#qotw10

What are the most important skills an artist can have?

I feel like to be an artist you don’t need to be a perfectionist or have any skill, if you’re passionate about your art no matter what it is, i think artists don’t need to rely on skill to share their work.

What risks have you taken in your work and what has been at stake?

So you all want to know more about us. It's rather odd especially since I feel like I just did this and it's rather awkward for me to talk about myself. Let's recap what we already know. I'm 18, live in New Jersey and will be moving to Florida for school come the fall. I love musical theatre and can't get enough theatre references into anything. 

I have a boyfriend who lives in New York, actually I'm sitting on his bed typing this on his macbook right now. I've been spending my long weekend up at NYU with him and I'm going to hate going home tomorrow evening. He's really the best thing I could ever ask for and I feel like I should treat him as best I can. This week I surprised him for Valentine's Day by showing up in his dorm, and it was so worth it to see the look on his face.

I'm 75% English and 25% a mixture of Scottish, Irish, and Welsh. I lived in England until I was three and then Belgium until I was four. Then I moved to Montana, and then I wound up in New Jersey. I like living in New Jersey. I feel very privileged living in this state, we're wedged between two major cities so that offers me plenty of things to experience. I also have the beach less than 10 minutes away from my house. I love going to the beach during the summer it's most likely that I will be out on a towel tanning, or working on the boardwalk. 

The boyfriend just started playing the Backstreet Boys (As Long As You Love Me) which reminds me that the 90's were the best time to grow up. Britney Spears and the Spice Girls were my childhood! I even had my own lyrics to songs, "If you wanna be my love, you've gotta get with my crayons." I actually had a huge crush on Britney Spears, but I think every gay man can say that. Over the years it's matured into Liza and Judy, oh how far I've come! I loved Rugrats with a passion and I watched the Amanda Show like it was my religion. Now it's more like Will and Grace, 227 (Bonus points if anyone knows what that is), Dynasty, Golden Girls, and Friends. I also watched LOST like it was my drug.  I'm a sucker for guilty pleasures that include Ke$ha and listening to Rebecca Black's "Friday" every Friday... don't judge me. I'm a HUGE Nicki Minaj fan, there isn't a song/verse that she's done that I don't know word for word.

I have a big ego, but at the same time I have self esteem issues. It's like I'm on one fo those rides that swings back and forth. I have two high points, but I also have a low point. Some days I'll feel great and others nothing will be up to par. I don't know why it is, it just happens. I guess everyone has their ups and downs really. It's something I shouldn't worry about probably. I've also been told that I present myself as an older person, which may explain why my first relationship was with someone twice my age... long story. 

I love to write. I love sharing ideas and putting them out there to get feedback. A good intellectual conversation is always welcomed in my neighborhood. I have a nasty habit of dismissing stupidity or ignorance though so be warned! I also keep a journal that I write in sporadically, it's like therapy for me.

Photography is a huge part of my life. At once I wanted to make it my major, but that dream came to an end when I decided I like money and stability and I wouldn't be able to handle the life that comes with a career in photography. Who knows maybe I'll be posthumously remembered for my work one day.

-Brandon