Music
Social Club: Inka Kendzia and Laura McCullagh on Creative Journeys
Catch tips and gain a change in perspective from these two visual artists
Social Club at Red Bull Studios, hosted by Angela Weickl, set the scene for a candid conversation between live video artist Inka Kendzia and photographer Laura McCullagh. Read on to see some of what these powerhouses had to say.
A generation of slashers
There tends to be an overlap in roles with the millennial trend to be slashers – a person's capacity isn't limited to only one designation at a time. It's a bit like seeing your dentist dressed in regular clothes, cruising down the sweets aisle in a grocery store. At first, it catches you off-guard, but then you realise people have the ability to be whatever they like and go between doing whatever they choose or need to do. The same holds true for you.
Laura McCullagh
© Jonathan Ferreira
The luxury of choice
Not every creative finds their path immediately or even solely. We can all live in the river deep and mountain high of it all, but there is a negotiation that takes place and sometimes practical reasons need to win – not necessarily every time, but certainly on occasion. It's easy to go with labeling someone or even thinking of yourself as a sell-out, but you also need to weigh up what you need to do against what you want to do, and within the context of the industry you exist in. Sometimes it is a case of having a daytime gig that pays the bills and carving out time to do what you love until that becomes sustainable. Building slowly is still building.
In the same breath, it's important to separate what we do from who we are. We do a bunch of things we love doing – but the sundry list doesn't make or break us. In whichever form it takes, art is a statement of individuality, but it's also about not being precious and learning to let a thing be what it is. It's like some kind of rigid fluidity that often takes time to learn.
Inka Kendzia
© Jonathan Ferreira
Creating a DIY scene
Without open and honest collaboration, it's a bit like somebody wanting to eat the whole pie on their own. When we collaborate it creates a sense of community. However, somewhere between the magic of it all, and most likely for balance, there is the egotistical side of being a creative. You know, where sharing can be a bit tricky. The best part about the act of collaboration is that whatever is produced shares ownership because everybody contributes in their own way. Let your guard down, start with trust and let things go from there.
To be a creative is literally about the act of making – the focus should be on the experience and process. It's the best feeling – where you're naturally upskilling yourself and borderline meditative. Everything leads to the next thing. Everything changes constantly and life, like our opinions, is constantly evolving. We all have the ability create the energy we need – whether it's a case of not finding a party you want to go to, so you decide to host one or because you make something tangible – everyone is a natural creator.