Q&A WITH ERIKA DIAMOND
Q: Hannah G, External Affairs Intern
A: Erika Diamond, Resident Artist
When did you first discover your creative talents?
Growing up, I was always creative and more aimed toward art than things like sports. I didn’t actually know until my junior year in high school that I was going go to art school and pursue it as a career.
Tell us about some of your work.
There’s definitely a common theme throughout all my work: I like to draw a connection between the self and the surrounding world. I also tend to try to control the uncontrollable. Most of my work is limited to reconstructing nature which makes it temporary, but a lot of current work is dealing with recycled materials that are more permanent. I want to figure out the relationship between the individual—myself and others included—and those materials, whether they be recycled or natural. Visually, a theme that is more apparent in my work is the use of repetition in whatever material or process I’m doing. I use repetition because that’s what I see in the rest of the world. Tiny grains of sand make up a beach; seconds and minutes make up an hour. Again, I try to relate the surrounding world to the self.
What inspires you to keep going and how do you keep yourself motivated?
I just got it in my head that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Even when it’s not going so well, I actively make that decision to keep going, to keep creating. It is more subtle in the midst of a project, but it’s like I know that this is my purpose. When I’m not creating, I can tell that it affects me. Just knowing that this is what I’m supposed to be doing keeps me going.
What was your process of inspiration for the upcoming front lawn installation?
The exhibition on the front lawn of McColl Center is for one of my outreach projects. I decided to do it because I’ve been dealing with recyclables so much lately. A lot of my recent works have come about because I’ve seen people collect recyclable materials, and once they’re collected, they don’t know what to do with all the materials. I wanted to give the viewing world and passersby an opportunity to give me their materials so I can make something with it. It’s a different approach to creating art; as opposed to me coming up with an idea and doing something with materials I already had, I wanted to collect the materials first and let that influence my creative process. My final plans for this project are amenable; I’m probably going to make something that looks like a dress, but I’ll wait to see what I collect before making any definite decisions.
You recently participated in a fashion contest with Vitaminwater, how did you become involved intially?
I did a fashion event in April called Passport for Fashion. One of the other designers in the event was also involved in this vitaminwater contest, and he passed my name along to the people heading it up. The idea is to create something wearable inspired by a certain flavor of vitaminwater, so that the flavor would influence our color choices and what form it took on. I wanted to take that one step further and use the actual labels and plastic bottles. There were six other designers in the vitaminwater contest, but I think I was the only one using the actual packaging materials to create a dress. The vitaminwater flavor I chose is called Power C: it has dragon fruit, taurine, and a lot of vitamin C in it. The look of my dress is inspired by dragon fruit; I decided to make it look dragon-esque.
You were in residence at Little Italy Peninsula Arts Center, can you tell us about that?
I was here at McColl Center in 2006 and I was acquainted with Tonya Bechtler (her family owns the Little Italy Peninsula property at Mountain Island Lake, as well as the Becthler Museum of Modern Art here in Charlotte). She came to see my artwork while I was at McColl, and called me a week later telling me she had a vacant studio. I was at the Little Italy Peninsula Arts Center from 2006 – 2010, until it closed due to the Bechtlers focusing their attention on the museum. It’s a beautiful 300 acre property on the lake. The intention was to provide artists with a place to work and be inspired. There wasn’t a schedule or anything, so it was just a really great resource to be able to take advantage of.
What do you dislike/like about the art world?
We, as artists, are expected to create without the guarantee of actually being paid for our work. Getting paid for your work is so subjective; that’s what I don’t like. But once you get to a certain point, getting paid is not so much of an issue. What I do like about the art world is how people’s opinions change all the time. There’s always so much new work being created, so what people view as “good” one minute can change the next.
Do you believe artistic creativity is innate in everyone, or are only a handful of people born with it?
I think it’s both. If art is something you want do long term, it’s especially easier if you have innate creativity. I’ve always remembered what a professor of mine once told me: “In order to be a professional artist, work comes from work.” You can’t wait for inspiration. You can’t wait for a way to be creative. If you spend enough time on something, then inevitably you’ll get something out of it.
What superpower would you have and why?
I would fly. Hands down. I’m obsessed with the idea of freedom, and I don’t like to feel too tied down in one place. The idea of flying is a dichotomy: is it the ultimate loss of control, or the ultimate feeling of having control? Like I said before, I try to control the little things that are ultimately uncontrollable. However, in the end we have no control over our lives. I would love to be able to fly, simply because I want to experience that freedom and control.
Any words of advice for aspiring artists?
Research your audience and figure out which people you think would most appreciate your work, and then document your work and your findings. And again, don’t wait for inspiration. Start working, start creating, and then evaluate. Keep making work. No matter what space you have to work in, you have to keep creating.
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Do you have recyclables that you would like to donate to Erika's exhibition work? Feel free to drop them off at McColl from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, during our administrative hours.
Requested items include:
- bottle caps (metal or plastic)
- 2 liter bottles
- aluminum pop tabs
- plastic food/beverage containers (clean)
- plastic zip ties
- Broken umbrellas
- Any other large quantity of items that are plastic or thin metal
Please note: donated materials must be sturdy enough to hold up in inclement weather, with no sharp edges, and smaller than a “breadbox”.
Not sure if your items will be appropriate? Send us an email at education@mccollcenter.org and we will let you know.