We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben Steele and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
There was a time when I pushed myself very hard to create every day, at times it was a grind. Now I allow my creativity a little more flexibility. If I am not feeling inspired, I allow myself downtime. On the flip side I believe I have embedded creative thinking into every aspect of my life: my teaching, my reading, my consumption of media. In a very real way I am always still thinking about art, now it just feels more like life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think artists accomplish the impossible. In a world of multi-national brands we have to be our own brand, we make things with our own hands that have to resonate with a fast moving society. I make work that honors this, borrowing from the language of special effects cinematography to visualize a belief in the impossible. The resulting paintings refer to a visionary world building present in our past and future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love the Eastside Beltline Trail. A week long trip would certainly hit there, hopefully for the Annual Lantern Parade. We would have to come back to stop by Parish for coffee, Pure Taqueria for lunch, and end up at Ponce City Market for drinks. Favorite brewery location in the city has got to be Monday Night Garage, Dinner at Gunshow, and cap it off with Atlanta United in Mercedes Benz stadium in front of 70,000 fans.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The whole of Atlanta’s visual art community has been incredibly nurturing, supporting, and inspiring. In my role as Founder of SeekATL a monthly artist studio visit group, I have spent time in countless artists’ studios over the past decade. Each artist has displayed a different approach to making a life in the arts, and the camaraderie and ideas generated has carried me a long way.

Website: www.steeleartist.com
Instagram: bendsteele
Linkedin: n/a
Twitter: n/a
Facebook: Ben Steele
Yelp: n/a
Youtube: n/a

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