Creativity booms as economy sucks
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“The poor, starving artist is a reality, especially in this economy,” says local fashion designer Chris Cantoya.
While he'll show his creations in Austin's Fashion Week, which begins Monday, July 13, Cantoya is glad to have his family around to buy him meals once in awhile.
Cantoya, a recent transplant from Austin to San Antonio, creates wearable art in the form of painted and embroidered ties and scarves under the Mint Owl label. He came to the area because he found a job working as a visual merchandiser at Banana Republic in North Star Mall and because he could cut down on living expenses by living with relatives.
Though the notion of a starving artist has become cliché over the years, artists and designers in San Antonio and beyond are finding it more difficult to make ends meet in this recession. Artprice.com reported “the art market has taken a series of severe blows” since the financial crisis began, in part because wealthy individuals have scaled back their art purchases and banks have ceased financing art acquisitions.
However, artists help keep a city's economy going strong, and if they suffer, so might everyone else. A 2003 study from the University of Minnesota found that artistic activity can significantly contribute to an area's economic vitality because artists can boost the economy by selling their work and by providing creative design and marketing for other products and services.
Since July is San Antonio's Contemporary Art Month, 210SA checked in with local artists to find out how they are grappling with the economic downturn and to see if there are any upsides to tightening their budgets.
Most artists we spoke with, such as Kevin Rayhons, a photography and mixed-media artist based in San Antonio, have hung on to their day jobs to fund their creative enterprises.
“I don't know, myself, many artists that actually live off their art,” Rayhons said. “It's a hard thing to do.”
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Chris Cantoya, 29
His art: Cantoya specializes in wearable art by producing unisex ties and scarves with painting, embroidery, pleating and ruching. The look is colorful and edgy, with artistic inspiration from Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai's iconic images of crashing waves.
Though Cantoya also dabbles in modeling and photography, his heart is in his Mint Owl clothing line, which he began about a year ago. He got into clothing design while taking classes at the Austin School of Fashion Design.
“I didn't have a ton of sewing skills, so I was limited to certain things,” Cantoya said. But he did have the urge to turn his regular-sized ties into skinny ties with flashy stitching.
“The regular way you make the tie, it's a bunch of folding and secret stitching,” Cantoya said. “But I just want to sew right across the top of it like frosting on a cake.”
What's in a tie? “I've always loved ties because it's the way for guys to express themselves visually and colorfully in a way that you can't otherwise,” Cantoya said. “You can't wear hot-pink pants. You can wear a cool tie. I felt like that was the area I could really be creative and artistic.” Cantoya also wanted to make ties that appeal to women. He works with a variety of fabrics as well, such as cotton T-shirt material.
Day job: Cantoya moved from Austin to San Antonio in April when he got a job at a local Banana Republic. He also does backstage styling for Sue Webber in area fashion shows, including one specifically for weight-loss surgery patients at an area hospital.
Surviving tough times: Cantoya's move to San Antonio has helped him survive the recession. While Cantoya said there aren't as many outlets or events in San Antonio for his type of products, the commute is easier and the cost of living is lower than in Austin. Cantoya is staying with relatives to make ends meet.
“Everyone talks about having to move back home, either because they lose their job or they can't find work where they're living now,” Cantoya said. “That's basically what happened. I couldn't find the work that I wanted to, even in Austin. I had several part-time jobs, you know, some retail, some fashion shows, my own business, and it just wasn't adding up enough to pay all my bills. I've had a lot of support from my family. ... I spend time with them. They've helped me move. They've helped with taking me out to dinner, feeding me, basically.”
Art for cash: Cantoya said the recent economic decline has made him more flexible on the price of his designs.
“I kind of do feel more desperate sometimes,” Cantoya said. “When I sell at my trunk shows, I have the liberty to change the prices around. ... I have been willing to add a discount, like you buy two (ties), you get a discount.” But for Cantoya, dropping the price too low might actually discourage his clientele.
