We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Timothy Joe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Timothy, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Traveling to my hometown, I always love looking at the abandoned mom & pop grocery stores, gas stations, and home. They are landmarks letting me know I almost home. The problem is over the years these relics are rapidly deteriorating. I could visualizing them standing in the next 10 or 5 years. Soon they will totally vanish and no one will know their story. I decided to paint disappearing landscapes in my art journal with my observation notes. I shared my journal entries on social media and art exhibit and received overwhelming positive feedback. I learned my sparked discussion of the subject matter’s history and relevance. I may not be able to force my audience to read historical documents, but with art i can ignite their curiosity.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a NASA employee with a mechanical engineering degree. I love science, but art outranks it. I have been drawing since I was four on brown paper bags my mom brings back from the grocery store. So many people ask me how can you be an engineer and can paint the way I do. They would ask me, “does that cause conflict?” I would tell them that both sides compliment each other.
My art style concentrates on the light effect on my subject matter and contrast between light and shadow.
My art is more of a ministry than anything else. My art carries on 2 missions: preserve history and promote nature conservation.
Preserve Local History
I love learning the history of my subject and gain the appreciation that helps me create meaningful art. Creating a beautiful painting is nice, but painting the same scene with an understanding of the history is what I am after. I believe the backstory of my subject is just as important as the color I choose to paint. If I don’t tell its story, no one will. I cannot describe the excitement when I learn the history of a place or building from the locals. That adds so many layers and sentimental value to my work.
Nature Conservation
I am a third generation black Angus farmer, birdwatcher, and hiker so the love for the outdoors comes natural to me. There is so much beauty and craftsmanship in God’s creation that I cannot help but to document on canvas, panel or my art journal. I have an art journal solely dedicated to birds and nature with my observation notes. I never counted on my journal gaining the popularity that it did, but that showed me how nature connects people. My art serves to educate the importance of nature conservation, to be mindful of how we use natural resources and care for other living creatures we share this planet with. I may not be able to convince someone to read a book about preserving delicate habitats, but I sure can paint them for many to see. This is how I open the door to talks that can lead to birding tours, painting in state forest, and wildlife refuges.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Courage – I had to overcome fear of taking the next step on the journey to be a professional artist. The biggest challenge was learning how to communicate why and how I create my art. I had to create my artist statement where these questions must be addressed. It took five years of writing, critiques, and revisions to complete the first draft of my artists statement. It was the most rewarding. I learned how to share what makes me, the artist, tick. In time, the doors of opportunity to teach workshops and art talks became more frequent. I was the one that made my art valuable; not the other way around. Artists can miss opportunities to grow all because they don’t like to talk or don’t know how to express their internal processes.
Overcoming stagnation was a huge game changer. I had to learn to “paint greater.” Painting greater to me was going outside my usual painting subject, size, and techniques. Over time, I noticed my painting started feel repetitive and stale. I played it safe and didn’t take risk with my art. I was worried about wasting paint or other supplies. The choice to stay mediocre or break new ground was before me. I had to experiment with new subject matter, color palette, and composition options. Now when I look back at art from two years ago, I can quickly identify areas of improvement. I am producing higher quality art, because I strive for improvement not perfection.
Humility – Being humble is my cornerstone of my personality. It has open more doors for me more than any painting or networking technique. I understand that should not think of myself higher than I am. This is not an attack for healthy confidence. I am talking about being a know it all and admitting I don’t know everything. Learning how to ask for help and understand from others should be worn like a medal. I can not count how many words of advice and encourage all due to being humble.
Generosity of knowledge – I would say this is a part two for the humility point I made earlier. Now that I have acquired a bit more knowledge, the willingness to share what I learn closes the cycle. I believe we are stewards of our time, gifts, and knowledge. What we do with them will speak volumes of our character. I wish to share my knowledge to encourage, guide, or warn others of possible pitfalls. That way I know my living isn’t in vain.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am looking to collaborate with organizations who’s mission is to preserve historical landmarks, ancestry, and conservation of nature resources. There are local history stories all over the country that does not get the high coverage of other famous landmarks, like the bridge in Selma, Alabama where Bloody Sunday occurred. My art can capture the stories of abandoned buildings, mills, or stores that had a significant role in the community. I need help traveling, painting, and display art that can bring the community out to share stories and testimonies. I desire another avenue to bridge the generational and racial gaps we have today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.timothymjoe.com
- Instagram: @timothymjoeart
- Facebook: Timothy Joe Fine Art
- Linkedin: Timothy Joe
Image Credits
Jerry Siegel (pic of me in front of rusty shed) Hal Yeager (pic with me and Alabama Governor Kay Ivey) Jennifer Amoroso (pic of me at my art talk and reception)
