March 14, 2024 • 67 mins
Imagine a world where the discipline of military training converges with the freedom of the arts. Our episode traverses this world, from the story of a veteran who swapped his combat gear for paintbrushes and murals to the inception of Artists in Arms, a beacon of hope that bolsters veteran involvement in creative fields. These narratives underscore the significance of creation as a therapeutic outlet, the importance of camaraderie in artistic endeavors, and how initiatives like Operation Game Changer are championing under-resourced school theater programs.
The anticipation buzzes for the Crawfish and Colors fundraiser, an event embodying the spirit of veteran solidarity and support for education. We peel back the layers on how this vibrant gathering at Senate Avenue Brewery aims to equip local schools with the art supplies they sorely need. This episode isn't just a collection of stories; it's an invitation to witness the resilience and heartfelt contributions of those who've served, as they continue to leave an indelible mark on the canvas of life through their artistic legacies.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Charlie Mike the podcast Veterans helping
veterans.
Talking about things happeningin the veteran community, things
we've experienced and overcome,such as addictions, ptsd,
depression, legal trouble, andwe also promote veteran-owned
businesses.
If you're talking about it,we're talking about it.
(00:24):
This is Charlie Mike thepodcast.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yo, what's going on everybody?
Welcome back to another episodeof Charlie Mike the podcast.
As always, I'm your host, raul,and I was going to introduce
the co-hosts, but I don't gotone.
So, you guys, we appreciate youtuning in.
We just I wanted to come onreal quick.
We actually did this interviewpreviously and I messed it up.
(00:58):
So we're coming to you againwith two special guests and I'm
going to let them introducethemselves.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
My name is Melia Templeton.
I'm the executive director ofArtists in Arms.
It's a nonprofit working withveteran artists.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
And I'm Chan Smith.
I'm an out-large board memberwith Artists in Arms and I do
whatever she tells me to thereand art.
And art stuff Make.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So tell us a little bit about yourself.
You're upbringing your militaryservice.
Tell us what got you into this.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Right on.
Well, I've been an artist sincebefore.
I could do pretty much anythingelse.
I used to sneak into my mom'sart studio and mess around with
her stuff when she wasn't hometo stop me.
I don't remember a time when Iwasn't doing something artistic.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Artistic is in the family.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, my mom is a woodcarver and painter and my
dad is sort of an engineersavant.
He can pretty much makeanything out of anything.
I don't know how to explain mydad MacGyver yeah, he's.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
MacGyver.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, but like hippie MacGyver long curly hair and
stuff he's also a performer.
He used to perform at a TexasRenaissance festival.
So a lot of artistic stuffhappening in my family.
My grandparents are bothartistic.
My brother was artistic, yeah.
And then I got into theater fora while in middle school,
(02:34):
through high school, graduatedhigh school.
Didn't know what I wanted to dowith my life, didn't want to
waste a bunch of money going tocollege and getting a general
degree, so I joined the MarineCorps.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Marine Corps.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, yeah, I was going to go into the Air Force
like my grandpa, but then theywere out to lunch and I ended up
seeing a friend that I went tohigh school with.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Wait, that's for real .
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, for real, for real.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
You know what's funny is?
I've heard that more than once.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Dude.
Yeah, their recruiting officewas locked.
It was down at Baybrook Malland it was locked.
But then I saw my boy, lee,that I went to high school with
and I was like, hey, you lookgood, what are you doing with
your life?
And he's like I'm a Marine.
And he used to contact a byrecruiter and I was like, all
right, whatever Was itBennigan's at night With Plain
Trivia.
You remember Intian Trivia atBennigan's?
Probably not.
I barely remember.
I'm aging myself right now.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But yeah, so we're like Plain.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Trivia.
And there's this old saltyMarine there and I'm like oh, I
was talking to Marine Corpsrecruiter today and he's like
you'll never make it, you can doit.
Women don't belong in themilitary.
Oh, he's one of the mobile ones, so I signed my paperwork the
next day and left for boot camp.
Like a month later, what I waslike watch me bitch.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
How did your family deal with that?
They were supportive, yeah theydidn't.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
My grandpa was the only one who was ever in the
military, as far as I know, andhe was back in the Army Air
Corps before it was the AirForce.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
You know he was like an MP.
I think he was an officer.
I think, he went down to Panama.
I don't really know.
He never talked about it.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, the older generations are like that, yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
I know he didn't particularly like it.
He came back, he uses hiscommission money to go to school
, became a geologist, but that'sit.
There's no other.
We're not like a militaryfamily.
Right right, right.
And we definitely didn't haveany women in the military.
So they were surprised, becauseI've always been very like
(04:34):
don't tell me what to do.
And an artist, some kind ofartsy-fartsy, and they were just
like, really Okay, that'sawesome.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
So how long did you end up serving?
Speaker 3 (04:46):
I was in for five years.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Five years.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I was an avionics technician on CH-53 Echo
Superstallion.
It's I call it, the semi of thesky.
It's a helicopter, it's heavylift.
We moved people on stuff.
Yeah, you know Really cool bird.
I really enjoyed my job.
Had a good time deployed alittle bit, got injured, ended
(05:10):
that career.
Yeah, so it was kind ofunexpected.
I had kind of thought I mightdo 20.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Really.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, I wanted to be a drone instructor because I'm
y'all y'all can't see me, butI'm like five foot two and at
the time I was maybe 120 poundssoaking wet.
You know, it's a tiny littlething, angry at everybody all
the time trying to prove myselflike I could do it myself.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I don't need you to open the jar.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, smash the jar against my forehead, pick the
glass out of the pickles.
Yeah, I had a lot to prove.
Is that how they came up withthe jar head.
Sure, okay, it makes sense, wehave decided.
Yeah, it makes sense.
We just, I was a haircut, butyou know that sounds like a more
reasonable.
But yeah, so I enjoyed my job.
I did a lot of art while I wasin.
(05:59):
You know, once they find outyou can draw at all.
They're like draw me this, youknow.
So I did a lot of morale stuff,you know, painting pictures for
people while we were deployedand you know, just doing art,
kind of keeping, keeping myselfsane, keeping things even keeled
for me as like I could justretreat into the art and not
(06:22):
listen to the explosions andstuff.
Well, if I die, at least I diedoing something I love.
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So you, you from the beginning that you had that
artistic skill.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then I got out, obviouslymedically retired, and then know
what to do with my life, bummedaround a little bit, went to
Alaska for a little bit, turnsout just y'all is really fucking
golden Alaska.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So I came back to Texas.
I wouldn't have guessed it.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
And the the thing is like I was out in what they call
the bush.
It's out in the sticks UmBristol Bay.
If you've ever seen the show,deadliest catch is filmed around
where I lived.
So I'm like out on the coastand there's nothing like.
There's no road system, youcan't get to Anchorage, you
can't go to the movie theater,you're just out in this tundra
town and there's nothing to do.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Um and it's daylight most of the time.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Not where I was at.
So, like, if you look at yourhandy map of Alaska, y'all I'm
holding up my hand here.
Um, if you look at your handymap of Alaska, I was like over
here.
So the the places that are likedaylight all the time, that's
like way up north.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Okay, okay, so you got night and day.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Yeah, I think our shortest day of the year was
like there was still four hoursa day light, you know.
So there's a little bit of it,but we're we're like kind of
even with like Canada and stuff.
Okay, alaska is so huge wedon't realize how big it is
until you superimpose Texas overAlaska and you go, oh um a lot
(07:49):
of coastline to do so muchcoastline and most people live
on the coast.
Area Like the interior ofAlaska is pretty much just
weirdos and bears and moose.
Sorry sorry for all you off gridfolks that are listening to
this podcast.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
So I have a question, like when I think of Alaska, I
don't think seasons do they haveseasons, so there's not always
snow there all the time.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
I mean again, it depends where you're at.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
So if you're up, in like gnome.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
then, yeah, it's mostly snow and it's.
They've got the like 40 daysand night or whatever.
I don't know, I've never beenthere.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
It's, it's colder there, so this is a podcast
studio right here and we doanother podcast with these guys
called grab them in the brisket,and my job is to is to I
produce it.
So I'm in the bag checking thestatistics and things that they
say.
So he's like, uh, you know, ifyou go to Alaska, you got like
an 80% chance that you'll getattacked by a bear.
(08:41):
And I was like, yeah, thatmakes sense.
And I didn't check it.
And they're like they wentsomewhere else, to another like
barbecue festival, and somebodyfrom Alaska came up to him and
was like you guys are idiots,shut that off, shut that off.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
I will say, though, like when, when I was, I was
there for around two years and,um, we did have a guy whose dog
got eaten by a bear, which wasreally sad, and then, um, we
also there was a lady whose doggot carried off by an eagle, and
we have those here too.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
So look, danger is everywhere.
Keep your dogs inside.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
That's what I'm saying.
Eagles are everywhere up there,all the Eagles everywhere.
They're like trash birds.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Yeah, they're obnoxious, they're like, they're
everywhere and they get intoyour stuff.
Bears are the same way.
They're like raccoons that cankill you.
Um, they have the samepersonality, like if you leave
your trash in your car, theywill like tuna.
Can your car to get your trashout to like dig in it and see if
there's good food.
Um and, if you like, you can'tleave trash in your Arctic entry
(09:38):
because they'll kind of breakinto your house sometime.
They're really obnoxious andthey're yeah, but the moose are
the dangerous ones.
I stay away from the moose.
Anyway, I don't know how weended up talking about Alaska.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
I'm from Alaska and I went back to school for theater
degree.
I got a degree in theater.
I do mostly um scenic art andprop making.
I like acting but it's not myforte.
I guess Um more of a backstageperson.
So when you say scenic art, justof like painting walls, making
(10:10):
stuff look like other stuff.
So, like you know, if you havea, a white painted table and the
director comes to you and itwas like I want this to look
like walnut, but you don't wantto strip the table down, Then
you have to paint paint on topof the paint to look like it's
wood.
Right, Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:26):
I guess, Woodgrain and stuff yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Or, um, you know, you have somebody who's like I want
this million dollar statue inmy play, but you know our budget
is, um, this pile of peanuts.
So what can you do?
And so you carve a replica ofthat statue to be in the play.
You know stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Wow, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
That's cool yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
So tell us, tell us more about yourself.
I knew you said you're part ofthe organization, part of the
nonprofit.
Now tell us you're upbringing,where you're originally from and
your military service.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Awesome, um, I was born in West Texas, odessa,
odessa, there's nothing outthere.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Yeah, that's why I said it like that.
