Hey FreeLovers!
Zion Blu here, but you can call me Z. I’m new to the studio, and what better way to learn more about this wonderful collective than to sit down and talk with folks about their art, themselves, and Studio FreeLove? We sat down with V to chat and learn more about them and their experience so far with the studio. V was first introduced to the studio after their sister was sent a post on Instagram from a member, Sammi, who then sent it to V. After that, the rest was history. When it came to V’s introduction and application to join, she said her's stood out. “Upon asking people about their application, I was like, ‘Wait, mine is way different.’ It was just a very real moment, and I thought it might be relatable to a lot of people.” V went on to describe Rat Park, a study that was done on rats to study drug addiction. In the study, they isolated a rat with nothing in the enclosure but food, water, and water infused with drugs. In this scenario, that rat would die of starvation or overdose every single time. But in the same experiment, they placed a rat in “Rat Park”, an enclosure that included the same things as the isolated rat but this time with other rats and things to do. In this scenario, none of the rats died.
V went on to explain the importance of community and how using Rat Park was a way for her to show the Studio that they don’t have to do anything alone.
“I think [for] a lot of people in their life… it’s confusing what’s good for you and, what makes you feel good, and what you should stick with. So I think being with a good community [is important because] there are a lot of people that I used to think I couldn’t learn from, but now I know you can learn from anyone. That’s the importance of being around people and not isolating yourself, which is that you are able to get more of an open idea of who you are and where you stand in the community around you. That is what the importance of Studio FreeLove is.” When asked about V as an artist and how they interact with the space, she shared that she had been getting into metalsmithing and making jewelry. She also plays the guitar and has collaborated with some of the musicians in the space. Collaboration was what V hoped to get out of the studio more than anything.“... When I think of metalsmithing and drawing, you wouldn’t think ‘let’s collaborate,’ but why not?! Let’s collaborate!... It’s really intimidating doing something different, but I think people are waiting for something different. That’s what’s different about this new generation of artists.” V never studied art and is entirely self-taught. We asked what she brings to the space as a self-taught artist and an individual. Her response? “People always say… Me, as a person, change[s] how they think about themselves… a lot of people in this studio have a very, very unique perception of life in just talking with them that can change your own perception of yourself, and that’s very important. Because a lot of people are very prideful of who they believe they are, and to hear the contrary and to make you think differently, I think working with other people and people interacting with me get a lot of that… you have people who are formally trained, and people informally trained to come together, you need someplace like this with intersectionality.”
Learning from others was a common theme when talking to V. Throughout the interview; we would highlight the different experiences and perspectives that people bring to a space and how this experience enriches our lives. Seeing how others react to each other and the resulting art and connections made is part of what makes Studio FreeLove special. While learning from others is important, that was just the tip of the iceberg for V. She went on to explain, “There’s less knowledge in knowing and more knowledge in doing.” which means that just because you’ve learned about an experience from someone, it doesn’t come close to going out and experiencing it for yourself. For V, too many people are content with simply knowing and not doing enough, and Studio FreeLove helps break people from that mindset. We wrapped things up by talking about how time factors into the mix. We spoke about how folks don’t necessarily feel like much has changed after doing things for a long time; the only thing that has changed is that time has passed. Many artists feel like they have been doing the same thing over and over with nothing to show for it. “The doors of hell are locked from within… a lot of artists feel like that, [they’ve] been doing the same thing, and time has passed. It goes back to the Rat Park experiment, you’re isolated, and you’re just drinking from this bottle… just shake shit up… change your own perspective of yourself by surrounding yourself with new art, with new artists.”
We thank V for taking the time to chat with us and sharing their perspective on life, art, and the studio. We leave you with a quote from V that we think wraps up our conversation perfectly. “People don’t need just a bottle of water, a place to sleep, and some drugs to make them not think about life. You need Rat Park. You need art. You need people. You need creation.”
Until next time
Z and Studio FreeLove
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