Showcase Profile

DAMNED STATEMENT

Enter your DAMNED statement below. Please note that only text is allowed (no HTML). We prefer that your statement relates to your views of and/or experiences with being a part of DAMNED. Feel free to share any thoughts of attending the DAMNED events, the DAMNED friendships you may have created and and/or how DAMNED may have affected you as an artist.

Statement

Prior to my involvement with the Damned Show I had been developing my skills as a photographer mostly from the aesthetic and technical end, with not a lot of thought given to the more conceptual elements. The previous decade had brought a lot of turmoil and upheaval in my life but much of that remained locked away from my creative work. I attended for the first time in 2010 and everything changed. The event itself was amazing. The food, music, performances, and of course, the art, all were inspirational. It opened my eyes to see the myriad of ways people were expressing thoughts and emotions from the deep, dark places in their minds. It probably didn't hurt that I was already immeresed in much of the music and culture that were manifest at the Damned Show. It just happened to be all in one place! From then on I tried to tap into those places in my own mind and combine it with the skills I had already learned to create work I might not have even imagined before. I've been honored to have my work accepted into the show six time since that first show. Some years I created work specifically to a theme I wanted to explore for the Damned. Other years I submitted works that I had explored on my own but which had relevance to the dark, introspective nature of The Damned Show. In addition to participating as an artist I've been happily involved most years with setup and assisting Anthony, Joe and Dekilah during the three days of the event itself. Every year there's a crew of people that lend a hand to make the event come together. Over the course of the past ten years many of these people have become my friends. In this year of Covid 19 and social isolation, I miss them all.