What is Risk? Would you rather work for someone and be at the mercy of their decisions or your own? Would you rather wait for someone to tell you what to do or make your own decisions? It’s tough, really tough to pon- der because little things like rent and food become big things, and taking the leap of faith in yourself is not for everyone. I am one of the few who navigated those heavy swells, and I have a ton of scars to prove it, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I still love making art, and now, as of a month ago, I just switched gears and re - branded myself as a luxury designer, using all the art of those 50-plus years to make exquisite designs on clothing and home goods. Stephen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do? Shoosty: I recently reinvented myself as a luxury de- signer, opening a store filled with clothing and soft goods based on my designs. It has only been open for a month, and I already have hundreds of unique products. I have a lot to learn with this new business. The strength of my store comes from being a fine artist for over 50 years. I have a tre - mendous collection of work to leverage, in - cluding some masterworks that took a year or more to finish. While I am working on my visual art, I like listening to podcasts and audiobooks. I find that by listening to something engaging, I can focus better on what I am making.
Every day for about two hours, I write. Writ - ing sorts out my thinking, organizing it in a way that I can build upon. It helps that I maintain a book-binding system at the house. I like the feeling of holding a paper version of my work. In the past year, I pub - lished 5 books: Shoosty® Bugs; The Art of Music; Shoosty® Landscapes; Shoosty® 2022; and Shoosty® Bugs Coloring Book. My current mantra is very easy to follow: I want to move (my thinking) from Swiss Cheese to Munster, from large gaps in thinking to smaller ones. That is my whole personal mission to be on a path toward discovery. In every case I just described, learning is at the core. It is this endless de- sire to learn that creates great art consis- tently. All of my creative work makes me very proud, and combined as a collection, it is remarkable. Do you know any artist that has created a catalog raisonne of all their work? Mine is now 17 volumes. I believe that my work provides leadership in the arts. It is something to be emulated. As such, I have started teaching this year. I like giving back to the community and love the energy of new artists when they real - ize that with my methods, they can make something very special. You must experience my fabrics, especially the scarves. They are my latest creations. They can be worn or presented as wall hangings. Wear the Art / Be the Movement. – Shoosty 2023
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