“The thing about my stuff is that if I price it too low, it will be seen more as a craft piece than something that's high-end,” Cantoya said. The prices of his ties range $50-$100.
The silver lining: Cantoya believes that the recent economic decline may, in some ways, be a good thing for smaller designers.
“I felt like (the recession) lowered the playing field so things can be more accessible to a lot of designers, rather than just big, huge corporations,” said Cantoya, who also has a degree in business management from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “Mainstream things like department store stuff ... have become less successful, and people are looking for more individual ways of expressing themselves, whether it's through a local boutique or a local clothing line.”
And those who have lost their jobs might be inspired to start new ventures.
“We're seeing a lot of young entrepreneurs and a lot of small businesses rise up out of the ashes of people losing their jobs with these big corporations. They're deciding to go into business for themselves. Because they can't find a job, they're creating their own jobs.”
Check him out: Cantoya will participate in Austin Fashion Week, Monday, July 13, through July 19. You can find his fashion line atwww.myspace.com/mintowl.
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Angela Guerra and Mark Walley, both 23, of the art duo The Prime Eights
Their art: This couple has been together for more than six years and has delved into the worlds of filmmaking, graphic design, art, music and photography. The two received an Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship Grant from the Southwest Alternate Media Project to create their eight-minute film “Journey of the Opportunist,” which is screening during Contemporary Art Month. They have already screened the film in Austin, Portland, Ore., and Mexico City. The film addresses the theme of migration in universal terms by focusing on simplistic, everyday movements, such as seeking knowledge from a library book. In this way, the two turn mundane actions into unique video segments.
Day jobs: The two have associate's degrees in new media communications from Northwest Vista College and are gradually working toward bachelor's degrees in new media from UTSA. They also own The Prime Eights Design company, through which they do corporate design, video and photographic work.
Surviving tough times: The two attended UTSA last fall, but because of the costs, they returned to taking classes at Northwest Vista in the spring. They plan to return to UTSA shortly and are, in the meantime, saving money and applying for scholarships and grants.
“Our approach to school was there's no hurry,” Guerra said. “We've been working and going to school, building the work that we do at the same time.” For her, it's all about finding a balance.
“We really balance our creative work with client work,” Guerra said. “We take on a lot of projects like internal Goodwill projects. ... The idea is that we're taking on these corporate projects in order to fund our creative nonpaying projects.” In addition to developing corporate clientele, snagging grants and scholarships are essential to pursuing their goals.
“We almost couldn't justify going back to UTSA to finish if we couldn't get money to finish it,” Guerra said. “We didn't want to take out loans for school. ... Those scholarships and grants are keeping us in school.”
Art for cash: Though grant money may help, it's only part of the duo's financial puzzle. For instance, a recent film grant for $3,000 didn't even cover the cost of the video camera they needed to create the film.
“The whole film was out of pocket,” Guerra said. “All the actors were friends of friends who did it for free. We just try to be frugal but figure out how to express the ideas in a way where we weren't cutting corners.”
The Prime Eights also are more willing to negotiate the price of their work.
“I have been more conscious of making our clients comfortable with the fact that we can be flexible with prices,” Guerra said.
At their Contemporary Art Month show at Stella Haus Art Space, Guerra said they will sell postcard images from the film for $1 an image “because, in this economic climate, people may not want to buy a $100 piece of art, but they can take something with them that's less expensive.”
The silver lining: Being careful with their budget can have its benefits, Guerra said.
“We've always been more conscious of where our money goes just because we want to make sure that the money we're using is going toward what we want to do.” For instance, the couple shares school books and a car. “It adds up, not making those kinds of investments, because then we have the money for projects.”
Check them out: View the film “Journey of the Opportunist” at Stella Haus Art Space, 106 A, Building B, in the Blue Star Arts Complex, by appointment throughout July (dayna.moonfruit.com) or visitwww.theprimeeights.com.
