Credit: Elizabeth DeCicco

Welcome to all of the #MNMOtv followers! Today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview is with Twin Cities artist, @staceymaude. Lets get started!

Stacey:    I’m ready.

Welcome! To begin, share with us a little bit about your background. Where you grew up and your interests as a kid.

Stacey:    I was born in a small town in SW MN where I lived til age seven, then moved to Grand Forks, ND with my mom & sister.

I was always a runner and was initially interested in math, science and was going to the school of technology at the

University of Wisconsin, Madison to study engineering.

then, sidetracked by unforeseen stuff and changed plans and decided to go to art school @ MCAD

Interesting. So from engineering, how did you develop an interest in becoming an artist?

Stacey:    I know, complete 180. I just fell in love with the romantic notion of being a painter/artist and couldn’t shake

the desire to pursue it.

What mediums have you used to express yourself through art?

Stacey:    Different mediums before narrowing your interests down to a particular area of focus, like painting & drawing.

I loved painting & drawing, obviously, but also love photography and film/video and editing.

You and your sister, @FreshTartSteph are both in very creative worlds. Did your family nurture and encourage that?

Stacey:    We also have two younger half siblings and we are all creative. Our parents def allowed and

encouraged us to be whatever we wanted to be.

That’s what all parents need to do. So what kind of art projects have you done? Only private, or public ones too?

Stacey:    All sorts. Mostly I paint paintings and then try to get them shown in galleries. My work has been collected by

a lot of private collectors, a few public, like Coffman Union @ the U of MN, Twin Cities and one or two corporate collections.

I’ve painted quite a few murals and done a lot of commissions of all sorts and with my own small painting company

and several larger painting companies have painted a lot of restaurants and public spaces as well.

Congrats on all of your accomplishments! :) What projects are you currently working on, if you’re allowed to share?
Stacey:    I’m allowed. I’ve just finished a commission for two paintings, here’s a pic of one and I am pic.twitter.com/JOMowOyj
working on a series of self-portraits, here is a pic of a detail of one and for my commercial pic.twitter.com/ZPFh44hv

work, I am currently gilding a bedroom wall for @freshtartsteph and painting some cabinets for a kitchen remodel in

south Mpls.

To close @staceymaude, when you’re not being creative, what’s something you enjoy doing that might surprise some people?

Stacey:    Uhm…I like to kite board, surf, cycle, run & on rare occasions ride fast motorcycles.

Joel:    Sounds like a VERY active lifestyle, and a Mom as well. Nice work! Thanks for your time and for sharing on #MNMOtv today.

Stacey:    Thank you!

[Interview conducted on Wednesday Oct 10,2012]

Art can be a difficult subject for people to agree on. Art to one person can be confusing or unappreciated to another. It’s hard to unite people on exactly what art is all of the time. What though if it has elements that allow everyone to understand what it is? Say images of a neighborhood or community, all combined into one piece of art, like a collage.  That’s exactly the type of art that you’ll findGiesla Hoelscher working on and sharing with others.  Get to learn more about her and her art that honors cities and neighborhoods from around the country.

Hello, and welcome to today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview with Twin Cities collage artist, @GieslaAnne. Lets get this started!

Tell us a little bit about your background. Where you grew up and when your interest in art started.

Giesla:    I’m a lifelong MN resident & currently live in St. Paul.

When asked in kindergarten what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said “an artist”!

I never really faltered from that. I studied psychology for a brief period, then interior & graphic design.

Where did you go for your interior and graphic design schooling? What kind of art were you drawn too?

Giesla:    I went to the U of MN. I graduated with an Associate’s in Graphic Design from Globe College (now Globe University).

I appreciate all kinds of art, it’s really hard to pick an absolute favorite. I’m really drawn to modern art.

As far as graphic design, I have a soft spot for vintage design, particular graphics from the 50s and 60s.

When did you start making your own art for selling publicly, and what made you choose collages?

Giesla:    I had a difficult time finding a job after 9/11. There were more layoffs than hiring so I started doing freelance.

I just wasn’t crazy about the work. I started making things by hand at the encouragement of a co-worker at the time.

I started my own business in 2002 & started doing art fairs. The collage work wasn’t the main focus initially.

I started doing collages b/c it was my favorite college project. I chose the local theme b/c I love where I live.

Can you describe some of the pieces that you’ve done to give people an idea of your local themes?

Giesla:    The artwork is mostly done with my own photography, but I’ve also used vintage postcards & maps in some pieces.

The theme is either a major city or focuses on part of the city, for example, San Francisco or Bourbon Street.

Here in MN, I generally focus on parts of Saint Paul or Minneapolis or areas of MN, like the North Shore.

I’ve had a great deal of requests for MN colleges as they make great gifts & I’m slowly building a collection.

I also like to highlight the greatest parts of the Twin Cities, like the lakes and the arts, for example

When it come to MN and the arts community, is their a good network to connect with, or lots of independent people?

