Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Rude.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Every artist, every person, will inevitably have a unique story. We’re smarter than the other animals on the earth and are therefore capable of as much greatness as we are the reverse. These personal qualities begin with things we’re apparently born with; various traits that can decide your life to come. Many people I know of refined intellect do very little to profit their time here on earth. They think rather than do. It’s better to think while you do. Conversely, people once considered ne’er-do-wells, may eventually find their pace in life accelerated much later and end up racing far ahead of those considered gifted but uninspired.
Life is a toss-up and a crap-shoot. We live with no guarantees of fairness, justice, or even a long life. So, we continue to guess at how all this fit together, and make up answers that might give us some peace.
What success I’ve had in life is due to a pretty simple thing; the only word for it is obsession. An obsession not to be like everyone else. An obsession not to be a failure. It wasn’t an obsession to be great or be the best; it was an obsession not to be ordinary or average. Who can explain it? I can only report what drives me from the inside.
Please tell us about your art.
It’s an amazing life to be an artist. Most artists create because we have to. Create or go crazy might be one way to describe it. And yet, while most people tend to slow down with age, burn out completely, or run out of ideas, I feel a craziness inside that’s almost scary, or out of control. I can’t turn it off, so I have to do keep creating. Not a bad life, actually.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
This question gave me pause and a bit of amusement. Personally, I’m mostly content with solitude. I can create without distraction, with only the radio, music, or books-on-tape to keep me company, so I got lucky that way. If you’re a true socializer and love to party, keep partying. No one says your life has to conform to any kind of system. If things get out of hand, listen to the Buddhists and try and find a Middle Path.
I do have one regret though; I use to have so many more friends in my 20’s and 30’s. Now, at 61, I have very few. That makes me sad sometimes.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
It’s a different world than I one I grew up in. three TV channels, a bunch of top 40 and talk radio stations, and comic books from a more innocent and responsible age. I loved watching the heroic Capt. Kirk on Star Trek and learned so much from the great comics of the 1960s, particularly those written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. When Jack Kirby went solo for DC Comics in the 1970’s his work continues to give me insights into life’s many intangibles and deep mysteries.
The internet/digital age feels out of place for me. I don’t like it. A TV should have one simple remote and not four to operate all its stations. Yet, devices like the internet and channels like YouTube have certainly gained us much. That’s where people can look up their favorite whatever’s and whomever and instantly read up on them. I’m at www.SteveRude.com if you want to see what I’ve done with my life.