Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Weaver.
Hi Doug, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am passionate about art, community, and education. I first came to St. Louis for graduate school when I got my Masters in Fine Arts in Painting from Fontbonne University. After graduation I had my first teaching job as an art, music, and drama instructor in Rwanda as a Peace Corps Volunteer. After two years of service I returned to St. Louis and I have been engaging in community activism and art education ever since. I have been back in St. Louis for 10 years.
My background is in grassroots community development and community based arts practice, and that is what drives me as an artist. I am passionate about building community, providing quality art education, and amplifying opportunities for artists in St. Louis.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an artist is never a straight path to success. It is like trying to balance ten jobs at once. I have always depended on lots of income streams like teaching, selling art, selling at festivals, writing grants, and occasionally doing random day labor to pay the bills. There is an ebb and flow in every direction I have been pulled, but overall there is growth and progress along the way. My philosophy is to just keep moving forward, adding small income streams along the way, and if there is a setback in one direction I focus on what is working. Building a career in arts takes a slow and steady march forward with a willingness to pivot when it is necessary.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think what makes me different from other artists is my ability to push myself in a thousand directions at the same time. I am an oil painter by trade and I have been making my own paints for over 15 years. I have a dye garden where I grow plants that can be used to dye yarn and to make watercolor paints. However, I am more well known for my internet presence. I have more than 1.3 million followers across platforms and I cast a wide net in terms of the content I create. Most of my content is social commentary and rethinking masculinity and gender norms. I also make content on building and construction, social justice, racial reconciliation, and relationships. I have actively avoided falling into a specific niche in order to engage my audience in a wide variety of ways. I think a lot of people know me for one thing and have no idea that I am known somewhere else for something completely different.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I recently purchased a commercial building in downtown St. Louis, and I really think it was the most random bit of luck in my life. I was looking for a warehouse to rent with some other artists, and in my search I came across a building that is perfect. The seller had just lowered the price by $100k, and so I decided to take a look at it. It is the most perfect space I could have imagined. The top floor was an art studio and gallery about 20 years ago, and so it is already set up just the way I would want it. I was able to come in and start using this space as my art studio on day one, and I see opportunities for growth in every nook and cranny of the space. I happened to be looking for a space at just the right time for this building to become available.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougweaverart/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dougweaverart
