over the handling of paint and the message expressed. I have learned that it is far more interesting when an artist asks a question than makes a statement. I am learning to forget myself, to disappear.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://johnwbailly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnwbailly/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnwbailly/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/o2L_zm60E1k?si=74BQz6HtPx1MF3Qx
• Other: For Speaking Engagements contact Blackburn International