Our Interview with Destiny Allison!

  


                                    bio

Working in bronze, stone and steel for the past 18 years, artist Destiny Allison first fell in love with sculpting while playing with her son’s modeling clay during a moment of writer’s block and domestic frustration. Since then, Allison has focused solely on her art. Dedication, tenacity, and what she calls “down-right stubbornness” have yielded her current success.

Allison’s work is exhibite...d extensively. She has won numerous awards and is represented nationally by renowned galleries. Her works can be seen in schools, churches, museums, corporate offices, resorts, hospitals and cities across the United States and in Jamaica. Recently, she installed major public works in Oklahoma and California, was featured in Southwest Art Magazine, was the cover artist for the magazine Sunshine Artists, installed 14 original sculptures in the new 4 Seasons Hotel in Denver and received several awards of excellence for her innovative work in steel.

“Each of my works has a story behind it, usually stemming from life’s challenges. They address my relationships and the roles I play: daughter, mother, lover, friend, sister, business woman, consumer, artist,” Allison said. “The premise behind all of them is that if I am to know myself and live authentically and fully, then I must examine who I am in every context. Behind all of this is a deep desire to confront the art world trends that attempt to break down society, the individual and individual relationships, reducing all of the combined human experiences to their simplest and most banal forms. I deeply believe that what is human is complex, rich and beautiful and I hope, through my work, to help rebuild a framework for both beauty and the best of humanity.”

Allison is a native of Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a young adult, she lived and studied in Washington, D.C. and Boston, Ma. She returned to Santa Fe in 1998. In Santa Fe, she is represented by Winterowd Fine Art at 701 Canyon Road and now, in collaboration with Winterowd Fine Art, she has opened her own gallery in Eldorado.

                                                    Bio provided by author's site

1. What makes for a good hook in your stories? Where does your inspiration come from?  

A good hook is a moment of tension where both the story and its underlying themes are interwoven. I think that suspense, by itself, is not always a good hook. Honesty, emotion, and idea have to come together so that the reader understands that there is more to the moment that what first meets the eye

2. Are you an organized writer? Do you do things like take notes and make lists of characters? Or do you free write and work it out as you go?

 I free write and work it out as I go.

3. What is your normal writing day like? Do you write when you are inspired or do you have a schedule? 

Because I do so many things -- make art, manage my businesses and write, I fit writing in when I can -- usually 1st thing in the morning or last thing at night.

4. Who is your favorite author and how did they inspire you to write? 

That's a hard question. I have so many favorite authors. I think the authors that inspired me the most are probably Henry Miller and Robert Persig.

5. It’s easy to see that you have a passtired of editing. Recently

ion for writing but is there any part of it you don’t like?

I get pretty tired of editing. Recently a friend called editing the 2nd circle of hell. I think she's right.

6. Do you make time to read and if you do what are you reading right now?

I read all the time. I am a book fiend and can't ever seem to get enough. I just finished re-reading Bastard out of Carolina and am not sure what I will read next.

7. How did you come to write about your journey to becoming and artist and author? 

I get asked so often to tell the stories about my art, and to relate how I ended up as a metal artist, that it just made sense to put it into a book. I would like to share my journey and hopefully empower others to transform their lives through art.

8. You will be publishing your book through (Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon or CreateSpace, Does this mean you see the publishing industry headed this way? 

There is so much flux in the publishing industry right now that its hard to say where it will go. I published through CreateSpace because, from a business standpoint, it was the only way to go for me. I don't think self-publishing is for everyone. It is an amazing amount of work, and I think you have to be really driven to not only write a good book but to edit it, design it, and do the work that will help the book find the right readers. It is often overwhelming. On the other hand, I can't justify doing all the marketing, building the platform, and then earning a tiny percentage on the book sales. I'm a business woman as much as an artist, and for me, this was the right decision.

9. Do you have any online sites where others can read more of your writings? DestinyAllison.com/artblog and ShapingDestinyThebook.com

10. Do you have any more stories in the works? What kinds of stories do you plan to write next? 

I'm tossing around a couple of ideas. One is to continue the story of Shaping Destiny. Another is to write more about the importance of art in healthy communities. Right now though, my energy is focused on letting people know about this book.

11. If your book were to become a documentary who would you want to have for the narrative voice?  

Good question. Jodie Foster comes to mind. Wouldn't that be something?

12. If you could meet anyone from any time who would it be and what would be your first question?

This is going to sound really funny, but I always wanted to meet Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was a hero to me when I was a little girl. I always wanted to ask her how she imagined the future.