My brother calls it a God'scountry.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
But I had a little bit of sense and my, my mom, uh,
my father passed away when Iwas young and she brought us
back here, uh, basically eastside of of Houston, um, bellevue
, barber Hill, cambridge County,yeah, and um, I had a Cuban
(11:33):
grandfather and he was theartist and my mom painted Um so
I think it was in the blood.
You know that Cuban blood iswhere that came from, um, you
know grandfather.
Also, his sisters wereactresses and um musicians and
singers and stuff like that, butI didn't take it in any of it
(11:57):
in consideration.
You know I was just like a kidand don't appreciate that stuff
when you're young, um, but youknow, even even that going to
school like um, my art educationwas um, was seventh grade art.
Um, how was it?
You know it was like, okay, Ihad a lot of fun, but did I
(12:20):
continue it now?
My father was a World War IIveteran.
It's not that I'm that old, hewas much older and not knowing
my father and that he was aWorld War II veteran.
It was something that I wantedto do.
So two months after my 17thbirthday and I enlisted and was
(12:45):
able to retire at 37.
That was kind of cool.
But yeah, I enlisted and kindof that same thing.
Amelia is saying you know?
It's like, yeah, some skills,though you can draw, you can
paint.
I got this cool idea for atattoo or first art and Sergeant
(13:05):
Major find out you can paint.
And it's like a smitty Comehere.
What do you need to paint thiswhole wall?
I want a mural of me, whateverit is.
Well, you know, you know.
First, armored Division, oldiron sights.
He wanted a painting of USSConstitution in the day, you
(13:30):
know, like a dayroom.
I was like you want to paint aship on the wall in an army
barracks?
I was like, well, okay you know, so got me out of some crappy
duty, you know as a PFC.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Yeah, but that's the best part about being in.
Yeah, it's like nope, are youguys mowing the yard?
I'm gonna paint this wall.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Yeah, exactly, Pain rocks.
No, no, no Bricks.
Um, yeah, but I got out, youknow, just enlisted and ended
and I was like I'm going to goto college and Wallamon College,
Um, I actually met a friend ofours was the Lewis Medina, um,
in a National Guard unit andwhile I'm in the National Guard
(14:12):
going to college, and there'slike this 13 year old kid and he
had a dot on his cap and I'mlike what's up with this kid?
I'm like oh, he's in, he's a,an ROTC at the University of
Houston.
I was like I go to Universityof Houston.
So I went over and talked tohim and I'm like, hmm, so I got
(14:33):
in the senior ROTC program at Uof H, got commissioned with a
waiver because I was already oldum from prior service Um, so I
got commissioned after 12 yearsin list of service Um didn't get
the branch I wanted, really.
I mean, I didn't know what Iwanted to do, even as an officer
.
Um became a quarter master,which is supply and services.
(14:53):
Um had a lot of fun, a lot ofstress, went ahead and decided
retired right after 20 years.
Um really is a couple of monthsafter my my oldest son was born
and I was like it is not thetime to have kids and be in the
(15:14):
army and yeah, how manydeployments happened after 2007.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Um, so yeah that was the, the push.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I mean it was we were doing 18 months man.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Yeah, oh, and I had the.
You know, I had the opportunity.
I had actually busted up myknee pretty good, uh, had to
have surgery on it, so I didn'tdeploy with my unit.
At one point and I was.
I was like the, the reardetachment commander, so I had
all the um, all the people thatstay back on rear detachment,
(15:47):
all the squared away.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
So yeah, yeah, yeah, 18.
Yeah 18.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
So a lot of fun, um, and then, you know, got squared
away for for deployment.
20 year later came and I waslike I can retire now.
And they're like, well, youknow, we can uh, send you over
and you'll be in a back of theairfield as a logistics officer
(16:13):
for an aviation brigade.
And I'm like, or, or, I canhang up that uniform.
So I did that.
Then I brilliant idea, um, alsoLewis suggested it I went and
taught JRTC as a retired armyofficer and I went over in fifth
ward and taught it at Whealyhigh school, um, which did not
(16:37):
have a theater program, by theway, which I thought was really
interesting.
Um, they had an art teacher andthen everything else was banned
.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
marching banned marching banned marching, banned
sports.
The football team yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Um well and it's also very underserved Community and
the little, the few resourcesyou know were very spread then.
And there are teacher there, umgreat guy you know, he bought
everything himself.
That's, um, that's, and we'lltalk about that.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Right, I'll talk about that, yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
So, um, but it was really, I would say, in uniform.
It was the hardest job I everhad to teaching um underserved
young people Um, you know thevalue of service right,
especially when they they comefrom a community where they're
usually recipients of thatservice.
Um, but it was too much for me.
(17:34):
You know I was neglecting timewith my family Um, so I ended up
getting out of doing that.
Uh found myself through vocrehab Um a job working for
county government Um doingemergency response.
Um training for the public.
And you know I still had thatservice and you know, focused on
(17:59):
young people.
So I'm still doing that with umhigh school students.
Great, great opportunity.
I mean really active shooterdrills.
No, it's a community emergencyresponse.
It's a program under FEMA, okay, and it's just teaching life
saving skills.
Oh right, um, in disasters, andwe face more than our share
(18:20):
here, uh, in our region.
So, you know, very rewardingkind of thing that, knowing that
I'm going to tell some youngperson something that you know,
have them gain the skills thatcould save somebody that they
love or or a complete stranger.
Um, but that gave me um moretime with my family.
(18:40):
Um, I was like what did whatold retired guys with the second
job do?
Um with their time?
Not much with their family.
Um, so my wife, she kind ofshe's going to watch this.
She told me I needed to find ahobby and, um, we made that
(19:03):
happen after yet several yearsof her telling me I need a hobby
, you need a hobby, you need ahobby, and she knew I had some
artistic skills just because Ido, you know, would do little
things.
Um, so we, we have a studio inour house now, and about two
years ago I, since I have aspace, I'll go in there and
(19:27):
we'll spend a whole weekend inthe studio together, and so she
does her, her watercolor orwhatever she's working on on,
you know, just across stablefrom me and it's great, great
quality time and it really ishelpful for me.
You know, it's a decompression,um, it's an outlet, um, it's
(19:48):
something I really just enjoydoing.
And as far as art goes, what Ido is I do those props, but I do
them much smaller.
And you know, I was a kid inmiddle school that would like
make model tanks and blow themup with firecrackers.
That's why I joined the Army.
So, yeah, practice on one toone scale.
(20:11):
As an adult, though, yeah, it'snot as easy anymore.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
It's not as fun.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
You can't get away with much, I mean it's like when
can you get firecrackersanymore and you know if somebody
watching me take this acrossthe county line.
You know it's like alwayswatching.
Yeah, so you know working forcounty government.
I want to stay on the right,yeah, that makes sense.
(20:37):
So I was like okay, I need to.
You know, I still like to makesmall things, that attention to
detail, and you would think thatit would be tedious, like
stressful things, and it's justlike it's not been that way for
me.
I've made super small things.
You know, if you're, if you'rekind of able to figure out scale
(21:02):
one to 300 scale, so a personthat is six foot tall, maybe
like a quarter of an inch tall.
And then I recently, my wife,found a old Fisher Price
dollhouse for sale online and Iwas like she's like, hey, you
can do something with this.
So I took it home and cleanedit up and painted it and it's
(21:27):
looks like a Victorian mansionkind of creepy haunted house
feel.
But it's it's all those smallthings that I do that I'm like,
instead of stressing over how doI do this make it's, it's like
setting a small goal.
I was like what can I do withthis and what can I use?
And using found, found thingsI'm from Texas using found
(21:53):
things to make these you knowdetails, but it's been a great
outlet and it's really kind ofopened up me to do other things
with within kind of thisassemblage art, you know,
putting things together.
That I'm yes, I go by Chan, butkind of this other name that I
(22:17):
use is Earl kind of always beenEarl at work and I'm like it's a
family name.
I'm a third generation Earl butI've never been like Earl.
I didn't feel like it was me.
But I'm like what I do is kindof eerie.
I was like I like eerie Earl,so I make like this kind of
(22:42):
small dark things.
Yeah, it's not the, the goth,it's not horror, it's just kind
of odd dark, eerie stuff andI've really enjoyed it and If
you wouldn't mind, send me acouple pictures.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
I could post it so people can see the video the
video.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
When we release the video, they can see it.
Yeah, make sure that thosevideos are in.
Well, I know that pictures.
Speaker 4 (23:08):
I know we're gonna talk about an event we have
coming up.
Yes, and I'm.
I'm putting one of my.
I made a piece for our upcomingfundraiser and and I'll send
you a picture of that.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
People are gonna have to fight me for this piece of
art.
I'm already planning to be onit.
Hey, I'm looking, I'm.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
I'm.
I think I was telling you lasttime I'm looking for artwork to
put in my house, so I just gotit in.
I need to decorate.
There's nothing there.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Awesome, fight me, did you say, bite me, arm
wrestle.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
She looks stronger to me.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
I'm fighting.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Yeah, so I Want to ask about the nonprofit so how
did it start?
Where did the idea come from?
Artist in arms.
Now that's a bad ass name.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
Oh, thanks so my, my husband and my one of my best
friends kind of code, came upwith it.
I can't remember.
You know, there's there's a bitof debate of who came up with
it first and who was the one whowas like, yeah, that's the one,
but they, they both wereinstrumental in naming the
organization.
I just, I know a good idea whenI see it.
(24:21):
So I was like, yeah, they'reright.
Yeah, thanks, I like the name.
So where did it come from?
Okay, well, I workedprofessionally in theater here
in Houston.
I worked at alley theater for awhile, worked with a few
smaller theaters here and thereas an independent contractor,
(24:42):
really enjoyed doing that.
And then, you know, co-ed kindof happened and I saw another
career that I thought I wouldretire from, kind of go up in
flames around me and I kind ofmessed with my head a little bit
and I Just didn't really havethe heart to go back into it.
After things started to kind ofsettle and I I started thinking
(25:04):
about throughout my career.
I was always kind of Lookingfor other veterans in the arts
scene, you know, because we justhave like a different mentality
, right, you know, like we gettogether, we start talking about
boot camp or whatever.
There's just like a differentvibe in the veteran community
(25:25):
and Then a different vibe andkind of the arts community right
, and I I always felt kind of onOn the outskirts of both of
those you know as an, as anartist.
Sometimes you go into veteranspaces and people are like arts,
artsy-fancy types.
So you know, or draw me a tattooor whatever.
(25:46):
You know how many, how manytattoos have we all drawn for
people?
But and then you go into artspaces and they're like oh,
you're a veteran, I can't, wecan't relax around you, we don't
know what, where you arementally trigger.
