Brutal HONESTY:
GoddessKRING Interview
1. At what point in your life did you know you were to become
an artist?
i was born wanting to create and share with an audience. my mom works in clay
and metal...my dad writes comedy and folk music...i grew up around expression. i
grew up in southern california playing on the beach. my earliest memories are
riding in our orange VW bug wanting there to be a BIG sign on the roof saying
SHANNON KRINGEN IS GONNA BUILD SANDCASTLES AT THE BEACH...COME WATCH'. i am very
sensitive and verbally shy- i found creating songs or paintings helped give me a
'safe' outlet to express through. i wasn't so shy when i had a purpose...my
parents divorced when i was 4. we moved a lot. the stress of this caused a lot
of pain- which seemed to TRIGGER a feeling of being trapped and helpless. i have
some shame about being born. my parents are lovely people who had challenges...i
am so sensitive i blamed myself for their stress. i learned to 'hold back' a lot
of my desires/needs. this TENSION caused me to want to on 'stage' and be seen. i
felt invisible. shy and wanting to share Simultaneously!
my art is therapy- a sacred SPACE for my unique expression- my audience and i
share mirrors...in a Circular FLOW.
2. How did the people around you react to this decision?
both my parents are very supportive. they both prefer a more private life than
me...this has caused some concern on their part. it brings up some shame inside
me- but i push through this fear and keep on sharing as boldly as i can. all of
my friends support my art. i have learned to let go of those who feel compeitive
with me or to critical of my need to 'let it all hang out'. i am not very
social- it takes me a while to trust new people. i have a few close friends. i
spend a lot of time alone creating.
3. As an artist, give us some description of how you spend your day.
rise @ 10am (i am a night person and i love to sleep and dream) have iced soy
latte. check email/snail mail update my journal with new pics/words. make
videos, paint- (i am now working on kringDRUMS= musical paintings you can drum
on- currently hanging @ art/not terminal gallery in seattle) i work my day
around my art model gigs. i support myself as a full time figure model for
artists. i work each day to connect/express with my audience. i see them as one
whole energy that i love. each day my mood is different. my modeling schedule
changes every week.
4. What do you try to express through your art work as a whole?
i am very stream of consciousness. what drives me is healing and growth. i am
always trying to find my soul. connect the dots of this huge everchanging
uniVERSE. i play like a child in the sandBOX AND i am on a serious quest to
discover what truth is. 'fusion drives illusion to erosion' is a line i wrote
that seems to RESONATE on a deep level with me. it's about seeing the unity of
all living things. how it all relates...i work fast and never know what the end
result will be. video, painting, writing, recording, composing music on my
keyboard, photography, webpages- i mix it all up. figure modeling is another
creative outlet- i don't plan my poses- i just do a spontaneous dance and let
them draw/paint/sculpt/photograh me!
5. I noticed that in your online journal you capitalize parts of words (eMOTIONAL,
friendSHIP, enJOY, etc). Why?
i am a very sound oriented person- i create spoken word- KringSPEAK i call
it...when i write i hear the words and i want to emphasize some of them. i see
metaphor in everything i write about and observe. it slows people down the way i
break words up- and my hope is to cause people to 'read between' my lines and
probe the layers- the subtext...i also enJOY the way it looks! words fasCINATE
me!
6. What do you WANT poeple to get out of your art? What do you think people
ACTUALLY get out of your art?
on one hand i want my audience to be inspired/entertained and to feel PERMISSION
to create themselves. on the other hand- I am seeking feedback- i like to throw
something up there and soak up every response i get. i use the reactions i get
to grow. i am searching for truth. too many people worry about being brilliant
and perfect. they avoid creating something for fear it's not as 'good' as
picasso or mozart etc. i say 'tame the shame...suck the sugar cane'. emphasis
should be on expressing from your heart not trying to outdo someone else. my
work triggers the full SPECTRUM of responses. some feel a deep kinship with my
earthy, natural sensuality and some see me as some wacko- self obsessed freak!
some go on and on about why my art is bad and wrong and shameful. i trigger
anger in them. i wonder if i remind them of something inside themselves they are
supressing and don't want to face! my main message is to trust your inner voice
and express with it. don't follow the herd. be your authentic self and question
everything 'they' tell you. 'authentic eJACulation of my soul...molten orange
liquid glow...status quo takes it toll'.
7. "The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery", how do you
feel about this quote?
It's a paradox. Art is a container i pour my feelings into. What drives me to
create is the search for truth. Questions dissolve into answers which melt into
more questions...i don't know how to explain it really- but it goes in a Spiral.
Levels of awareness.
It fascinates me how differently we each see the same artwork. We all have our
own reLATIONSHIP to the work-like we do when relating to fellow human beings. I
can only speak for myself as an artist-...I am forever trying to figure out what
is true and what is illusion.
Artists play with illusion- which makes it a total Enigma/Pandoras box...
8. From looking at your work you seem like a very 'raw' straightforward kind of
person. Is this so?
Yes. Very much indeed. I am very Open and honest. I tend towards being a bit
quiet and introspective...a little bit of a hermit in my 'personal' life...very
Revealing in my art with video, website ( http://www.shannonkringen.com ) and
online journal. I have a few close friends i am very authentic with. At the same
time- i feel very secretive and private!
9. Do you think we have progressed with the arts? Are there modern day
Shakespeares, Van Goghs, Mozart, Chaucers, or Ovids? Are we descending in that
area?
With the 'digital revolution' tremendous change is occuring. Andy Warhol knew
what he was talking about when he said 'everyone will be famous for 15 minutes'!