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Kevin Rayhons, 32
His art: Rayhons uses photographs and Manga comics to create “Japanese-inspired works exploring the visionary phenomenon of pattern and motion in our world around us.”
For instance, one of his recent works, called “Redeye Bus,” features the face of a cartoon bus mascot used to represent the bus system in Tokyo. Rayhons repeated the face to create a pattern. The image is layered on top of Manga images and then covered with acrylic.
While Rayhons' art does draw heavily from imagery he soaked up on a recent visit to Japan, he doesn't limit his inspiration to foreign cultures.
“I definitely did bring back a lot of stuff from Japan, but I don't really think that it's necessary, I've found plenty of things to inspire me in San Antonio. If you get out of your element, things are new and exciting and different ... and it's kind of nice to do that every now and then. It's good to try to look at what you have in front of you not as something that's mundane and normal.”
Day job: Rayhons has a bachelor's of fine art with a concentration in photography from UTSA and currently works as a multimedia specialist at San Antonio College.
“If I really applied myself, most likely what I should be doing is showing in galleries in other cities and other states,” Rayhons said. “(I should be) showing them my portfolio and getting shows there where people actually do buy art.”
Surviving tough times: Rayhons said he hasn't sold much of his work thus far, so he can't say whether sales are dropping off due to the recession.
“Part of it, for me, is I don't show enough, so a lot of people haven't seen my work,” Rayhons said. “There may be people out there interested in buying it but they've never seen it. I'm sure San Antonio is not that great a market for art. The über-wealthy that are here just aren't that into art or, if they are, they'll go to New York or some other big city to buy art. They don't come to San Antonio to buy art.”
But Rayhons said he is able to continue his creative efforts because he lives below his means and reduces wasteful spending.
Art for cash: As for negotiating the price tags on his art work, which can reach well over $1,000, he said, artists “will just have to adjust our prices to some degree to convince people to buy it. ... I'm always kind of willing to negotiate.”
The silver lining: Rayhons has been saving money to take a year off to travel. He believes the poor international economy might help him make the most of his funds.
“In my opinion, the bad economy is good for that because I can travel fairly cheaply,” Rayhons said. “I'm actually thinking about going out of the country, too, which means things will be even cheaper there, depending on where you go. Since there are really no jobs here anyway, why not travel and get a little bit of world experience and bring back some photography and find some influences outside of my little bubble that I'm in here in San Antonio?”
Check him out: Rayhons is showing some new works during the first couple of weeks in July at The February Collective gallery space, 104-A Building B in the Blue Star Arts Complex. You can also find his work atAutoshoes.deviantart.com.
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Julia Barbosa Landois, 30
Her art: Landois does a blend of installation, performance and video art. Last year, Landois presented the exhibit “Veiled in Flesh” at the Cactus Bra Space, in which she lay on her back in a Plexiglas container as mice crawled on her. The religious imagery and candles nearby conveyed a ritual aspect while her physical form and the mice helped viewers examine their notions about death. During July's Contemporary Art Month, Landois and Beto Gonzales have transformed the UTSA Satellite Space with their mixed-media and installation exhibit “Con Ajo y Baroque.”
Day job: Landois has a bachelor's of fine arts from UTSA and a master's of fine arts from the University of Pennsylvania. She teaches various art classes including art appreciation, theory and history of design, drawing, computer illustration and introduction to digital art at a number of schools in San Antonio. You might find her lecturing at the Southwest School of Art and Craft, Palo Alto College, the International Academy of Design and Technology and St. Philip's College. She also works as an SAT prep tutor.
“With the economy, it's been hard for those of us that are adjunct (professors), and a lot of artists in San Antonio are adjuncts, because enrollments have dropped and so our classes are dropped,” Landois said. “And a lot of people, like me, work from many different schools every semester to make ends meet.”
Surviving tough times: Landois has learned to put in the time looking for teaching work each semester.