We don't want to trigger you orwhatever or or the other way,
and I was like, oh, I don't wantto be around and they're gonna
(26:10):
do something that's gonna beharmful to me sometimes, yeah
and you know I mean that's notevery person right but there is
a sort of sometimes like you'rekind of afraid to relax in
either group because eitheryou're gonna say something
that's gonna like out you as asas an artist, or you're gonna
like say something's gonnaoffend somebody that you just
(26:33):
thought was funny you know?
Yes, it can be.
It can just be a challenge.
You know, as much as you loveboth groups, you just kind of
are like I just want to be ableto take a deep breath.
Right, I want to.
I want to Go watch aShakespeare play and laugh at
(26:54):
the jokes with, you know, myfriends, who understand what
it's like to be deployed, youknow, and why that line was
funny, or you know you saw a lotof resemblance.
Oh, in Shakespeare, yeah, so,like there's a.
There's a character inShakespeare who actually there's
an entire speech about how hehas PTSD from battle.
(27:15):
What, yeah, the man?
Like?
We have been dealing with thisstuff for thousands of years.
There's a Greek play its name Ican't remember right now, but
it's sort of tied into like theIliad and the Odyssey, and it's
about this character who'sinjured.
Right, he gets a foot injuryand it won't heal, and so
(27:38):
Odysseus and his crew, theydecide that this guy's bad luck.
So they abandoned him on anisland.
They just they just boot himout and they leave him and they
sail away.
But this guy Phylactides is hisname, oh, that might be the
name of the play.
Anyway, phylactides is left onthis island and they only leave
him with this like magic bow andhe's like this amazing archer.
(27:58):
And then they go throughoutthis war and they're like
getting ready to Might be theTrojan War.
Yeah, I'm not a scholar so Icould have some of this messed
up.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Oh, you could say it and I'd agree with you.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Somebody's gonna be listen to this and be like so
forgive me if I get some of thiswrong, but Phylactides is left
there with his magic bow andhe's like blessed by Athena or
somebody.
Anyway, they find out like tenyears later that they're like
they're not gonna win this warwithout him and his magic Bow.
Well, without the magic bow.
(28:32):
So Odysseus and his crew arelike Shit man, we got to go back
and get Phylactides.
I bet he's pissed.
You know, and so this whole playis about like they go back to
get him and he's, you know, he'spissed, he's, he's been
abandoned.
We just realized you were gone,Like oh sorry bro, and they're
trying to like, trick him and togive him them their bows so
they can leave him again,because his foot still really
(28:53):
miss you, but I'm sorry, buddy,how you doing, anyway.
So like so this theme of thisguy who's injured and left
behind by his crew and he's gonethrough all this stuff, but he
has this PTSD and he's likereally upset and he feels
abandoned.
And I'm like I Was injured, myfoot got hurt and I got kicked
(29:17):
out of the Marine Corps becausethey broke me and I feel left
behind and abandoned and theyalways say no man left behind,
but I got left behind, right andlike.
So there's this play that waswritten like 2,000 years ago or
whatever that I'm connectingwith because I have the same
injury as this guy, basically,or whatever, the same experience
, or similar experience, right.
(29:38):
Anyway, all of that, I mean, isgonna bring me back around to
Like, throw at history.
Like, if you look at our oldestcave paintings here in the in
North America, they're scenes ofbattle, right.
There are scenes of hunts there, scenes of the colonizers
coming over and like killingpeople, and it's it's a way for
(29:59):
the people who fought thesebattles whether it was hunting
or war or skirmishes or whateverTo tell their stories when they
come back home to their family,to their friends, and they're
they're leaving this historybehind of what happened, and
sometimes they're the victorsand sometimes they're the losers
, but they're connecting andthey're telling their stories.
(30:21):
And that is our oldest art,right, that is the oldest art in
the world.
And then you look at, like,again, the Iliad Odyssey.
It's all about these battlesand these relationships between
the People who fought and theirfamilies.
And like what happens when Ajaxis killed?
And and how does that affect?
(30:42):
And what's his name?
The guy who goes crazy cuz Ajaxis killed anyway, it doesn't
matter, nobody, it doesn'tmatter.
Tom, tom, yeah, tom, Rad Pittplayed him.
He was real cute anyway, oh.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
No it's right there and I feel really stupid.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
I feel really stupid right now.
But yeah, and Shakespeare wroteabout PTSD and Hotspur, and
Hotspur's wife is actually theone giving this Speech about.
Hotspur can't sleep and he'shaving these, these flashbacks,
and he needs to like Get rightwith himself or their, their
family, is not gonna surviveright, and so many of us are
dealing with a lot of thesethings still today.
(31:24):
Like this is not new, stuff isnice new ways of talking about
it.
So I Was looking for thoseconnections.
I was looking for people, forcommunity of people to share my
stories with, to be like, yeah,I was in this combat zone and I
have all these feelings about itand I want to paint a picture
(31:44):
or I want to watch a play, andthen I want to joke about it and
you know I'm gonna whatever.
I just want to connect withpeople who will get it to some
degree, who have a similar lifeexperience, you know, and
sometimes I just want to dostuff for fun and not have to
worry about like, am I gonna saysomething that is upsetting to
somebody?
Right?
(32:04):
And I wasn't finding it here inHouston, I could find it in LA,
I could find it in New York,chicago, austin, all these
places had some sort of artsprogramming for veterans, but
Houston didn't really have it.
We had an organization that kindof started and then the founder
moved and it just kind ofDidn't happen and that's kind of
(32:27):
as close as we got and likethere's art therapy, you can go
to the VA, you can do arttherapy, right, but there's not
just like groups of artistsgetting together and doing stuff
, you know, and I Proceeded tocomplain about that for a while,
for probably a good six months,before my husband finally
(32:47):
looked at me.
It was like If you want it sobad, build it yeah, but stop
bitching about it.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Do it or shut up.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Yeah, and I was like well, I can't do that, I don't
know how to run and I don't knowhow to do something, I'm an
artist, what do I know?
And I paint, I sculpt, I makethings.
I don't know how to do that.
And he's like all right, well,I don't know what to tell you.
And and I talked to some otherfriends about it and they were
like, yeah, no, you should startthat, you should start that,
you should start that.
And Kind of unanimously, Italked to the veterans you
(33:20):
should start that, right.
And so we finally just Did it.
We just started this groupbecause I got to thinking about
it.
I was like, well, I'm feelinglonely and I'm lucky, my, my
spouse, is also a Marine.
We no, we didn't meet in themilitary.
We were actually friends inhigh school, weirdly enough.
But, um, so I have someone Ilive with who I can talk to
(33:44):
about stuff.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
You know if.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold
sweat because of a dream aboutsomething that happened 20 years
ago, that Really I feel like Ishould probably be over.
But let's be honest, I'm notright.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
You know, let's not the wrong with that, or I get a.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
I get a random Facebook message saying, hey, so
, and so is gone, we lost him.
He, he, he, he, he left us,right, and I break down.
I haven't tossed this guy in 20years but I'm breaking down
like my best friend just died,right, right, and my husband
gets that.
But everybody doesn't have thatprivilege.
Everybody doesn't have thatsupport system kind of built in
(34:19):
at home and I thought, if I'mLonely for other veteran artists
, even with my husband in thehouse, I'm feeling this like
lack.
There's got to be other peoplein the same situation.
There's got to be other peoplethat need this community of
support to like just that, getit.
(34:40):
And so, yeah, so we juststarted it and that was in 2021,
I think and we've been sort ofslowly growing ever since.
We didn't want to get ahead ofourselves.
You know, learning how to doall this, finding the funding
it's pretty much self-funded atthis point, right okay, and
(35:01):
self-funded mean out of mypocket.
Yeah, my pocket, my husband'spocket, so and some from
generous friends and some smallprograms we've done here and
there for fundraising, but wehaven't gotten any grants or
sponsorships or, yeah, nocorporate sponsorships yet,
nothing like that.
So we just have been taking itkind of slow so that we don't
(35:24):
let people down.
We don't want to make these bigpromises and get ahead of
ourselves and then it all fallsapart right.
So we've been trying to buildstructure so that we have a
really solid foundation, and sonow we are running a couple
different programs.
(35:44):
We've got our art car, sergeantBubbles, where some of our more
mechanically-minded veteranscan like tinker with this car.
And we've got a replica 50caliber machine gun on top that
you can get in the turret ofthis old Chevy Malibu and you
can ride through the streets ofHouston shooting bubbles at
(36:07):
people out of this giant machinegun.
It's really stupid and fun andwe love her.
We usually do the art carparade, but this year we have an
event that's kind of conflictwith that.
We've got our second serviceprogram that we're getting ready
to kick off, where we're gonnadonate some art supplies to
underfunded schools.
We can talk a little more aboutthat.
(36:28):
That's Operation Game Changer.
We do socials just get togetherand BS.
Yeah, we do workshops where wejust do art for fun.
Last time we made sock puppets.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Family-friendly.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Yeah, we generally try to keep most of our stuff
family-friendly.
That's good, it may not be likefour kids, but I was a single
parent for a while and I knowhow difficult it can be if you
can't bring your kid to stuffand also just you want to do
stuff with kids sometimes, yeah,you do.
And doing art with them,especially something that's
(37:01):
really low risk, like making asock puppet.
You can't screw up a sockpuppet.
I mean really it's hard.
You could, but you'd have totry it really are.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
I was.
I had some anxiety about comingand doing that one yeah.
Yeah, I didn't show you shouldhave.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
I feel so bad, it was really fun.
I made a unicorn, yeah, anyway,so we do those programs, we do.
What else do we do, chan?
Oh, we go to events, you know,and we just talk about our
artists in arms and try to meetnew people and we do some silent
(37:42):
auctions and yeah, those events, there's a lot Getting
recognized out in the community.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
Yeah, the greater Houston area, you know that's
the thing.
You know it's like how does a,how does a nonprofit grow, and
when you don't have funds, youknow it goes by word of mouth.
The veteran community, again,you know Milius said it great.
(38:12):
I mean we can get around eachother and we can tell our war
stories, but we get around eachother and we're like, hey, don't
you do like leather work orwoodwork, you know so, and
that's where I was like artistI'm afraid of that word Because
(38:35):
I'm like, I make stuff and Ithink there's lots of veterans
out there, you know, that mayhave a hobby.
It doesn't have to be this highbrow, you know museum stuff and
, and yeah, it is not therapy.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Right.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
This, you know, artist in arms is, does not, is
not a art therapy provider.
But I think that those of usthat make things hobby, wise,
you know, it's therapeutic.
