To mix things up and showcase some of the best creatives in our city, we're happy to introduce our new blog series - 'Coffee with a creative'
We'll be doing things in true Melbourne style and grabbing a coffee with some of our favourite creatives and asking them a few fun questions and going for a walk in the local neighbourhood.
For our first Coffee with a creative, we caught up with Jack Summers. Jack took us to his studio in Collingwood where he finds his creativity and paints. Jack also spends his evenings on stage as the vocalist and guitarist for one of Melbourne's best up and coming punk bands, Clamm.
When do you feel most creative?
I’d say I feel most creative when I’m in certain states during the painting process. It can be hard to get there, but sometimes I can kind of enter this mode where I’m not really aware of anything but the painting. In this space I feel free to do anything, I can follow my intuition and see what happens. Sometimes I feel like I’m not very conscious of what I am doing in this space which feels kind of creative because I’m just doing what feels right.
What is the last thing you learnt?
I learnt that there are two pockets of air behind your cheeks called the Maxillary Sinus’. Apparently the two of them together are the size of your mouth. Kind of gross but cool. My singing teacher told me this because apparently air resonates in there. I found it interesting.
How do you define success in the creative field?
I think I would define success in the creative field by how much you are sustained by what you’re doing. We kind of should know by this point that money doesn’t make you happy. I think if someone is invested and sustained by their own creative process then I would consider it successful. Creativity to me is something that never seems to resolve, no amount of money can stop artists from making, it's the commitment to process itself that I would consider success.
If you were an animal what would you be?
Probably an otter. I reckon they’re cute they just kind of cruise around making their little stick houses bigger and holding hands and swimming around in the river. I think they even cuddle and are social little things. I love that, I love my friends.
What would you title your autobiography?
I once read an autobiography called ‘Memories, Dreams, reflections’. I’d steal that its good.
Where can people find out more about your work?
I am kind of lazy with how I am putting myself out into the internet world. Some of my work can be found with the team at Satellite Projects. https://www.satelliteprojects.org.au/product-category/current-artists/jack-summers/
Find Jack on Instagram: @jackpsummers & @instaclammxo