We were lucky to catch up with Nancy Good recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nancy, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
Growing up in poverty and abuse, experiencing the same multiple times throughout my adult life, I’ve learned that while my past does not define me, it has made me acutely aware of the generosity of countless individuals who have helped me along the way.
To me, generosity also goes hand-in-hand with kindness, compassion, inclusion, empathy, and respect. Practicing a philosophy of “do no harm” means I step up to the plate when someone needs something I can easily share. This philosophy has helped me in day-to-day living, to be sure, but it has most definitely had an impact on my choices to build a better community through my role as a gallerist, curator, artist, advocate, teacher, and mentor. It has also given me the courage to take the risks inherent in opening my own curated gallery space and founding an arts nonprofit that serves the local arts community.
Additionally, in most posts to social media, I include #ittakesavillage as a reminder that none of us grows on our own or flowers in a vacuum. Even just a little generosity with time, encouragement, comfort, and all those things we need as a species can make huge differences in someone else.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
ABOUT MY ART: Each day I show up in my studio space to create conceptual abstract art, most of it large-scale (10 foot x 5 foot or bigger). My choice to be a conceptual artist is rooted in a desire to respectfully translate what it is about our species that makes us wonderful, horrible, amazing, weird, loving, divisive, etc., while also inviting insight and conversation as to what connects us all. By painting and creating with these intentions, I have considerable freedom to be in full collaboration with each work of art, the mediums chosen, current events, and even my own state of mind.
Of particular importance is the interactive/immersive nature of the large-scale works. Because of their size, they easily provide a periphery-filling experience. Additionally, readily admitting our species’s tendency toward pursuing instant gratification, I must also admit that we miss much of what is important in the world around us. As an artist, I understand intimately the challenges of creating a physically interactive experience with 2-dimensional paintings. Because my work most often relates to humanity’s glorious contradictions, I have found a way to hide things within the paintings that can only be seen when the viewer changes position. This physical change of perspective (to see elements that may be in plain sight but still unseen until viewed in a “new light”) alludes to how we, in day-to-day life, may be unable to accept or even see what is right before our eyes until we change the “light,” i.e. our attitudes, beliefs, opinions, etc.
ABOUT MY GALLERY/NONPROFIT:
In May of 2018, I opened Core Contemporary, a fine art gallery with the specific mission of providing curated exhibition opportunities for other artists, educational opportunities for the community, mentoring and artist development, and maintaining an arts & culture event space, all while working in my on-site studio. As of the present, the gallery has provided opportunities to over 600 artists, musicians, performers, poets, writers, and filmmakers.
Then, in the summer of 2020 (during the pandemic), I brought to life another goal, that of facilitating Core Arts Concord Inc., an arts nonprofit dedicated to opportunities, education, and community engagement founded in equity, tolerance and inclusion. This nonprofit “arm” of the gallery provides even more support for dedicated emerging and mid-career Las Vegas fine artists. This nonprofit regularly hosts artists-in-residence, mentorship sessions, and arts workshops.
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?
Empathy, self-discipline, patience …
Without these three qualities, I would be useless, providing no benefit to myself or the world. They allow me to seek and maintain understanding of and guide wise choices through challenges that are inherent in life. They also allow me to grow, to improve, to learn, and to help others.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
For me, I will never be the best I can be if I simply stay in my comfort zone, relying on only my strengths. My mind never stops seeking to learn what I do not know, which then means I am continually propelled into improvement (intellectually, vocationally, creatively, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and/or physically). Who wouldn’t want that!?
The moment I stop growing or improving is the moment I become static. To me, static = the beginning of decay, leading to death.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nancygoodart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancygood_art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyGoodFineArt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-good-6a55a837/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BelaGood
- Other: https://www.corecontemporary.com
Image Credits
All photos are mine.