And when we get around otherveterans and and we can talk
about those things and like, hey, don't you, you know, whatever
(39:17):
it is make something, some sortof creative outlet writing,
singing, you know music, any ofthose things you know and it
creates that community, thatcamaraderie, and we become more
creative.
So we support each other thatway and kind of this social.
(39:41):
It's like here's somebody thatgets me, yeah, and they do stuff
and I can say that's reallycool.
I, that's not, that's not myskill set.
Your husband, josh, he's awoodworking guy.
Yeah, welding to welding.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (39:59):
Welding is an art.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
If you all ever seen some of this stuff welders do,
yeah, what am I?
Speaker 2 (40:03):
good buddies does and he does some, some artistic
stuff.
Yeah, I mean, and that's whatI'm like.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
So I'm like, you know , I'm like.
So any moniker of artist that'swhen I tell people about you
know, meet other veterans andtry to tell them is like don't
be shy, you know, don't shy awayfrom that.
It's that you're being creative, makes you an artist, creating
(40:34):
something that wasn't therebefore.
Right, I think that's how youusually say it's like you're an
artist, you know the person thatwrites a poem, a story, you
know the literature, you knoweven if it's kind of half
fiction.
You know, some of us have ourstories and with time, those
(40:54):
stories, good, they grow.
But you know, and it is anoutlet and, and I will say, I
did attend art therapy outsideof the VA and I was like, ok,
well, this, you know, it may behelpful.
You know, I'm sure it's helpingme.
It's not developing skills,it's more like now I want you to
(41:21):
use these colors and draw X andthen we're going to talk about
it.
Well, that's not what we'redoing.
Tell me, tell me, how that makesyou feel.
Speaker 2 (41:34):
It's a line.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
It makes me feel like I don't want to be.
Speaker 4 (41:39):
Right.
So you know, it's just likemore freedom of creativity.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
I like to say it's low risk.
Speaker 4 (41:48):
Yes, low risk.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
It's low risk Like you're not going to come to one
of our events and we're going tobe like now, raul, I want you
to make this sock puppet and Iwant your sock puppet to act out
your feelings about XYZ event.
Right, we're just going to belike we're making sock puppets.
What do you want to make?
And you're going to be like Iwant to make a spider and I'm
going to be like but we can dothat.
(42:10):
I'm going to help you make asock puppet spider just because
it's for fun, right.
And the act of creation initself is therapeutic, even when
it's not intended.
Because what do they teach usUltimately when we are in boot
camp or whatever the rest ofy'all call basic training?
Basic training, oh basictraining All right Whenever
(42:34):
we're in basic training basiccombat training.
What are they, fucking Marines?
Honestly, what are theyteaching us?
They're teaching us to destroystuff.
Right, they're tearing us down.
They're teaching us to tearother stuff down.
They're teaching us to destroy.
They're taking kids, whoever,and, and they're they're
(42:54):
teaching us to become agents ofdestruction as necessary, right,
when we go through taps.
Ha ha ha, they don't.
They don't teach us how tocreate again, right.
They just kind of go you coulddrive a truck for you know,
pinsky, or whatever, and thenthey tap us on the button, send
(43:15):
us out the door.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
Yeah, good luck, which I feel like 75 percent of
it is by yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
But they don't like, they're not.
They're not teaching us how tocreate again.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Right.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
And so some of us, we really lose something in that.
You know, and it's not that badwhat they're teaching us in
bootcamp.
It's necessary, it's what we'rethere to be doing, right, what
we're getting trained for.
But the the act of creation, itdoesn't have to be subjectively
good, Right, it doesn't have tobe good.
(43:49):
Or, you know, I melt crayons oncanvases sometimes, that's, I
make paintings out of meltedcrayons.
You might look at that andthink it looks like trash and
that's OK, it doesn't matter,because I'm making something.
I'm creating something.
I am kind of healing somethingwithin myself through the act of
creation, and I know this isgetting very esoteric or
(44:10):
whatever, but Melting crayons,destroying something in order to
create.
In order to create Right, andI'm creating something fun and
something beautiful.
We have broken crayons, stillcolor.
I love it.
Um, and I think that's kind ofthe core of what we're doing is
we're we're embracing thatability to make, to create, to,
(44:33):
to build things again, you know,and we're having fun with it.
Another thing we do is the fogs, which are forward operating
galleries.
It's been one of our reallycool programs that we started.
We go into spaces.
We did one in U of H Clear Lake, we did one at Artist Gallery
(44:55):
up in the woodlands.
We've got another one coming upwith Spring Street Studios and
we bring in artwork, usuallyfrom our veteran community.
Sometimes we'll take stuff fromfamily members or really
dedicated supporters.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (45:11):
And we hang that art in that space for a certain
amount of time.
You know, it's just like a Fordoperating base.
It's not intended to bepermanent, right, it's a, it's a
found space, it's a Fordoperating gallery and it gives
an opportunity for artists whomay not have more traditional
means of getting their work intoa gallery, an opportunity to
(45:32):
show their art in the communityand to have their friends and
family come and see it and tosee their stuff up on a wall
with a light on it, right.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
And is that?
Is that available for purchase?
Speaker 3 (45:45):
So we don't, we don't charge we.
What we do is a a smallapplication fee.
It's usually around ten dollars.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
No, let's say I'm in the gallery and I see some
they're busy in the gallery.
I got you Sorry.
Speaker 3 (46:00):
It depends on the venue.
So, some venues.
They don't want to deal withhaving to try to manage money
and get people in touch with theartists and stuff like that.
But we always try to put someway of contacting the website or
QR code or something, so thatif somebody wants to buy that
art they can get a hold of theartist.
But some galleries do likeartist gallery.
(46:22):
You could sell your stuff there.
I sold a piece.
Speaker 2 (46:25):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
Yeah, I was real happy.
Speaker 2 (46:26):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
So that is location specific.
Speaker 2 (46:31):
OK.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
I do always ask because I want the artist to
have that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
Right.
Speaker 3 (46:35):
I'm a big believer that artists should get paid, of
course, for their art, you know, for their skills and for their
time.
But yeah, it's specific to thelocation.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
So I've participated in one of the kind of pop up for
operating galleries and I meanit was kind of a very short
notice.
It's like in this one for me.
I was like, hey, I'm going todo this.
And then I was like, oh shit,I'm going to be doing this,
(47:06):
people are going to look at mystuff and they're going to judge
my stuff.
And I say judge.
You know, that was myperception and I brought I think
they, they allowed me a fewpieces and I brought, brought
some variety of things and itwas really eye opening to me.
(47:27):
It changed my perception thatthat judgy Because the people
that are that'll go.
You know, I had some friendsthat showed up and they had
never seen my stuff.
It's great to get support fromthem, but then see strangers
Come look at your stuff andreally look at it and get
(47:48):
engaged with what you've done,what you created, and it helps,
I don't know.
It, just like I said, changedmy perception.
I was like, ok, so people cancome to a gallery and they can
look at my stuff and they don'tfeel like oh, that is just you
(48:08):
know my 12 year old could havedone that.
You call this art, right, right,I mean.
And I was, I was really reallyI did not know.
And I know Amelia she was.
I flooded her with questions.
I was like what do I do?
What about this?
How do I?
And she's like just come, we'llfigure it out.
(48:32):
And yeah, and I actually sold afew pieces, awesome, amazing,
you know, just like whoa,somebody's like my stuff enough
to buy it.
Yeah, you said with money.
Yeah, like yeah, I mean OK.
And even.
How many times have I asked youwell, how do I price this?
Speaker 3 (48:56):
My price is yeah, and guess what I do.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
Google how to price I don't know either.
Speaker 3 (49:03):
In fact, that's a workshop that we're going to
work on.
Presenting is helping artists,especially non-traditional
artists and artisans, figure outhow to price their stuff,
artisans and artisans.
Artists and artisans.
So a lot of people here, likeChan touched on earlier, a lot
of people hear the word artistand they think painting, drawing
(49:25):
, maybe sculpting, that's it.
Speaker 2 (49:28):
That's kind of where it goes.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
The number of times people have said oh, I'm not an
artist, I can't even draw astick figure.
And I look at them and I seethat they have hand.
Or they have designed and handbuilt an entire Elizabethan gown
.
And I'm like buddy, yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:46):
OK, I got you.
Speaker 3 (49:47):
You are absolutely an artist.
You just don't.
You're thinking too small.
You're thinking too small.
So one of the things we want todo is actually expand the
definition and theacknowledgment of what is art
and who is an artist, Because Idon't know if you've ever had a
really bad cup of coffee.
Speaker 2 (50:05):
Oh yeah, we're a bear .
Speaker 3 (50:07):
Or a really good cup of coffee.
Roasting coffee beans that's anart, because you've got to know
just the perfect crack andeverything right.
There's all these classes youcan go take.
There's a coffee, sommelier'sand stuff A really well-brewed
beer, that's an art.
Baking is an art.
Welding is an art.
(50:28):
Designing buildings is an art,you know like you tell me Making
a podcast.
Making a podcast is an art.
You tell me a career.
I could probably find the artin it.
Makes sense.
Creativity and artistry is notlimited to drawing.
You know that's a big soapbox.
(50:48):
Item I have is getting peopleto acknowledge, yeah, you are an
artist.
Man Like you designed a car.
Like you designed an entire carright or whatever, I don't know
where.
I was going originally, but mywife calls them tangents.
(51:09):
Yeah, yeah, tangents.
Yeah, not a tangent Train aboutderails and goes off this way.
Speaker 2 (51:15):
Well, there's a couple questions I want to ask
you all.
Ok, so tell me a little bitabout the supplies.
You said you all do a thingabout school supplies.
Speaker 3 (51:23):
Oh yeah, operation Game Changer that's our newest
program, really near and dear tomy heart.
I told you I did theater inhigh school.
There is a thing that you do inTexas called one act play.
It's kind of like the playoffsfor theater.
Right, it's our big competition.
A lot of funding for your dramadepartment can kind of ride on
(51:44):
how well you do it.
One act play it's all the UILrules, just like in football and
everywhere else where you haveto keep your grades and
attendance and all that stuff.
The thing about one act play isthere's is really stringent
rules, including the set you canuse.
And they have this thing calleda basic unit set.
(52:05):
It's these certain pieces ofgeometric shapes.
It's like ramps and platformsand pillars and doors, and they
have to be very exactingmeasurements.
They all have to be paintedmedium gray.
It's a very specific color.
You can only have a certainnumber of them and it's very
(52:30):
specific and you have to usethat for your competition.
You can't have any other set.
One of those to purchase startsat around $6,000.
