Cowtown Indie Bazaar

Fort Worth friends, lots of great art/artists today right in your own backyard. The Cowtown Indie Bazaar is the ONLY Fort Worth craft show PRODUCED by local indie artists FOR indie artists to CELEBRATE indie artists.  Please stop by and take special notice of the awesomely eclectic work of  Nix Johnson , my fellow colleague on The Seven Project and all-around nice guy.

Other Creative Souls: Nix Johnson

As a creative person, it fascinates me to learn how other like-minded souls tick. Thanks for joining me today to get to know Artist Nix Johnson.  Nix and I are working together on the collaborative art effort known as "The Seven Project" and I am so glad our paths have crossed.

Photo by Greg Scott

Name

Nix Johnson

Current City/Hometown

Denton, Texas 

Education

B.A. in Entrepreneurship (UNT 2007) 

Describe your work in one sentence. 

Artwork made with recycled/upcycled materials to inspire others to think beyond traditional mediums and preconceived ideas. 

Describe your normal day. 

Sleep until noon, get up and play with the dog, knock out any admin stuff that I need to, spend a couple of hours goofing off on the computer, start working around 4pm, go to bed around 4am. *Ideally*... there would be Dr. Pepper and sushi delivery in there  2-3 times a day

What are your passions? 

I love to read comics and watch pointless reality shows. Other than that.... I am all about building my company, House of Smash, with the hopes that I am creating something that my daughter, Grace, can segway into.  

Any goals? 

Neighborhood domination! I just don't know which neighborhood and in what town.  Also, I'd love to have my picture taken with every version of Rodin's "the Thinker" and/or "Hell's Gate" sculpture. They are all located in the most interesting places, so if I saw them all, I'd have had an incredibly fulfilled life of travel.

Who are your creative influences?

What a question... HISTORICALLY.... Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison,  Nikola Tesla (all brilliant minds that were centuries ahead of their times) GLOBALLY.... Banksy, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rothko LOCALLY... I am in awe of Christian Millet's talent and ability to produce art. His sheer volume of work pushes me to work harder and faster, but keep the same level of quality.

Are there any other relevant experiences that shaped who you are today and what you do?

When I was 17, my folks let me fly to Austin to spend the weekend with my girlfriend who went to UT. Aside from the questionable parenting (LOL), it was an eye-opening trip for me. Just in a leisurely stroll down Guadalupe and Congress streets, I was exposed to so many different styles of art. I credit that trip with developing my love for street art.  

Who inspires you?

Morrissey. This guy has lived the last 25 years in the spotlight. He's been lauded and destroyed in the media. Yet... he still lives his life on his terms. He's got a cult-like following w/o having to campaign for it. And he knows he has the power to sway a considerable amount of people, but chooses to live a relatively secluded life.

How do you summon your muse? 

The Pixies. Seriously. Listen to their music and you can't help but want to do something creative.  

What motivates you on a daily basis? 

My biggest motivation tends to be financial deadlines, the electricity bill, rent, car payment, etc... But my guilty pleasure would have to be Skittles and Arizona Green Tea. I will make sure I have those handy when I am working to give me something to work towards, before I take a break, and to savor until I am finished for the day/night.  

What's your working style?

It  completely depends on the day. I prefer to work from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. That's not always possible, but I do try to work efficiently and consistently

What are your websites/social networking links?

Personally, I have my facebook page www.facebook.com/nixjohnson and twitter (@nixjohnson). With House of Smash, I have more. www.houseofsmash.com, www.facebook.com/houseofsmash, twitter (@houseofsmash), and the Etsy page (www.houseofsmash.etsy.com) 

The Seven Project

About a month ago I was approached to be part of The Seven Project, a collaborative art project that is the brainchild of Peruvian-born, Denton-based Visual Artist and Creative Director, Christian Millet.  This project is a revolutionary concept, and a new way for Artists to work together.  As solitary Artists we are often left to our own devices to toil away in the studio, struggling to explore and develop concepts on our own, all the while keeping our process under wraps. This project turns that upside down and introduces a completely new way to work together.


Here's the bare bones of it:

About	The Seven Project is a collaboration between 7 artists from different styles and backgrounds. The idea is to create 7 fine art pieces between 7 artists in 7 days each.

Each of the 7 pieces will be a timed, rotational collaboratiosn between all artists. Considering that the 7 artists live in various cities throughout North Texas, this is a challenge in and of itself. To make this even more challenging to the artists (and to the project itself), each artist has been assigned a different rotational process point for each piece created. Once the compilation of all 7 pieces has been completed, we will mount an exhibition (to be announced) to benefit a local charity. Artists Liz London, Carolyn Collins, Gina Marie Dunn, Nix Johnson, Taylor McClure, Christian Millet, Richard Ross, with Exhibit Direction provided by Frankie Garcia of FGIIIART The most meaningful part of this project is that the fruits of our labor, these seven collaborative projects, are going to be auctioned off with proceeds benefitting  Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School. This DISD school is the first public all-girls' public school in Texas whose mission is to provide young ladies in grades 6-12 with a global education preparing them to be empowered leaders of tomorrow. It has been an amazing journey thus far to work with such an esteemed group of Artists who are dedicated to producing quality work.  That's not to say this project has been easy: pieces have been tricky to transport, transportation itself all over North Texas has been a beast, artists have dropped off the radar as life gets in the way, and perhaps the biggest challenge of all has been maintaining a level of sophistication and depth in each piece. The chemistry between our group is amazing, especially considering that many of us had never met before.  We are visionaries, caretakers, organizers, cheerleaders, creative directors, media mavens, workhorses...and together our collective voice offers a platform far greater than any of us could reach alone. It has been exhilarating to work with such an esteemed group of Artists producing quality work and I am honored and proud to be a part of this team.  We are unveiling the Project in Highland Park on November 5. Find us on Facebook. Follow our progress and support an original project undertaken for a good cause, the empowerment of young women. Stay tuned for details. It's going to be big...