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DANIELLE CARELOCK

Tell me about your work as an artist?

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Danielle: The work that I create is very spontaneous, my process has been mostly about creating work that is a result from a very natural and uninhibited creative process. I allow myself to create work that is free flowing and not a result of tediously planned work because I think in that, can sometimes bring unnecessary frustration and disappointment. Especially when or if things don’t necessarily align with the initial idea. There is a transience that exists in the creation of ceramic work. It teaches you to become less attached until after the very many processes (throwing/sculpting, trimming, multiple firings etc)  are completed because so much can go wrong in between them.

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What are you trying to FEED the world? (What do you want viewers to get from your work?)

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Danielle: My current goal for my work is to create art that is representative of my experience in the world as a young woman of color and to also have my art transcend being solely functional or sculptural ware.I’d like my work to initiate dialogues and bring people of different social and economic backgrounds together to have conversations that may not be had in these settings, especially in settings, where there is little to no diversity.

What do you EAT? (What influences you as an artist)

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Danielle: Very many TED Talks, my community, visiting other art spaces outside of the one I work in, talking with other artists, my personal experiences in life, and other artists in my field who are also “minorities”. (Remembering that the arts has historically been controlled by straight white men.)

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When did you decide, you wanted to be an artist?

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Danielle: I have always been a creative, I doodled when I was younger, the arts was always what I gravitated to as an elective in middle and high school. I, however, didn’t take myself as a creator seriously until my senior year of high school during the final semester. Although once I got into college, I changed majors at least 4 times, always back and forth from art and other subjects.

Can you tell us what you are working on currently?

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Danielle: During the time where I am not teaching workshops, I am researching new techniques and glazing recipes, creating maquette models, and drafting ideas for large scale works that I’ll create during my residency at STARworks in March 2018.

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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

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Danielle: Life is ever-changing, that I have swiftly taken note of. However, in ten years I hope to be in good health, happy, and maintaining a successful artistic practice with very many accomplishments under my belt. Hopefully, I will be an owner of a fully functioning studio and gallery space.

What would you say to the kid in the classroom or at home who is being told that they can’t make money from being an artist of any kind?

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Danielle: Anything you do, you have to love. Never, ever go into anything without passion. There is success in the arts and in whatever you do, you just have to be determined and put in the work to make things happen. Don’t let anyone, including your parents, tell you what to do with YOUR life. You make the decisions in regards to that. No one else should control your life experience, regardless of authority or influence. You have to remember without arts you would not have any of the websites or apps you frequent, any of the movies, none of the music you love, no dance, no architectural design, no museums, and a lot more. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t be successful with art, without art this world would be colorless and boring!

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What should we do as artists to make sure that our craft is taken seriously?

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Danielle: First and foremost, taking care of ourselves and taking ourselves seriously. Especially when it comes to the business aspect of things, don’t shortchange yourself and also treat you/your craft as if it were a business because it is. Also, to work diligently(especially if your main source of income isn’t art, yet), stay educated and informed on what is happening in your field, and maintain some sort of professionalism.

Organized Chaos, 2017
9.5 in. x 12 in. x 9 in.
ceramic
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"A transition from functional pottery, this sculptural work symbolizes the anxiety I have as a young adult artist alongside my battle with the grief of losing a parent and the emotional fluctuation and disarray that comes with depression and anxiety. The pots that were made to create this piece had to withstand some form of battery or deconstruction which helps allude to the emotional, mental, and physical distress that come with dealing with anxiety and depression." 
Obscurity, 2017 
17 in. x 6.3 in. 
ceramic

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