Speaker 2 (52:40):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
Yeah, many of our theater programs are entirely
funded by the teacher, and Idon't know if you know what
teachers make right now, but alot of them don't have $6,000
laying around that they canafford to buy this set.
Sometimes they'll have a budget,but it will be like $300 for
the entire year and out of that$300, they have to buy the
(53:03):
scripts, because you have to payroyalties to use a script.
They have to buy costumes, theyhave to buy lighting, they have
to pay for food for the kidswhen they stay after school.
Speaker 4 (53:13):
Paint transportation to the events.
Speaker 3 (53:16):
That's for the entire year.
One act play is just one play.
In the entire season.
It's in the spring You'reprobably doing six, seven, eight
plays a year if you're a robusttheater department.
So there are a lot of theaterdepartments out there that are
using either busted old20-year-old one act play basic
unit sets that are falling apart, or they just don't have them
(53:38):
at all.
And then what happens?
When you practice, practice,practice on AstroTurf and then
you go to play the playoffs andnow you're on grass right, it's
a whole different field.
It's gonna screw it the way youplay your game.
Same thing happens with one actplay.
I use a lot of sports analogies.
Speaker 2 (53:58):
No, it's good.
Speaker 4 (54:00):
It makes it understandable.
Yeah, but there's funding therein sports.
Speaker 3 (54:04):
Right, right.
And so you same, with one actplay.
You're practicing on a barestage.
Then you get the competition.
Now you have the basic unit setavailable to use.
You've set up your stage.
That's been hypothetical untilthis point.
And now you're performing.
You might get one practice,maybe if you're lucky, if
there's time.
And now you're performing incompetition on a set you've
(54:27):
never set foot on, that you'renot used to.
It puts you at a competitivedisadvantage.
And who gets the funding?
The schools that win, right,you know.
So these underfunded.
Speaker 4 (54:37):
Rich get richer, I think, is how it kind of goes.
Speaker 3 (54:38):
Yeah, these underfunded programs remain
underfunded because they're youknow, and it's not always some
people like they do fine andthey, you know, power through,
but it's problematic, right.
So this whole operation gamechanger idea came when I was
like, well, what if we built abasic unit set and donated it to
(54:59):
a school?
Well, buying the lumber,finding the people to construct
this thing, buying the paint,that's a lot of money, right.
That's a couple thousanddollars in itself.
So then I was talking to afriend who's an art teacher and
she was talking about how, youknow, she couldn't afford to buy
watercolors for one of herclasses and she was gonna have
to go and, like, put it on hercredit card.
(55:20):
And I was like that's BS, theschool should be providing basic
art supplies.
And another friend of mine waslike, oh man, that's nothing he
does.
He teaches workshops fordrawing.
He goes into schools.
They don't have pencils andpaper in their art class.
Speaker 2 (55:33):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (55:34):
There's nothing.
Speaker 2 (55:35):
Imaginers.
Speaker 3 (55:36):
Yeah so.
Speaker 4 (55:38):
Well, and even I think those of us that have kids
have kind of gone up throughthe public schools and you find
is like, oh yeah, there's afundraiser, You're allowed to do
this fundraiser and thisfundraiser Okay, that's great.
And again it's that rich getricher.
And I don't mean rich, but youknow, the schools where there's
(56:00):
resources are also the schoolswhere parents of kids have
resources.
Speaker 1 (56:06):
Right, right, right and he's underserved.
Speaker 4 (56:08):
It's doing a fundraiser for buying overpriced
X.
Whatever that X is is not gonnafly If I'm working three jobs
to pay my rent.
Speaker 3 (56:20):
I'm not spending 100 bucks on a fundraiser.
Speaker 2 (56:23):
Good, no, it makes sense, I just don't have it.
Speaker 3 (56:26):
So our idea is to start a little smaller.
With Operation Game Changer,we're gonna start building these
supply packs and what we'regonna do is we're gonna have a
little survey on our website andthat we can send out to
teachers and they'll be able totell us like what supplies they
need.
They'll be able to apply forthe program and anybody who is
(56:47):
approved through the applicationprocess and starts small
probably just do a few a yearthey will receive a supply pack
with a certain amount ofsupplies in it.
Whatever it is they need, it'llbe monetary value.
We'll shop the supplies, we'llpack them up, we'll bring them
to school, we'll donate it andthat's the program and it's
really cool.
It gives our veterans a secondservice opportunity, because
(57:11):
second service is hugelyimportant.
A lot of us were service minded.
That's how we ended up in.
We wanted to help, we wanted tomake changes, we wanted to do
something, and then that doesn'tchange when we retire or get
out for other reasons.
We're still a lot of us lookingfor those opportunities to
serve our community.
Speaker 2 (57:32):
Service after service .
Speaker 3 (57:34):
Service after service , and so this is our program
that we're instituting, where wecan give back to our community.
We can serve the artists oftomorrow's by providing the
tools they need today.
Speaker 2 (57:45):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (57:46):
Right.
Speaker 2 (57:47):
Is that an active program right now?
Speaker 3 (57:50):
We are.
We're about to have afundraiser.
Actually we're trying to raisea few thousand dollars so we can
kick it off.
We'd love to do 10 schools thefirst year.
We're thinking about $300 worthof supplies per supply pack
just to get these teachersstarted.
Get them crayons, paper pencils, whatever they need.
(58:10):
That would give us what $3,000would do 10 schools at 300 bucks
a piece.
Speaker 2 (58:19):
This is tell me about the fundraiser.
Speaker 3 (58:21):
The fundraiser.
You wanna tell them, or do youwant?
Speaker 2 (58:22):
me to you get going, I'm on a roll.
Speaker 4 (58:26):
All right, and it's name.
You fill in when I forget stuff.
Speaker 3 (58:28):
Yes, I will, I'll punch you in the and all right,
our upcoming fundraiser it'sgonna be on April 7th.
Speaker 2 (58:37):
April 7th.
Speaker 3 (58:37):
It's called Crawfish and Colors, because again we're
Marines and it's Crawfish seasonand Well, and I think colors
has a dual meaning.
Speaker 4 (58:49):
It has, I went and dropped off some flyers at a
location and one of theemployees there was like I
dropped them off and just kindof eavesdropped afterwards and
they're like colors, what ifthey're colorblind?
I'm like you sell art supplieshere People that if they're
(59:10):
gonna buy art supplies andthey're colorblind it doesn't
matter.
You know, it's just like why.
But for me, you know, when Isaw Crawfish and Colors Crawfish
pretty obvious colors, what dowe call?
Speaker 3 (59:24):
flags.
Speaker 4 (59:24):
Yup.
Speaker 2 (59:25):
With friends in the military.
Speaker 3 (59:26):
it's colors and what that's our dual meaning.
That is our art.
Speaker 4 (59:30):
You know, that's what I'm saying.
A lot of us use colors, so Iwas like yeah, I think it's cool
.
Yeah, it is, it is.
I try to be clever with ournames, just to say that's cool.
Speaker 3 (59:41):
I try to be really clever with our names.
Speaker 4 (59:42):
Wait, that's creative , right, appreciating it.
It's artistic, yeah, creative,at least.
Speaker 3 (59:47):
So Crawfish and Colors, april 7th.
It is a Sunday.
It's from 11am to 3pm.
It's intended to be a day thatpeople aren't already super
booked with a million thingsgoing on, because every kid's
birthday party is on Saturdaymorning, saturday afternoon.
Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
We did a Sunday.
The event will be at SenateAvenue Brewery up in Jersey
Village area.
It's like about way eight andtwo ninety.
Speaker 4 (01:00:15):
Yeah, two ninety.
And Senate Avenue and SenateAvenue, yeah, I mean, there's an
exit for it, there's an exitfor it.
Speaker 3 (01:00:23):
It's actually a veteran owned and operated
brewery, wow yeah.
So the the guy who owns it andruns it is a veteran and I
believe his brother is also aveteran, and they have good beer
y'all.
If you're not a beer drinker,they also have non-alcoholic
options.
They have wine and hardseltzers and all those things,
(01:00:44):
but they do actually brew theirown beer at the.
At the place it is familyfriendly.
There's a patio.
There's food where you have thecrawfish company Bayou Boiled
Seafood coming in.
That's also veteran owned.
He's going to be cooking thecrawfish fresh for us right at
the event.
Every ticket will come with twodrink tickets for our general
(01:01:09):
admission and, I believe, apound of crawfish for the
general admission.
I can't remember.
Yeah, yeah, we just changed it,but you know what it's on the
website.
Speaker 2 (01:01:19):
On the website.
Yeah, you can find out what isthe website.
Speaker 3 (01:01:23):
It's wwwartistsinarmsorg.
That's the easiest way.
We're also on Facebook andInstagram, so you can find us
there.
Artists in Arms.
Speaker 4 (01:01:37):
Links to purchase your tickets Links to purchase
the tickets are posted.
Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
all of those places, yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:01:46):
Or even donating.
I'll say that because of theprograms, people I found that do
have conflicts and if they wantto support.
They can still go through thatsame website.
They can say, hey, I want toput X number of dollars over
(01:02:09):
towards this operation, gamechanger, to get some arched
plastic kids, and that's wheretheir money will go.
I mean, it's that kind of thing.
So, yes, we hope to bring inveterans and supporters of
veterans to the event.
Come, hang out, and we're goingto have some a silent auction.
Speaker 3 (01:02:34):
Oh yeah, we got some good stuff.
We got some box ticket Crawfordbox tickets for an Ashgrove's
game.
We've got some family an annualfamily pass for five for the
Houston Interactive Aquarium.
We've got some one of a kindart donated by a very generous
veteran artists that's going up.
Some books, yeah, some reallynice copies of the Iliad and the
(01:02:59):
Odyssey by donated by one ofour board members.
Just a lot of cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:03:05):
Sounds awesome.
I'm excited, I'll be theredefinitely.
Speaker 3 (01:03:08):
We're gonna have our art car there.
Sergeant Bubbles, I just boughtsome new bubble guns yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:03:13):
Can I shoot?
Speaker 3 (01:03:14):
it.
Yeah, I'll let people, I'll letpeople shoot it.
Speaker 4 (01:03:15):
Are we trailering up there?
Speaker 3 (01:03:17):
I'm gonna have to trailer it up there.
Speaker 4 (01:03:18):
I'm gonna have to rent a truck, unless somebody
wants to.
Speaker 3 (01:03:21):
Unless somebody wants to donate time to join trailer
the Sergeant Bubbles.
Yeah, she needs new tires, soshe's got to be trailer.
Speaker 2 (01:03:29):
So if somebody wanted to donate, is there a donation
link on the website.
