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Fonk for Thoughts: Audrey Davis
Canadian visual artist Audrey Davis develops her creative talents at Maisonneuve Magazine and shares her Fonk for Thoughts with us...
Photo Audrey Davis: 'Figure out what 'honesty' means to you.' BlogFonk: Who is Audrey Davis? And where are you from? Davis: Audrey Davis is a visual artist who has taken on the job of creative director at Maisonneuve Magazine. Maisonneuve is a very sociable place to work, and balances out the solitary and sometimes lonely life in the studio. Audrey approaches everything she does with a quirky sense of humour and an eye for the unusual. She is from Montreal, Canada, where she has lived all her life save for a 'what am I doing with my life' year in Calgary, and two years in Edinburgh, Scotland where she did her MFA. BlogFonk: Do you love your work? Why (not)? Davis: I do love my work, because I get to learn about all sorts of different issues, artists, literature and events that I would otherwise not be aware of. My work is very challenging sometimes, but I love that I am working on a project with other interesting people and that I can see the direct results of my contribution. I also love that I need to solve problems on a daily basis and that finally my wacky ideas have found a venue for exhibition. BlogFonk: What is Maisonneuve all about? Davis: Maisonneuve is all about ideas. We like to see what people are up to, what interests them. We try to combine our own intellectual personas with our more frivolous sides, we all like to read but we also like to party, so we try and fit these two interests together. We are part of popular culture, but we are also individuals and Maisonneuve tries to address that. We feel at the same time that there are a lot of people like us out there. Artists and other creative types who are often forced to work too hard for very little recognition. We like to help them out. We have open submissions for visual and editorial content and we also have competitions to help people to submit to the magazine. BlogFonk: What are the latest important developments you've noticed in magazine land? Davis: Hmmm. I have noticed that people seem to be looking for new places to get information. Our website has been receiving a huge increase in hits and our magazine seems to be filling a niche that we didn't even really expect was there. I have also noticed that there are a lot of magazines which try to fit a model that is already in place, but that Maisonneuve really is something different. 
BlogFonk: Do you think magazines, which follow arts, sciences, daily and social life, have added value towards creatives? Davis: I hope so. Part of what I try to do is to take the illusion away from creativity. I think people can be a little bit more skeptical towards artists. When I present an artist's work, I try quite hard to explain the process followed by the artist, so people understand the artist's considerations. BlogFonk: Is there difference in mentality of creatives in the countries you've worked? Davis: Not really. I think that people tend to have the same desires and the same needs as artists. Different political climates will certainly affect the art that comes out of that area, but then again, the weather can also have a similar effect. People choose what inspires or provokes them. What artists need is time and space, and I think that is fairly universal. I think that some governments respect this a little bit more and maybe in this way there is a difference. It can affect your sense of self-respect, if the social structure is there to support you. BlogFonk: Which work for a client are you most proud of? Davis: Well, it depends what you are asking. I am proud of my art work and the way I feel it honestly presents who I am. I think that artists have to deal with a variety of 'clients', not just the ones who will buy the work, but equally the ones who will see it. So, it is always a challenge, because you need to know what it is about your work that interests you and trust that it will interest other people. For the magazine, I am proud of the risks we take, the way we learn as we go, the way we argue about everything. BlogFonk: If you'd be given the chance to do something over again, what would that be? Davis: I think I would travel more. I should have gone away to university instead of staying at home. I should do just more of everything. BlogFonk: Finally, what is your motto, your 'Fonk for Thoughts' (inspriration to be creative)? Davis: Figure out what 'honesty' means to you. Really, think about it. |
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posted by BlogFonk: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 [#]