Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Orr.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Michael Orr, I’m from and currently reside in Clarkston, Georgia, a neighborhood/city on the east side of Atlanta. I was born at Dekalb General Hospital on N. Decatur Rd in 1975. My earliest memory of drawing with serious intent is around the age of 7. I would copy and trace. Later I would imitate skateboard graphics. I wanted to draw well, I needed and desired attention, and I still do. My childhood and adolescence were traumatic and full of neglect, being the son of alcoholics. As a teenager, I was interested in graffiti and comics. I appreciated the letterforms and abstracted type designs; they were and are still a big influence. In my late 20’s, I attended The Art Institute of Atlanta and The Creative Circus for graphic design. My wife, Wendy, is also from Clarkston and we have an 11-year-old son, Michael. I’ve worked as a laboratory technician and manager at Emory University for the past 22 years.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Like most people, my life has had its ups and downs. The downs include a history of low self-esteem and insecurity. I have clinical depression, which I take medication for and also see a therapist regularly. I offer this personal information because it has a lot to do with why art is an undeniably important part of my life. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, I want to relate to you as one human to another. I also feel that accepting and being open about these vulnerabilities bring an authenticity and realness to my work. I feel they are tools and use them to my advantage. On the upside, I am successful in my art in that people seem to like it. Like many creatives, I create because it’s an inescapable desire because my mind and being insist upon it. Creating art is an escape, it is therapy, it is a release. I want to feel good, and creativity provides that good feeling. It took me a long time to create work that I liked or art that would get a genuine response. Consequently, I’m very proud of what I create today.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am interested in all forms of creative expression and the intersection of everything in between. Humor is sacred. While my primary creations are analog visuals, I am at heart an intermedia artist. My surroundings are my tools. My shoulder bag is a studio. Everything is usable and nothing is off-limits. Video, performance, text-based. Experimental and Visual Poetry. I like to work on visual pieces quickly, creating a piece within a few minutes to a few hours. Each piece is an enigmatic poem, non-linear story, or abstract narrative. A record or documentation of my feelings in that moment. I have an incredibly difficult time communicating my thoughts and feelings in the real world, as well as simply dealing with basic emotional responses. In this sense, saying something, anything, has become important to me. I use text and script to suit the art. Therefore, coherency is not necessarily intended or otherwise planned. A clear and concise message or story is questionable. Somewhere in this muddled explanation is a clever irony. I cherish nonsense, and insignificance is of the utmost importance. Life is art and art imitates life
Pricing:
- $2-$500
Contact Info:
- Website: michaelorr.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_pone_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cornpone
