Steve Barnes
Artist
Critical Art Ensemble
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I gained skills attending a vocational school, while taking liberal arts courses.
I transferred to a university to finish my undergraduate degree.
While in school I made connections with people from other backgrounds with similar interests.
I got a job that gave me a dependable income while I pursued a career in the art field.
I decided that working collectively would give me the best shot at sucess in the arts.
I formed a collective with other artists and worked to develop culturally relevant art work.
We published a book describing our theories and production model.
We participated in festivals and conferences to build a network of contacts.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Artist
I build video driven websites.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Design
Technology
Learning / Being Challenged
Day to Day
I know this site is centered around occupations but my example is really more about the realization of a life model. My job gives me the opportunity to participate in a global discussion on culture, through artwork. Discussing culture rarely pays the rent. My day job is still rewarding in that I am constantly learning new skills and helping to develop tools that will help children with autism live in a world not designed for them.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
I know kids in school these days are learning more information faster than in the past, and it is hard for me to say what someone in high school today should be focused on. But, I think some things about growing up never change and as a young person in high school you should investigate everything that interests you and put yourself in situations that will expose you to things you are unfamiliar with. Always seek out people from different places, but never forget where you are from.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Teachers:
"When we started working together as a group there were very few models for collective production of artwork. We were convinced that by bringing together our various skills and applying them toward a single objective we could produce a superior product. We weren't a collection of painters all showing together, we were producing our work collectively. There was no grant support for this type of work and my professors did not encourage the process."