Giesla:    There is an AMAZING arts community here in MN. One of my favorite parts of doing art fairs is connecting w/artists

We also have great organizations like @mnartistsdotorg and @SpringboardArts that do excellent work w/artists.

Great to know about @mnartistsdotorg and @SpringboardArts. Any location offline that people can see your work at?

Giesla:    Absolutely! My favorite independent shops are the Artist Mercantile in St. Paul or Your Art’s Desire in Minnetonka.

If you prefer shopping at a mall, my work is at Deck the Walls in @mallofamerica or their new Rosedale location.

I’ll be at the Rosedale location on October 20th for a signing event from 1-4pm.

Joel:    Thanks so much @GieslaAnne for sharing some of your life and activities on #MNMOtv today. Have a great rest of the week!

Giesla:    Thank you, @JoelECarlson, for having me on #MNMOtv. It was my pleasure!

Tom Colicchio has been the top judge on the BRAVO network Top Chef since it began.

He won an Emmy in 2010 as an Executive Producer on Top Chef.

He’s a 5 time James Beard medal winner.

He’s the co-owner, founder and was the executive chef of Gramercy Tavern in New York City. Opened in 1994 and has won the Zagat, Most Popular Restaurant award in 2003 and 2005. He sold his interest in the restaurant in 2006.

Does he have a look alike in Minnesota?

Mykl Roventine is a web designer, blogger and social media junkie, living in Minnesota.

He’s the Director of the Minneapolis Social Media Breakfast.

The Senior Web Designer for printing company Taymark.

Never met a karaoke machine that he didn’t like.

Learn more about Mykl from his January 18th 2011 Twitterview.

@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone and welcome to today’s Twitterview of creative artist @grandciel. Get your brushes & CS5′s out to begin. :)

@grandciel – Hello everyone. I’m here, just trying to keep sandwich mustard off the keyboard.

Q – #1    To start off with – Where did you grow up, and what are some of the steps that got you where you are today?

A:    I grew up in Morris, MN. My dad was a founding art professor at UMM

I always knew I was and artist. I drew on everything and even designed books at age 5

In college concentrated on fine art, art history, heavy dose of biology

When I moved to the TCs, I chose to work for smaller companies. I got to wear a lot of hats.

Most of my design experience and education has been on the job. I did take courses at MCAD, though

Q – #2    Nice! So what kind of projects and jobs have you been working on recently?

A:    I design print and for web. Lately I have been working on a direct mail campaign + revamping a city newslettter

Then there is ongoing website updates for clients

Sprinkle in an ad design requests and I’m pretty well rounded

Q – #3    Got you. So what kind of things do you get your creative inspiration from?

A:    Other people’s design work — I love seeing how they solve problems in a creative way

Writers I team up with bring out the best in me creatively

My husband is great at generating ideas — we have a good time brainstorming everything for serious to silly

Q – #4    How have you been able to use Social Media in the work that you do, and what tools do you use?

A:    Design tools: good ’ol paper and pencils, my Mac + CS

Twitter has actually generated project leads for me

Q – #5    Good to know! So name 5-15 people that you follow on Twitter for inspiration, humor or education.

A:    That’s a tall order. Like I said everyone on Twitter is my teacher.

My social media gurus are @socialnicole, @JenKaneCo, her CLO @KaryD. Also @irishgirl, @nlyons. Those two could host SNL

For all things web and then some: @drawer, @jasonlynes, @JansonSpeaking, @jophillips

Oh, and I can forget you! I enjoy your Twitterviews daily.

Q – #6    Thanks! Now for the FAVS questions – Favorite: restaurant, online store, art/supply store & summer activity?

A:    Favorite resturant @sajiyasushi Had my first date with husband there. He took in too much wasabi & could hardly talk

I miss @sajiyasushi little bridge and waterfall. Love sushi!

Fav on-line store. Amazon. I know super boring pick, but I love books.

Don’t get me near an art store. You’ll never get me out! Favs: @ArtMaterialsMN and @WetPaintArt.

Fav summer activity: Anything on, by or in the water. I can’t imagine living in a place without so much fresh water

Next Fav summer activity: Gardening. I get better at it every year.

Q – #7    Very nice! So do you have any personal or professional goals for the next year or so that you’d like to share?

A:    I’d like to have/working on getting clients in alternative healthcare, book publishing, green energy

I’ve been working on writing and illlustrating children’s books. Getting one published next year would be huge!

I also do watercolors. I’d like to get a body of work ready to have a gallery be interested in showing them.

It should be a busy year if I can accomplish all that.

Q – #8    To end with today – What final thought or mantra would you like to share with everyone today?

A:    The Four Agrements I try to live by. Be Impeccable with Your Word; Don’t take Anything Personally (that’s a hard one)

Don’t Make Assumptions and Always Do Your Best.

Act courageously even when scared. Remember that everything you need is inside you.

@JoelECarlson – Thanks for your sharing some of your insights and your life with us today @grandciel. You have a great afternoon!

@grandciel – It was delightful. Happiness and good fortune to you!