Speaker 3 (01:03:34):
Yeah, it's through the platform Give Butter so that
it's nice and secure.
Speaker 2 (01:03:38):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (01:03:39):
And it's.
We have our tickets for salethrough that.
We also do donations through.
That would keep it reallycentered, so that we're not, oh,
you gotta go to PayPal for thisand you gotta go for that.
So it's all on Give Butter, andthe links to that are on the
website and on our socials.
Speaker 2 (01:03:54):
Sweet.
So if somebody wanted to reachout to you, will it be the best
way they could do that?
Speaker 3 (01:03:58):
Email yeah, info at artistsinarmsorg.
Awesome, awesome.
Speaker 2 (01:04:04):
Awesome.
Do y'all have any closingremarks you'd like to say?
Speaker 4 (01:04:07):
I got one one thing.
It came from when I was inDesert Storm.
You know they had this anyservice member mail and somebody
sent me an article from anewspaper and I cut it out.
Very small thing and it wasjust a quote said freedom for
those who fight for it has aspecial meaning that protected
(01:04:30):
will never know.
I still carry that clipped outpiece of paper and that freedom
that we all fight for, havefought for, you know.
I think it is something thatthe protected you know that
makes us something different inour society.
So to all the veterans that areout there you know you hear it
(01:04:55):
all the time thank you for yourservice.
I understand your service meansmore than just a simple thank
you.
There's folks out there thatdon't know the things you went
through.
Peace time service is stillservice, maintaining freedom.
So just wanted to say that.
Speaker 1 (01:05:16):
And well.
Speaker 4 (01:05:17):
thank you so much for having us.
I appreciate you I appreciateyou guys.
Speaker 2 (01:05:22):
I appreciate you guys and any any way I can help with
sharing anything that y'all gotcoming up in the future.
Please let me know.
Get your checkbook.
I do actually.
I'm just just save it for April7.
Speaker 3 (01:05:32):
Just bring it.
Yeah, we we'd really love tosee a lot of people show up on
April 7.
You know people talk about, oh,you know, support, support the
troops, support the veterans.
And this is this is anopportunity to do exactly that
to show up and be present, getto know our artists, you know,
spend some time with us, likesee what we're working on.
(01:05:55):
We're going to have some artout on display from some of our
artists.
We're gonna have some some artthere that you can look at.
We're gonna have some artiststhere speaking about kind of
their experiences, you know, andwhat what we're doing and what
it's meant to them and how theygot into the arts and we've got
one.
Guys got a really cool story andwe just we'd really love to see
(01:06:19):
some faces out there, to seeour community come together in
person and hang out with us.
Man, like it's, it's a kickback, it's it's the anti-gala.
It's an anti-gala.
You don't have to wear a tux,you wear your stretchy pants.
You can wear a tux if you wantto look, I'm gonna show up in
the tux.
Speaker 2 (01:06:36):
Oh, it depends how hot it's going to be.
It's gonna be a crawfish bib onyour tux, you know.
Speaker 3 (01:06:40):
I'm gonna be wearing my stretchiest pants to see how
many pounds of crawfish I caneat.
But yeah, that's, that's whatwe that's what we want.
Speaker 4 (01:06:49):
I just want a designated driver.
Speaker 2 (01:06:53):
You guys again.
Honestly, I really appreciateyou guys coming out and thank
you for sharing the informationand, like I said, I'll push it
out on websites and we'll get itall going, as always.
We appreciate you tuning in.
Be sure to like, share,subscribe.
Hey, remember that if you everneed any help, please reach out
988.
Press one if you're a veteranand you can also text it and
(01:07:16):
they will respond.
If you're in a crisis or youjust need someone to talk to, as
always, I'm here as well, andreach out to your brothers and
sisters.
It's, they'll pick up the phone, as always.
Thank you again for tuning inand Charlie Mike.
This is Charlie Mike the podcast Veterans helping
veterans.
Talking about things happeningin the veteran community, things
we've experienced and overcome,such as addictions, ptsd,
depression, legal trouble, andwe also promote veteran-owned
businesses.
If you're talking about it,we're talking about it.
(00:24):
This is Charlie Mike thepodcast.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yo, what's going on everybody?
Welcome back to another episodeof Charlie Mike the podcast.
As always, I'm your host, raul,and I was going to introduce
the co-hosts, but I don't gotone.
So, you guys, we appreciate youtuning in.
We just I wanted to come onreal quick.
We actually did this interviewpreviously and I messed it up.
(00:58):
So we're coming to you againwith two special guests and I'm
going to let them introducethemselves.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
My name is Melia Templeton.
I'm the executive director ofArtists in Arms.
It's a nonprofit working withveteran artists.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
And I'm Chan Smith.
I'm an out-large board memberwith Artists in Arms and I do
whatever she tells me to thereand art.
And art stuff Make.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So tell us a little bit about yourself.
You're upbringing your militaryservice.
Tell us what got you into this.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Right on.
Well, I've been an artist sincebefore.
I could do pretty much anythingelse.
I used to sneak into my mom'sart studio and mess around with
her stuff when she wasn't hometo stop me.
I don't remember a time when Iwasn't doing something artistic.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Artistic is in the family.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, my mom is a woodcarver and painter and my
dad is sort of an engineersavant.
He can pretty much makeanything out of anything.
I don't know how to explain mydad MacGyver yeah, he's.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
MacGyver.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, but like hippie MacGyver long curly hair and
stuff he's also a performer.
He used to perform at a TexasRenaissance festival.
So a lot of artistic stuffhappening in my family.
My grandparents are bothartistic.
My brother was artistic, yeah.
And then I got into theater fora while in middle school,
(02:34):
through high school, graduatedhigh school.
Didn't know what I wanted to dowith my life, didn't want to
waste a bunch of money going tocollege and getting a general
degree, so I joined the MarineCorps.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Marine Corps.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, yeah, I was going to go into the Air Force
like my grandpa, but then theywere out to lunch and I ended up
seeing a friend that I went tohigh school with.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Wait, that's for real .
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, for real, for real.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
You know what's funny is?
I've heard that more than once.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Dude.
Yeah, their recruiting officewas locked.
It was down at Baybrook Malland it was locked.
But then I saw my boy, lee,that I went to high school with
and I was like, hey, you lookgood, what are you doing with
your life?
And he's like I'm a Marine.
And he used to contact a byrecruiter and I was like, all
right, whatever Was itBennigan's at night With Plain
Trivia.
You remember Intian Trivia atBennigan's?
Probably not.
I barely remember.
I'm aging myself right now.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But yeah, so we're like Plain.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Trivia.
And there's this old saltyMarine there and I'm like oh, I
was talking to Marine Corpsrecruiter today and he's like
you'll never make it, you can doit.
Women don't belong in themilitary.
Oh, he's one of the mobile ones, so I signed my paperwork the
next day and left for boot camp.
Like a month later, what I waslike watch me bitch.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
How did your family deal with that?
They were supportive, yeah theydidn't.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
My grandpa was the only one who was ever in the
military, as far as I know, andhe was back in the Army Air
Corps before it was the AirForce.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
You know he was like an MP.
I think he was an officer.
I think, he went down to Panama.
I don't really know.
He never talked about it.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, the older generations are like that, yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
I know he didn't particularly like it.
He came back, he uses hiscommission money to go to school
, became a geologist, but that'sit.
There's no other.
We're not like a militaryfamily.
Right right, right.
And we definitely didn't haveany women in the military.
So they were surprised, becauseI've always been very like
(04:34):
don't tell me what to do.
And an artist, some kind ofartsy-fartsy, and they were just
like, really Okay, that'sawesome.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
So how long did you end up serving?
Speaker 3 (04:46):
I was in for five years.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Five years.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I was an avionics technician on CH-53 Echo
Superstallion.
It's I call it, the semi of thesky.
It's a helicopter, it's heavylift.
We moved people on stuff.
Yeah, you know Really cool bird.
I really enjoyed my job.
Had a good time deployed alittle bit, got injured, ended
(05:10):
that career.
Yeah, so it was kind ofunexpected.
I had kind of thought I mightdo 20.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Really.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, I wanted to be a drone instructor because I'm
y'all y'all can't see me, butI'm like five foot two and at
the time I was maybe 120 poundssoaking wet.
You know, it's a tiny littlething, angry at everybody all
the time trying to prove myselflike I could do it myself.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I don't need you to open the jar.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, smash the jar against my forehead, pick the
glass out of the pickles.
Yeah, I had a lot to prove.
Is that how they came up withthe jar head.
Sure, okay, it makes sense, wehave decided.
Yeah, it makes sense.
We just, I was a haircut, butyou know that sounds like a more
reasonable.
But yeah, so I enjoyed my job.
I did a lot of art while I wasin.
(05:59):
You know, once they find outyou can draw at all.
They're like draw me this, youknow.
So I did a lot of morale stuff,you know, painting pictures for
people while we were deployedand you know, just doing art,
kind of keeping, keeping myselfsane, keeping things even keeled
for me as like I could justretreat into the art and not
(06:22):
listen to the explosions andstuff.
Well, if I die, at least I diedoing something I love.
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So you, you from the beginning that you had that
artistic skill.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then I got out, obviouslymedically retired, and then know
what to do with my life, bummedaround a little bit, went to
Alaska for a little bit, turnsout just y'all is really fucking
golden Alaska.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So I came back to Texas.
I wouldn't have guessed it.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
And the the thing is like I was out in what they call
the bush.
It's out in the sticks UmBristol Bay.
If you've ever seen the show,deadliest catch is filmed around
where I lived.
So I'm like out on the coastand there's nothing like.
There's no road system, youcan't get to Anchorage, you
can't go to the movie theater,you're just out in this tundra
town and there's nothing to do.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Um and it's daylight most of the time.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Not where I was at.
So, like, if you look at yourhandy map of Alaska, y'all I'm
holding up my hand here.
Um, if you look at your handymap of Alaska, I was like over
here.
So the the places that are likedaylight all the time, that's
like way up north.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Okay, okay, so you got night and day.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Yeah, I think our shortest day of the year was
like there was still four hoursa day light, you know.
So there's a little bit of it,but we're we're like kind of
even with like Canada and stuff.
Okay, alaska is so huge wedon't realize how big it is
until you superimpose Texas overAlaska and you go, oh um a lot
(07:49):
of coastline to do so muchcoastline and most people live
on the coast.
Area Like the interior ofAlaska is pretty much just
weirdos and bears and moose.
Sorry sorry for all you off gridfolks that are listening to
this podcast.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
So I have a question, like when I think of Alaska, I
don't think seasons do they haveseasons, so there's not always
snow there all the time.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
I mean again, it depends where you're at.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
So if you're up, in like gnome.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
then, yeah, it's mostly snow and it's.