“I think it's been a little harder for people to get loans,” Landois said. “A lot of my students have lost their jobs, and then it becomes hard for them if they're paying some of the (tuition) out of their pocket.” Landois said the recession has made it more difficult for her to create art, too. “You get hit on all sides because making the work is an investment, buying materials and time and all of those things,” she said. “You have to wait to see if any of it can be sold or get a grant. And, if the grant institutions have less money to give away, it just becomes harder to make the work.”
Art for cash: Landois said because she creates performance art, installation art and video works, her creative efforts are not that lucrative. “There's often not a ready sort of product or something that's easy to hang in someone's home. So that has been a challenge,” Landois said. “It's a choice that I make because that's the work I like making. I do sell things like prints and find money to make work in other ways, like grants and residences.” For instance, Landois was recently accepted as an artist-in-residence at the Santa Fe Art Institute in New Mexico this fall. But the length of her stay will be determined by the amount of financial aid the institute can give her.
The silver lining: San Antonio's low cost of living is a big plus for Landois.
“There's a bigger market in, say, Houston or Dallas, but it's a lot more expensive to live there,” Landois said. “And I think the artist community in San Antonio is really supportive, and that's pretty great.”
Check her out: In addition to her work in the show “Con Ajo y Baroque” in the UTSA Satellite Space at the Blue Star Arts Complex, which will remain up through July 26, Landois will show work at Austin's Mexic-Arte Museum in August. Find more information atwww.julialandois.com.
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H. Michael Karshis, 47
His art: You might recognize Karshis' handiwork from his show at Blue Star Contemporary Art Center last October titled “Soul Doubt.” Karshis specializes in graphic design and mixed media. He has a series of works that consist of art collages of photographs, his design work and other images salvaged from matchbook covers, etc. Karshis then builds iPod speakers into the image and loads an iPod with his podcasts. He said that the effect the image has on viewers will change depending on the music being played from within the piece. He has an associate's degree from San Antonio College and a bachelor's degree in graphic design from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Day job: Karshis is a freelance graphic designer and a branding consultant. He said he's been working freelance since he was let go from his job with The Atkins Group about 21/2 years ago. “I've been super-duper blessed,” said Karshis of his gig, which is conveniently located at home. Locally, Karshis does branding and logos for Rackspace Hosting, Southwest School of Art and Craft and Redbone Guitar Boutique.
Surviving tough times: “I was about two years ahead of the curve as far as cutting my overhead,” said Karshis of the changes he made after losing his job. To reduce his expenses, Karshis meets with clientele in his home or in the nearby Olmos Bharmacy. He also sold his car several years ago and now rides his bike or takes the bus when needed. Karshis stays positive about making ends meet in this economy. “You can do it,” he said. “There are some sacrifices: cutting the cable, killing the landline. ... And it's kind of fun. It's kind of a challenge to make it through the month.”
Karshis believes that the economy will have begun to recover by this time next year. In the meantime, he reminds people to “understand that it's a freaked-out time for everybody and just kind of roll with it and be thankful for what you do have.”
Art for cash: Karshis sets his prices by the specific project. But that doesn't mean Karshis won't make a deal with fellow artists. Karshis said he's working on a CD package for Ruben V. In exchange, the local blues/rock musician will pay Karshis but will also play at Karshis' house at some point. “Ruben V's getting a good deal, and I'm getting something that will help me pay my mortgage, and I'll have a little three-piece back there whenever I'm ready.”
The silver lining: Karshis said he's been lucky to get to work with San Antonio-based businesses and projects. For example, Karshis added artistic elements to the interior of the StoneWerks Big Rock Grille at The Quarry. He salvaged elements from the quarry's office building, such as window panes, and combined those with translucent images of the quarry from the Institute of Texan Cultures.
Check him out: You can find his work athmktest.blogspot.com. A couple of pieces also will be exhibited by the Southwest School of Art and Craft in October.
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