Meet William Atkinson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful William Atkinson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

William , 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.

I have found the best way to keep creativity alive is to be intentional with it. That does not mean avoiding spontaneity or surprises – which can be fantastic for creativity but challenging to maintain. It does mean thoughtfully taking steps to continually engage in activities that help spur your creative process. For me, that includes reading poetry, reading literature, and looking at art.

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?

William Rynham Atkinson has been making artwork for over fifteen years. His work ranges from fine art to street art, including public installations and events. Expressionism, re-contextualization of imagery and inclusion of text are used to create a public discourse about how we, as individuals and society, process information and make decisions.

Atkinson’s goal is for people to connect to his work, while continuing his passion for education. After starting his work in the arts, Atkinson founded and operated a gallery and artist incubator in Los Angeles, and later became operations director for two internationally-renowned galleries in New York. Today, Atkinson still believes that education is the key to success, and weaves it into his daily practice, including education and mentorship of artists, clients, and education of the marketplace to emerging art forms.

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

Perseverance (“persistence in doing something despite difficulty”) – Being an artist and creating artwork is a difficult thing. There will be many times when the easiest thing to do is quit or try something else. Artists must persevere through these moments.

Intentionality – As an artist, be intentional with your thoughts and actions. It doesn’t need to be a grandiose concept, but it does need to be your independent thought and reasoning. Your purpose in doing something is what makes it art.

Courage – Artists present their thoughts, ideas, and feelings for public viewing and interpretation. Many times, these thoughts and ideas are deeply personal. Once an artist puts work into the world, the public response is an uncontrollable thing. An artist must be courageous on this journey.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When something feels overwhelming, my practice is to break it down into smaller, more easily accomplishable parts. I refer to this as the “bite size” approach. Once a large thing is broken down into small “bite size” tasks, just start taking bites – and don’t stop! The other approach I take is to clearly identify what I really want (which is not as easy a question to answer as it may appear). Once I do that, the next step becomes readily apparent and I am excited to take it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rynham-art.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/william.atkinson.art/

Image Credits

William Atkinson