Q&A with Blake Blevins
This month, our Q&A features Blake Blevins, a former AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at the Grundy County Jail. He is currently pursuing a JD degree at Georgetown University.
1. What is your relationship to/experience with Arts Inside?
I first became familiar with Arts Inside when I served at the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office as an AmeriCorps VISTA. I primarily worked with the Reentry Program in the Grundy County Jail, and Arts Inside had been very involved with that program. I met Hilda Vaughan, who is Arts Inside’s founder and Director while in this role, and the two of us worked on a few grant proposals together. Once my year of service through AmeriCorps ended, Hilda asked me to serve on Arts Inside’s Board of Directors. I joined the board and eventually took on the role of Secretary/Treasurer. I am very grateful for the opportunity to stay involved in the South Cumberland Plateau region and have enjoyed my role in helping Arts Inside continue to grow and better assist the incarcerated population it serves.
2. What artistic hobbies/pastimes do you enjoy?
I’m actually not a very artistic person, although I wish I was. In my free time, I enjoy reading anything from biographies/memoirs to fiction. I did buy a guitar and hope to learn to play it at some point, but progress has been slow.
3. Do you regularly create or make anything? If so, do you share it with others?
I definitely consider myself more of an art consumer than supplier. Every now and then I’ve participated in different art projects through programs I’ve worked with, and although I don’t think I’ve ever made anything particularly good, I never mind sharing it with others.
4. When do you feel most creative?
I feel most creative after I’ve read an interesting book that discusses new ideas or concepts. I also feel creative when I’m able to approach a complex problem and find unique, out-of-the-box solutions.
5. Do you consider yourself a creative person?
I don’t consider myself artistic, but I think I can be creative in some circumstances. I believe there are many different ways someone can be creative, whether it’s in their artistic endeavors, workplace, or other aspects of their lives.
6. Who is the most creative person you know? How have they influenced you?
The most creative person I know is probably my little brother, Sebastian. Since he was a toddler, he’s been really into Legos, and the stuff he builds is always incredible. He’s built replicas of pretty much every major landmark, including the Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, and even the International Space Station. The stuff he builds in Minecraft is just as impressive, and every time I visit, he takes me on a tour of his newest Minecraft house, ship, or whatever else he’s created. I’m blown away with the creativity and patience it takes for him to build the things he does, and he inspires me to be more of both of those things.
7. Did you create things during your childhood?
I used to like to draw characters from the cartoons I watched. I wasn’t very talented, but my parents were really good at pretending like I was.
8. How do you see the role of art in your life now?
Even though I’m definitely not an artist, I think art is incredibly important as a way to connect and inspire people. Since I’ve moved to Washington, DC, I’ve tried to make more time to appreciate art by visiting the many monuments and museums in the area. Eventually, I hope to make more time to try to become more artistic.
9. How have you seen art/creating make a difference in the lives of others?
I think the most impactful way I’ve personally seen art make a difference in the lives of others is through the work that Arts Inside does. The projects they do in local jails allow incarcerated people to find an outlet so that they can explore their feelings and find creative ways to cope with their difficult situation. When Arts Inside works with their incarcerated clients, it allows them to better manage their emotions, articulate their thoughts, and connect with people around them. This can give them a better outlook, more effective coping strategies, and make them feel more comfortable reaching out for help with other aspects of their incarceration when they need it.
“When Arts Inside works with their incarcerated clients, it allows them to better manage their emotions, articulate their thoughts, and connect with people around them. This can give them a better outlook, more effective coping strategies, and make them feel more comfortable reaching out for help with other aspects of their incarceration when they need it.”
Arts Inside Out
This month, our Q&A features Pippa Browne.
Pippa was born and lived most of her life in Zimbabwe, Africa. In 1985 she obtained a bachelor’s degree in fine art and psychology and a post-graduate diploma in education from the University of Natal, South Africa.
While teaching in Zimbabwe, her art was regularly selected for the Zimbabwean National Heritage exhibitions at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. She also participated in solo and group exhibitions in other galleries in Harare.
In 1995, Pippa began illustrating childrens’ books for the publisher Barefoot Books of Bath, UK. Between 1996 and 2000 her illustrations were selected for a number of international traveling exhibitions.
Since moving to the US in 2003, Pippa has moved her focus away from illustrating and back to a more expressive style of art. She has consistently shown her work in galleries in the States, namely in Salinas, CA, Memphis, TN and Sewanee, TN where she now resides.
