Meet Larry Moore | Artist, author, instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Larry Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Larry, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
To be honest, I never had one. I often tell people that my career has been like a leaf in a stream, it goes where it goes. I started in graphic design and advertising and worked for two agencies. But, after a few years, I felt the paycheck wasn’t worth the complexities of being in a corporate environment, so I went out on my own as a freelance creative. I found that I enjoyed illustration more and leaned into that and had a good run for about 30 years. I then moved into a different kind of art-as-a-living modality, plein air painting (painting on location at plein air competitions) which lead to being picked up by galleries. Eventually, that ran its course and I became a studio artist tapping into my illustration roots.

My North star has always been what I found more compelling to do at the time rather than how to make the most money.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
That’s a lot of questions in one question. My experiences in the creative fields of graphic design, art direction, and illustration provided a high-level understanding of creative problem-solving. My life as a freelancer provided the awareness that it was entirely on my shoulders what I decide to do and how to make a living at it.

I knew that I had to be a problem finder and not just a problem solver. For example, as an illustrator, I wanted to do more narrative work so I went to every theater, ballet, and opera company in Orlando and offered my services at a fraction of what I was getting nationally with the proviso that I had creative freedom. This led to, among other things, a 10-year relationship with the Orlando Opera Company creating 45 poster paintings, many of which were accepted into the national illustration competitions. Which led to greater visibility. It also lead to a one-man show of all the work that all went to one collector and, to this day, my most prolific collector after the fact.

I began teaching college level because I knew that the knowledge I had gained was valuable to students wanting a life in the creative arts. I expanded my teaching to painting workshops. In my 30 years as an instructor, I came to see a need and an opportunity. Most artists, professional or vocational, lacked any understanding of how to actually be creative. Something I knew a lot about. I spent over 2 years writing and producing a 270-page creativity workbook for artists, published it in 2017 and it was very successful. My brand as a creative coach solidified and I now teach workshops around the country on how to find your own voice as an artist.. I’m very proud of this accomplishment. I gave every spare moment to this self-guided project without expectation of financial gain.

Looking back, I see that I never followed the standard path. I would always veer off to make something happen that I believed needed to happen. The greatest lesson in my 50 years as a professional artist is to just do. Take the initiative, take the risk and leave all expectations on the shelf. Often times the payoff for efforts has come years later.

The other lesson is this, nothing sells like authenticity.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Charleston, SC which is rife with history, patina, great art and amazing food. It’s an ideal place to have a studio/gallery. I don’t have time to entertain folks when they come into town but the first thing I suggest is a historical tour of Charleston for the abundance of historical events that have happened here. When I want to feed my brain, I go to places that are unlike where I live, New York for the museums, galleries, and Broadway shows, Hawaii, California, anywhere in the west for the diverse terrain and anywhere in Europe to get a view of how other societies operate, and, of course, the art and the food. Each place is a wellspring of creative inspiration that eventually shows up in my work somehow.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I give all credit to my mom for her steadfast support of my abilities and career choices. My father wanted me to be an engineer but she fought for me. She took me with her when I was 13 to a local pottery place where I worked with a master sculptor. She supported the choice of college major, graphic design, and she pushed me to go to Europe while in college to see all things art and art history, a trip that changed my life and sharpened my artistic convictions.

Website: www.larrymoorestudios.com

Instagram: Larry_Moore_Studios

Facebook: What If University and Larry Moore Studios