Meet Caleb Craig | Fine Artist & Musician

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

Hi Caleb, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
My decision to pursue an artistic career was an emotional one. I always practiced some form of art such as musical theatre, painting, and cooking, however at 16, I found photography and it gave me an outlet to express things I couldn’t reconcile at the time.

Once I chose to go to art school, I took a very winding path through different media rather than focusing on one. I was searching for the avenue to combine all of my original artistic paramours into one form. When I completed my MFA in Art & Technology at the California Institute of the Arts, I took a large step toward making that real. I’m still not fully realized but I feel I have the building blocks of an innovative practice. I have thankfully found the transition from being a student into being a practicing artist much less difficult than I thought it would be.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Los Angeles-based artist and performer who creates long-term audiovisual projects using immersive media, music production, and digital fabrication techniques. My work is characterized by an interest in queer representation and politics. I work with virtual reality, 3D modeling, 3D printing, couture, animation, and music production to create experimental and innovative modes of performance.

I generally work project-based and each project requires a different combination of media. At the moment, I am working toward using digital production to combine my music with my visual work. I find lots of small nuggets of gold while I approach this goal. For example, I use my 3D modeling and rendering to make extended reality portraits of friends. I was tired of working on my computer all day so I designed a project as a way to hang out with friends and get better at my 3D skills.

My recent work has been a little comedic. I don’t want to take VR too seriously because people in the tech world are doing that enough already. I play with censorship and our predisposed ideas of gender and sexuality because I want to use my years of research and lived experience to help people expand their ideas of what a person or community can be.

It is always challenging to be an artist at every stage. You have to learn to be your own cheerleader because it’s easy to be very critical of your own work. You have to chase down opportunities and you don’t necessarily have consistent income, but I have been actually enjoying it more and more as I grow. I’m trying to find the fun and taking my time as I go.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to Jagger Party in WeHo for drinks and dancing. We would order take-out from TG Express on 3rd St. We’d have to go hiking at Runyon Canyon and drive up PCH until we got to El Matador with a picnic. We’d see an iMax movie at Universal and go to Hot 8 Yoga in Koreatown for a Power class. On Sunday, we’d go to the pool at the Desert 5 Spot to people watch. We would also have to go eat at Sage in Echo Park and catch a show at the REDCAT Theater. We’d definitely check out an art show at VellumLA on Melrose or experience my own immersive installation “Aura” on display at Flutter Experience in Miracle Mile. Oh, and we would get a slice of Caprese Pizza and wine at Chill Since ’93 at The Grove!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to honor my sisters for providing me the love and support I needed throughout my whole life. They are the people I turn to first at every stage of life. I’d like to thank my mom for originally providing me with the inspiration to make art. I also would love to thank the many friends throughout my life who collaborated with me and made memories that I treasure to this day. I’m very grateful to the students and faculty at the Lamar Dodd School of Art and California Institute of the Arts as well for their substantial role in shaping me as an artist. Also, I’d like to thank the many queer elders, peers, and lovers who gave me knowledge, community, and love that I could not have found anywhere else.

Website: calebcraig.com

Instagram: smokinhotqueer

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-craig-b921a5213/