Tyler Matthews - 2017 JAY Finalist in Music - photo by Forrest Clonts
We're chatting with the 2017 JAY Awards Finalists as we enter the last few days of voting and preparing for the JAY Awards (& Retro Christmas party!) coming up on December 5th.
Jasper: What made the past year so great for you as an artist?
Tyler: Just getting to go full artist mode across several different disciplines, collaborating with talented people and working on awesome projects.
Jasper: How have you grown as an artist over the past year and to what do you attribute that growth?
Tyler: I’ve grown across the board in the area of problem solving, writing, and producing fast. When you start out at anything there’s a large amount of activation energy required to get past being a novice producer. After a certain amount of hours you reach a tipping point where the technical things that used to be difficult to understand are second nature.
Jasper: How have you seen your arts community grow over the past few years and to what do you attribute that growth?
Tyler: I’ve seen the music scene continue to thrive because the energy from artists in Scenario Collective, Moas Collective, and WUSC has been embraced in Columbia by Arts & Draughts, First Thursday, and various events/venues around town. The film scene is thriving because of the leadership from Wade Sellers. The work he’s done with 2nd Act Film Festival has bridged more connections and brought more people to the scene than anything else I can think of in Columbia. (editor’s note – yes, that’s Jasper Magazine film editor, Wade Sellers – nominated for a boatload of Emmy’s, always eager to help his brother and sister artists, especially with a hand-up. We love our Wade and are proud to have him on our staff and Jasper Project board of directors. And yes, 2nd Act film Festival is one of the primary endeavors of the Jasper Project, so you know, yays all around!)
Jasper: Why is art so important right now?
Tyler: Art is so crucial right now. At a time when there seems to be so much division and confusion in the world, art enables people to express themselves in a healthy, productive way. For some it provides a much needed escape.
Jasper: Who have been your major influences?
Tyler: Locally: Mason Youngblood, Chaz Bundick, Tucker Prescott, Pedro Ldv, and Wade Sellers. Globally: Hans Zimmer, Led Zeppelin, Deadmau5, Wes Anderson, and Christopher Nolan,
Jasper: Who are some of your favorite local artists from an arts discipline other than your own?
Tyler: Ed Madden and Tucker Prescott (um, hello, it’s us again. We just wanted to point out that Ed Madden is our poetry editor and has been since we started Jasper Magazine – we don’t know what we’d do without our Ed. Oh, and did we mention that he’s the poet laureate for the city of Columbia? So, again, yay!)
Jasper: Is there anyone you’d like to thank for their support of your arts career?
Tyler: Mason Youngblood and Tucker Prescott for inspiring me with their talents and encouragement. Wade Sellers for being a great mentor. My family for putting music in my life at an early age and setting a high bar with their own talents. The Jasper Project for caring enough about the arts community to assemble a great team that takes interest in South Carolina’s creative talent. (Aww, thanks Tyler!)
Jasper: Why should folks come out to the 2017 JAY Awards and Retro Christmas Party?
Tyler: Everybody who’s anybody is going to be there!
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VOTE at http://jasperproject.org/jays
BUY Tickets at https://2017jays.bpt.me/
GIVE as part of #GIVINGTUESDAY at https://www.facebook.com/JasperProjectColumbia/
THANKS!