They've got the like 40 daysand night or whatever.
I don't know, I've never beenthere.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
It's, it's colder there, so this is a podcast
studio right here and we doanother podcast with these guys
called grab them in the brisket,and my job is to is to I
produce it.
So I'm in the bag checking thestatistics and things that they
say.
So he's like, uh, you know, ifyou go to Alaska, you got like
an 80% chance that you'll getattacked by a bear.
(08:41):
And I was like, yeah, thatmakes sense.
And I didn't check it.
And they're like they wentsomewhere else, to another like
barbecue festival, and somebodyfrom Alaska came up to him and
was like you guys are idiots,shut that off, shut that off.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
I will say, though, like when, when I was, I was
there for around two years and,um, we did have a guy whose dog
got eaten by a bear, which wasreally sad, and then, um, we
also there was a lady whose doggot carried off by an eagle, and
we have those here too.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
So look, danger is everywhere.
Keep your dogs inside.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
That's what I'm saying.
Eagles are everywhere up there,all the Eagles everywhere.
They're like trash birds.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Yeah, they're obnoxious, they're like, they're
everywhere and they get intoyour stuff.
Bears are the same way.
They're like raccoons that cankill you.
Um, they have the samepersonality, like if you leave
your trash in your car, theywill like tuna.
Can your car to get your trashout to like dig in it and see if
there's good food.
Um and, if you like, you can'tleave trash in your Arctic entry
(09:38):
because they'll kind of breakinto your house sometime.
They're really obnoxious andthey're yeah, but the moose are
the dangerous ones.
I stay away from the moose.
Anyway, I don't know how weended up talking about Alaska.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
I'm from Alaska and I went back to school for theater
degree.
I got a degree in theater.
I do mostly um scenic art andprop making.
I like acting but it's not myforte.
I guess Um more of a backstageperson.
So when you say scenic art, justof like painting walls, making
(10:10):
stuff look like other stuff.
So, like you know, if you havea, a white painted table and the
director comes to you and itwas like I want this to look
like walnut, but you don't wantto strip the table down, Then
you have to paint paint on topof the paint to look like it's
wood.
Right, Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:26):
I guess, Woodgrain and stuff yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Or, um, you know, you have somebody who's like I want
this million dollar statue inmy play, but you know our budget
is, um, this pile of peanuts.
So what can you do?
And so you carve a replica ofthat statue to be in the play.
You know stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Wow, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
That's cool yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
So tell us, tell us more about yourself.
I knew you said you're part ofthe organization, part of the
nonprofit.
Now tell us you're upbringing,where you're originally from and
your military service.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Awesome, um, I was born in West Texas, odessa,
odessa, there's nothing outthere.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Yeah, that's why I said it like that.
My brother calls it a God'scountry.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
But I had a little bit of sense and my, my mom, uh,
my father passed away when Iwas young and she brought us
back here, uh, basically eastside of of Houston, um, bellevue
, barber Hill, cambridge County,yeah, and um, I had a Cuban
(11:33):
grandfather and he was theartist and my mom painted Um so
I think it was in the blood.
You know that Cuban blood iswhere that came from, um, you
know grandfather.
Also, his sisters wereactresses and um musicians and
singers and stuff like that, butI didn't take it in any of it
(11:57):
in consideration.
You know I was just like a kidand don't appreciate that stuff
when you're young, um, but youknow, even even that going to
school like um, my art educationwas um, was seventh grade art.
Um, how was it?
You know it was like, okay, Ihad a lot of fun, but did I
(12:20):
continue it now?
My father was a World War IIveteran.
It's not that I'm that old, hewas much older and not knowing
my father and that he was aWorld War II veteran.
It was something that I wantedto do.
So two months after my 17thbirthday and I enlisted and was
(12:45):
able to retire at 37.
That was kind of cool.
But yeah, I enlisted and kindof that same thing.
Amelia is saying you know?
It's like, yeah, some skills,though you can draw, you can
paint.
I got this cool idea for atattoo or first art and Sergeant
(13:05):
Major find out you can paint.
And it's like a smitty Comehere.
What do you need to paint thiswhole wall?
I want a mural of me, whateverit is.
Well, you know, you know.
First, armored Division, oldiron sights.
He wanted a painting of USSConstitution in the day, you
(13:30):
know, like a dayroom.
I was like you want to paint aship on the wall in an army
barracks?
I was like, well, okay you know, so got me out of some crappy
duty, you know as a PFC.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Yeah, but that's the best part about being in.
Yeah, it's like nope, are youguys mowing the yard?
I'm gonna paint this wall.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Yeah, exactly, Pain rocks.
No, no, no Bricks.
Um, yeah, but I got out, youknow, just enlisted and ended
and I was like I'm going to goto college and Wallamon College,
Um, I actually met a friend ofours was the Lewis Medina, um,
in a National Guard unit andwhile I'm in the National Guard
(14:12):
going to college, and there'slike this 13 year old kid and he
had a dot on his cap and I'mlike what's up with this kid?
I'm like oh, he's in, he's a,an ROTC at the University of
Houston.
I was like I go to Universityof Houston.
So I went over and talked tohim and I'm like, hmm, so I got
(14:33):
in the senior ROTC program at Uof H, got commissioned with a
waiver because I was already oldum from prior service Um, so I
got commissioned after 12 yearsin list of service Um didn't get
the branch I wanted, really.
I mean, I didn't know what Iwanted to do, even as an officer
.
Um became a quarter master,which is supply and services.
(14:53):
Um had a lot of fun, a lot ofstress, went ahead and decided
retired right after 20 years.
Um really is a couple of monthsafter my my oldest son was born
and I was like it is not thetime to have kids and be in the
(15:14):
army and yeah, how manydeployments happened after 2007.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Um, so yeah that was the, the push.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I mean it was we were doing 18 months man.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Yeah, oh, and I had the.
You know, I had the opportunity.
I had actually busted up myknee pretty good, uh, had to
have surgery on it, so I didn'tdeploy with my unit.
At one point and I was.
I was like the, the reardetachment commander, so I had
all the um, all the people thatstay back on rear detachment,
(15:47):
all the squared away.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
So yeah, yeah, yeah, 18.
Yeah 18.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
So a lot of fun, um, and then, you know, got squared
away for for deployment.
20 year later came and I waslike I can retire now.
And they're like, well, youknow, we can uh, send you over
and you'll be in a back of theairfield as a logistics officer
(16:13):
for an aviation brigade.
And I'm like, or, or, I canhang up that uniform.
So I did that.
Then I brilliant idea, um, alsoLewis suggested it I went and
taught JRTC as a retired armyofficer and I went over in fifth
ward and taught it at Whealyhigh school, um, which did not
(16:37):
have a theater program, by theway, which I thought was really
interesting.
Um, they had an art teacher andthen everything else was banned
.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
marching banned marching banned marching, banned
sports.
The football team yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Um well and it's also very underserved Community and
the little, the few resourcesyou know were very spread then.
And there are teacher there, umgreat guy you know, he bought
everything himself.
That's, um, that's, and we'lltalk about that.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Right, I'll talk about that, yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
So, um, but it was really, I would say, in uniform.
It was the hardest job I everhad to teaching um underserved
young people Um, you know thevalue of service right,
especially when they they comefrom a community where they're
usually recipients of thatservice.
Um, but it was too much for me.
(17:34):
You know I was neglecting timewith my family Um, so I ended up
getting out of doing that.
Uh found myself through vocrehab Um a job working for
county government Um doingemergency response.
Um training for the public.
And you know I still had thatservice and you know, focused on
(17:59):
young people.
So I'm still doing that with umhigh school students.
Great, great opportunity.
I mean really active shooterdrills.
No, it's a community emergencyresponse.
It's a program under FEMA, okay, and it's just teaching life
saving skills.
Oh right, um, in disasters, andwe face more than our share
(18:20):
here, uh, in our region.
So, you know, very rewardingkind of thing that, knowing that
I'm going to tell some youngperson something that you know,
have them gain the skills thatcould save somebody that they
love or or a complete stranger.
Um, but that gave me um moretime with my family.
(18:40):
Um, I was like what did whatold retired guys with the second
job do?
Um with their time?
Not much with their family.
Um, so my wife, she kind ofshe's going to watch this.
She told me I needed to find ahobby and, um, we made that
(19:03):
happen after yet several yearsof her telling me I need a hobby
, you need a hobby, you need ahobby, and she knew I had some
artistic skills just because Ido, you know, would do little
things.
Um, so we, we have a studio inour house now, and about two
years ago I, since I have aspace, I'll go in there and
(19:27):
we'll spend a whole weekend inthe studio together, and so she
does her, her watercolor orwhatever she's working on on,
you know, just across stablefrom me and it's great, great
quality time and it really ishelpful for me.
You know, it's a decompression,um, it's an outlet, um, it's
(19:48):
something I really just enjoydoing.
And as far as art goes, what Ido is I do those props, but I do
them much smaller.
And you know, I was a kid inmiddle school that would like
make model tanks and blow themup with firecrackers.
That's why I joined the Army.
So, yeah, practice on one toone scale.
(20:11):
As an adult, though, yeah, it'snot as easy anymore.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
It's not as fun.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
You can't get away with much, I mean it's like when
can you get firecrackersanymore and you know if somebody
watching me take this acrossthe county line.
You know it's like alwayswatching.
Yeah, so you know working forcounty government.
I want to stay on the right,yeah, that makes sense.
(20:37):
So I was like okay, I need to.
You know, I still like to makesmall things, that attention to
detail, and you would think thatit would be tedious, like
stressful things, and it's justlike it's not been that way for
me.
I've made super small things.
You know, if you're, if you'rekind of able to figure out scale
(21:02):
one to 300 scale, so a personthat is six foot tall, maybe
like a quarter of an inch tall.
And then I recently, my wife,found a old Fisher Price
dollhouse for sale online and Iwas like she's like, hey, you
can do something with this.
So I took it home and cleanedit up and painted it and it's
(21:27):
looks like a Victorian mansionkind of creepy haunted house
feel.
But it's it's all those smallthings that I do that I'm like,
instead of stressing over how doI do this make it's, it's like
setting a small goal.
I was like what can I do withthis and what can I use?
And using found, found thingsI'm from Texas using found
(21:53):
things to make these you knowdetails, but it's been a great
outlet and it's really kind ofopened up me to do other things
with within kind of thisassemblage art, you know,
putting things together.
That I'm yes, I go by Chan, butkind of this other name that I
(22:17):
use is Earl kind of always beenEarl at work and I'm like it's a
family name.