On one hand- we can all now create our own website, tv show (cable access) and
CDrom or DVD- which allows for a range in quality of what is seen- the full
spectrum from masterPIECE to the mediocre...on the other hand- we all have more
control and power over how we spend our time and attention. I think it's all
breaking down into a big mix of Creation. What is a masterpiece anyway? who
decides? With the web you can put your Expression out there- promote it and see
what reaction you get back. People used to have put lots of money into promotion
and had to know the right people to get seen- now we are free to promote
ourselves. In music, theatre, film, visual arts...all of it can now be shared
independant of the 'queens' approval or your social status etc...it's very
exciting to live in this time of such fast paced change.
10. Who/what is your inspiration?
Pain and Beauty. The search for love and truth and healing. The desire to feel
Whole. I felt invisible as a child...and wanted so much to have the SpotLIGHT on
me...but i was 'shy' and quiet and had such a rich inner life bursting to come
out and be seen. i needed a container to put it in. I am very sensitive and
quiet- i need 'amplicfication' to be seen and heard and appreciated. Painters,
musicians, actors, models, photographers- i see them all as AMPLIFYING
themselves with their medium of Expression. i crave this romantic dreamlike
heightened reality. art is this.
11. Describe yourself in one word.
Supercalifragilisticespealadotious!
or
Opalescent?
or
Shapeshifting.
or
Synkringnicity.
there's four words for ya!
12. Brutal honesty is working towards progressively becoming a library of
useless knowledge, containing everything from the original Star Wars script to
the literary works of Kant, Voltaire, and Nietzsche. What do you think?
i think everything can be useful or useless depending on the mind of who is
seeing it! i am curious to see what people do with the information in your
library.
Very cool discussions/collaborations could occur.
Mixing and matching random words and scenes can plant seeds for some very cool
art. i am very much into improvisational Expression. Everything i create is done
very stream of consciousness. having a data base of 'useless' knowledge sounds
like a very FERTILE soup to create from.
13. Degas said 'Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter
do good things' Is this true for you? What goes through your head when you are
creating art?
Yes and No. You need to be fully present and in love with your expression to do
work with a Spark. Being self aware is one thing-but being self conscious can
get in the way of creating 'good' work. what is good and what is bad anyway? The
artist her/himself sees the work differently than the viewer. who decides what
work and what does not? i agree- that i get into a flow and forget about
time/space and get into a trance like zone where i feel at one with my art...and
i create the best stuff when in this state. it's like being in a church- feeling
at one with god or some powerful being way beyond just my little body...stained
glass and inscence and canles...total beauty(i am not religious in a tradional
sense- but i feel connected to the whole universe in my heart. i like to say
'hear art heart'...to me- this is a spiritual experience to make art that
'counts' touches and moves people in their deepest self.)
14. Based on your experience what advice to you have for other aspiring artists?
Follow your gut. don't listen to those who disCOURAGE or criticize you. use
negative comments for your compost pile and fertilize your creative garden...use
positive comments people give you like sunshine in your garden. the real power
is inside you. if you feel stuck/blocked or afraid you are not 'good enough'
read 'the artists way' by julia cameron. We put to much emphasis of judging
things good bad etc. what matters is passion and heartSOUL energy. Create from
your inner urge- that is what i try do... and when i get off track and sucked
into needing validation from the audience and lose sight of my own passion for
the work- i Snap back into myself...that is the paradox= i do this for myself-
yet i very much crave an audience. i cannot imagine doing this alone and not
sharing it with you! We can all be reflections for each other. giving and
receiving all blends 2gther in a circular flow here...it's kinda like sexual
intercourse- getting that Energy flow happening...another great book is
'maps to ecstasy' by garbrielle roth. she's an amazing dancer, healer, shamen
like trance musician with a band called the mirrors. she is a total inspiration
to me.
15. Is the interview going well so far?
Thanks for asking. Yes. i feel very stimulated by your questions. it's a luxury
to be asked to go on and on about my feelings on these things! i love it.
it takes away my shame about my self focus. i am used to doing monologues in my
journal and on my tv show- it's nice to have a dialogue going on here.
16. What exactly are you working towards? What is your ultimate goal?
To heal and grow...to play with Life on Earth. test the limits of what is
possible for me. to inspire people to wake up and use their freedom, speak their
truth and let go of following the herd of sheep! I am driven to connect with
YOU. Since i was playing in the sand box i have wanted to Express in my own
special kring way-
until i got my video camera and website i thought i was to sensitive and quiet
to share in a public way...
now i discover each day that reality bends and changes with our thoughts about
it. what we call reality seems to be very flexible. ( i read a lot of deepak
chopra- he inspires me tremendously) My ultimate goal is to find peace within
and spread Healing energy outwards to those who need it...to continue learning
and growing. to be as authentically me as possible and enCOURAGE others to be
real too! Literally, to be as famous as i can for my Expression- it may involve
writing books or lecturing around the world at some point. not sure yet exactly
what is in store for me. travel, healing, art, communication through the mass
media, music, theatre, lights, camera, action!!! it may be on a smaller scale
than that...i want to touch people- a few hundred or millions- whatever i can do
i am open to it. Breaking free from limitation is a BIG goal of mine. i also am
looking for my soulMATE. have not found him yet. ( actually- i have found one of
my soulmates- but he's not single so we are as close as can be
platonically...the search is on for one of my 'SINGLE' soulmates...i think we
all have many soulmates we hook up with- friends, lovers, sons, daughters- they
enter our lives in many ways...i want to find my romantic partner. in time i am
sure it will happen. i also want to stay in touch with my higher self each day-
i get so wrapped up in my eMOTIONS- passion like this is great for art making-
but for personal reLATIONSHIPS it can be quite the challenge to keep them going
during the rollarcoaster or changing feelings. i seek to allow my feelings to be
and blow past like the clouds and know that i am as free and OPEN as the Sky and
not at the 'mercy' of the clouds that change every minute.