Q&A
What is your relationship to/experience with Arts Inside?
I taught a 6 weeks series of art classes to women in the Grundy County Jail in Altamont, TN.
What artistic hobbies/pastimes do you enjoy?
I am a practicing artist in that I am part of the Artisan Depot Gallery that is supported by the Franklin County Arts Guild and have an on-line presence through which I sell my work. I also write poetry that I sometimes present at ‘Spoken Word’ events in Sewanee, TN.
Do you regularly create or make anything? If so, do you share it with others?
I paint almost every day and, yes, I share my work by exhibiting it at the Artisan Depot Gallery in Cowan, TN, by showing it on my website (artbypippabrowne.com) and by exhibiting it in a few other venues eg Tullahoma Arts Center, Ed Carlos gallery (‘Iona’) etc.
When do you feel most creative?
I feel most creative between my walk in the mornings and 3 in the afternoon as well as later at night.
Do you consider yourself a creative person?
Yes, I do consider myself a creative person; I believe we are all creative and exercising creativity in our lives is fundamental to establishing a habit of flexibility and openness.
Who is the most creative person you know? How have they influenced you?
My mother was one of the most creative people I knew. She was an art teacher and a wonderful horse artist but it was more the creative way she managed her life and resolved problems that influenced me rather than her artistic products.
Did you create things during your childhood?
I absolutely created as a child; easy access to materials and support for creating was a feature of my childhood.
How do you see the role of art in your life now?
Art has become an integral part of my holistic health; I use it to process thoughts and to access thoughts that would not be expressed in the course of mundane living. It enables me to exercise the muscles for a creative life.
How have you seen art/creating make a difference in the lives of others?
I have seen art be a conduit for the positive expression of difficult thoughts; it enables difficult thoughts to be processed into a visual story and in so doing can somewhat neutralize the influence of these thoughts.
I have observed the psychological and physical benefits of the focused internal conversation that creating a piece of art allows.
I have noticed how a creative space is often a ‘safe space’ for students ,who are not always accepted in other places, to express their true natures.
“I have noticed how a creative space is often a ‘safe space’ for students, who are not always accepted in other places, to express their true natures.”
Arts Inside Out
Arts Inside Volunteer Liz Rector (right) and Arts Inside VISTA Morgan Hornsby (left).
“Arts Inside Out” is a monthly question-and-answer interview, featuring conversations with currently and formerly incarcerated community members, as well as corrections workers, educators, and volunteers. Each subject will share their personal experiences of bringing arts programming to local jail populations, and their own relationships to creativity.
This month, our Q&A features Liz Rector, a former art class participant at the Grundy County Jail. She is now a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist at Centerstone, and a volunteer with Arts Inside.
Q&A
What is your relationship to/experience with Arts Inside?
Originally, I was incarcerated at the Grundy County Jail. I was accepted into the Arts Inside classes. Presently, I am a board member and also a volunteer.
What artistic hobbies/pastimes do you enjoy?
I think what I liked the most while incarcerated was the Striped Creations project, where you make a collage and take a look at yourself and your life.
Do you regularly create or make anything? If so, do you share it with others?
Recently, me and my daughter, Ella, have started tie-dyeing clothing. That's really fun!
When do you feel most creative?
I don't create anything regularly. My work schedule is so full it's hard to find time for art projects. I feel most creative on the weekends. I don't work on the weekends so that's when me and Ella tie-dye.
Do you consider yourself a creative person?
I am a very creative person mentally in my head, but it's hard to put my ideas into motion.
Who is the most creative person you know? How have they influenced you?
Ms. Hilda (Vaughan) is a very creative person. She makes me think outside the box. She is a big influence in my recovery network.
Did you create things during your childhood?
I didn't create a lot when I was a child. I was more of the playing outside type of kid.
How do you see the role of art in your life now?
Art was never big for me until jail. Through that experience, I learned how much of a benefit art has with mental health. It allows you to branch out to people you wouldn't normally associate with.
How have you seen art/creating make a difference in the lives of others?
I can speak for myself when it comes to making a difference in my life. If it wasn't for Arts Inside, art, and Ms. Hilda, I wouldn't have such a great support system for my recovery journey. Arts Inside and Hilda are amazing! I'm proud to be a part of and associated with them both!
“Art was never big for me until jail. Through that experience, I learned how much of a benefit art has with mental health.”