I'm a third generation Earl butI've never been like Earl.
I didn't feel like it was me.
But I'm like what I do is kindof eerie.
I was like I like eerie Earl,so I make like this kind of
(22:42):
small dark things.
Yeah, it's not the, the goth,it's not horror, it's just kind
of odd dark, eerie stuff andI've really enjoyed it and If
you wouldn't mind, send me acouple pictures.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
I could post it so people can see the video the
video.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
When we release the video, they can see it.
Yeah, make sure that thosevideos are in.
Well, I know that pictures.
Speaker 4 (23:08):
I know we're gonna talk about an event we have
coming up.
Yes, and I'm.
I'm putting one of my.
I made a piece for our upcomingfundraiser and and I'll send
you a picture of that.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
People are gonna have to fight me for this piece of
art.
I'm already planning to be onit.
Hey, I'm looking, I'm.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
I'm.
I think I was telling you lasttime I'm looking for artwork to
put in my house, so I just gotit in.
I need to decorate.
There's nothing there.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Awesome, fight me, did you say, bite me, arm
wrestle.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
She looks stronger to me.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
I'm fighting.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Yeah, so I Want to ask about the nonprofit so how
did it start?
Where did the idea come from?
Artist in arms.
Now that's a bad ass name.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
Oh, thanks so my, my husband and my one of my best
friends kind of code, came upwith it.
I can't remember.
You know, there's there's a bitof debate of who came up with
it first and who was the one whowas like, yeah, that's the one,
but they, they both wereinstrumental in naming the
organization.
I just, I know a good idea whenI see it.
(24:21):
So I was like, yeah, they'reright.
Yeah, thanks, I like the name.
So where did it come from?
Okay, well, I workedprofessionally in theater here
in Houston.
I worked at alley theater for awhile, worked with a few
smaller theaters here and thereas an independent contractor,
(24:42):
really enjoyed doing that.
And then, you know, co-ed kindof happened and I saw another
career that I thought I wouldretire from, kind of go up in
flames around me and I kind ofmessed with my head a little bit
and I Just didn't really havethe heart to go back into it.
After things started to kind ofsettle and I I started thinking
(25:04):
about throughout my career.
I was always kind of Lookingfor other veterans in the arts
scene, you know, because we justhave like a different mentality
, right, you know, like we gettogether, we start talking about
boot camp or whatever.
There's just like a differentvibe in the veteran community
(25:25):
and Then a different vibe andkind of the arts community right
, and I I always felt kind of onOn the outskirts of both of
those you know as an, as anartist.
Sometimes you go into veteranspaces and people are like arts,
artsy-fancy types.
So you know, or draw me a tattooor whatever.
(25:46):
You know how many, how manytattoos have we all drawn for
people?
But and then you go into artspaces and they're like oh,
you're a veteran, I can't, wecan't relax around you, we don't
know what, where you arementally trigger.
We don't want to trigger you orwhatever or or the other way,
and I was like, oh, I don't wantto be around and they're gonna
(26:10):
do something that's gonna beharmful to me sometimes, yeah
and you know I mean that's notevery person right but there is
a sort of sometimes like you'rekind of afraid to relax in
either group because eitheryou're gonna say something
that's gonna like out you as asas an artist, or you're gonna
like say something's gonnaoffend somebody that you just
(26:33):
thought was funny you know?
Yes, it can be.
It can just be a challenge.
You know, as much as you loveboth groups, you just kind of
are like I just want to be ableto take a deep breath.
Right, I want to.
I want to Go watch aShakespeare play and laugh at
(26:54):
the jokes with, you know, myfriends, who understand what
it's like to be deployed, youknow, and why that line was
funny, or you know you saw a lotof resemblance.
Oh, in Shakespeare, yeah, so,like there's a.
There's a character inShakespeare who actually there's
an entire speech about how hehas PTSD from battle.
(27:15):
What, yeah, the man?
Like?
We have been dealing with thisstuff for thousands of years.
There's a Greek play its name Ican't remember right now, but
it's sort of tied into like theIliad and the Odyssey, and it's
about this character who'sinjured.
Right, he gets a foot injuryand it won't heal, and so
(27:38):
Odysseus and his crew, theydecide that this guy's bad luck.
So they abandoned him on anisland.
They just they just boot himout and they leave him and they
sail away.
But this guy Phylactides is hisname, oh, that might be the
name of the play.
Anyway, phylactides is left onthis island and they only leave
him with this like magic bow andhe's like this amazing archer.
(27:58):
And then they go throughoutthis war and they're like
getting ready to Might be theTrojan War.
Yeah, I'm not a scholar so Icould have some of this messed
up.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Oh, you could say it and I'd agree with you.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Somebody's gonna be listen to this and be like so
forgive me if I get some of thiswrong, but Phylactides is left
there with his magic bow andhe's like blessed by Athena or
somebody.
Anyway, they find out like tenyears later that they're like
they're not gonna win this warwithout him and his magic Bow.
Well, without the magic bow.
(28:32):
So Odysseus and his crew arelike Shit man, we got to go back
and get Phylactides.
I bet he's pissed.
You know, and so this whole playis about like they go back to
get him and he's, you know, he'spissed, he's, he's been
abandoned.
We just realized you were gone,Like oh sorry bro, and they're
trying to like, trick him and togive him them their bows so
they can leave him again,because his foot still really
(28:53):
miss you, but I'm sorry, buddy,how you doing, anyway.
So like so this theme of thisguy who's injured and left
behind by his crew and he's gonethrough all this stuff, but he
has this PTSD and he's likereally upset and he feels
abandoned.
And I'm like I Was injured, myfoot got hurt and I got kicked
(29:17):
out of the Marine Corps becausethey broke me and I feel left
behind and abandoned and theyalways say no man left behind,
but I got left behind, right andlike.
So there's this play that waswritten like 2,000 years ago or
whatever that I'm connectingwith because I have the same
injury as this guy, basically,or whatever, the same experience
, or similar experience, right.
(29:38):
Anyway, all of that, I mean, isgonna bring me back around to
Like, throw at history.
Like, if you look at our oldestcave paintings here in the in
North America, they're scenes ofbattle, right.
There are scenes of hunts there, scenes of the colonizers
coming over and like killingpeople, and it's it's a way for
(29:59):
the people who fought thesebattles whether it was hunting
or war or skirmishes or whateverTo tell their stories when they
come back home to their family,to their friends, and they're
they're leaving this historybehind of what happened, and
sometimes they're the victorsand sometimes they're the losers
, but they're connecting andthey're telling their stories.
(30:21):
And that is our oldest art,right, that is the oldest art in
the world.
And then you look at, like,again, the Iliad Odyssey.
It's all about these battlesand these relationships between
the People who fought and theirfamilies.
And like what happens when Ajaxis killed?
And and how does that affect?
(30:42):
And what's his name?
The guy who goes crazy cuz Ajaxis killed anyway, it doesn't
matter, nobody, it doesn'tmatter.
Tom, tom, yeah, tom, Rad Pittplayed him.
He was real cute anyway, oh.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
No it's right there and I feel really stupid.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
I feel really stupid right now.
But yeah, and Shakespeare wroteabout PTSD and Hotspur, and
Hotspur's wife is actually theone giving this Speech about.
Hotspur can't sleep and he'shaving these, these flashbacks,
and he needs to like Get rightwith himself or their, their
family, is not gonna surviveright, and so many of us are
dealing with a lot of thesethings still today.
(31:24):
Like this is not new, stuff isnice new ways of talking about
it.
So I Was looking for thoseconnections.
I was looking for people, forcommunity of people to share my
stories with, to be like, yeah,I was in this combat zone and I
have all these feelings about itand I want to paint a picture
(31:44):
or I want to watch a play, andthen I want to joke about it and
you know I'm gonna whatever.
I just want to connect withpeople who will get it to some
degree, who have a similar lifeexperience, you know, and
sometimes I just want to dostuff for fun and not have to
worry about like, am I gonna saysomething that is upsetting to
somebody?
Right?
(32:04):
And I wasn't finding it here inHouston, I could find it in LA,
I could find it in New York,chicago, austin, all these
places had some sort of artsprogramming for veterans, but
Houston didn't really have it.
We had an organization that kindof started and then the founder
moved and it just kind ofDidn't happen and that's kind of
(32:27):
as close as we got and likethere's art therapy, you can go
to the VA, you can do arttherapy, right, but there's not
just like groups of artistsgetting together and doing stuff
, you know, and I Proceeded tocomplain about that for a while,
for probably a good six months,before my husband finally
(32:47):
looked at me.
It was like If you want it sobad, build it yeah, but stop
bitching about it.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Do it or shut up.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Yeah, and I was like well, I can't do that, I don't
know how to run and I don't knowhow to do something, I'm an
artist, what do I know?
And I paint, I sculpt, I makethings.
I don't know how to do that.
And he's like all right, well,I don't know what to tell you.
And and I talked to some otherfriends about it and they were
like, yeah, no, you should startthat, you should start that,
you should start that.
And Kind of unanimously, Italked to the veterans you
(33:20):
should start that, right.
And so we finally just Did it.
We just started this groupbecause I got to thinking about
it.
I was like, well, I'm feelinglonely and I'm lucky, my, my
spouse, is also a Marine.
We no, we didn't meet in themilitary.
We were actually friends inhigh school, weirdly enough.
But, um, so I have someone Ilive with who I can talk to
(33:44):
about stuff.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
You know if.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold
sweat because of a dream aboutsomething that happened 20 years
ago, that Really I feel like Ishould probably be over.
But let's be honest, I'm notright.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
You know, let's not the wrong with that, or I get a.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
I get a random Facebook message saying, hey, so
, and so is gone, we lost him.
He, he, he, he, he left us,right, and I break down.
I haven't tossed this guy in 20years but I'm breaking down
like my best friend just died,right, right, and my husband
gets that.
But everybody doesn't have thatprivilege.
Everybody doesn't have thatsupport system kind of built in
(34:19):
at home and I thought, if I'mLonely for other veteran artists
, even with my husband in thehouse, I'm feeling this like
lack.
There's got to be other peoplein the same situation.
There's got to be other peoplethat need this community of
support to like just that, getit.
(34:40):
And so, yeah, so we juststarted it and that was in 2021,
I think and we've been sort ofslowly growing ever since.
We didn't want to get ahead ofourselves.
You know, learning how to doall this, finding the funding
it's pretty much self-funded atthis point, right okay, and
(35:01):
self-funded mean out of mypocket.
Yeah, my pocket, my husband'spocket, so and some from
generous friends and some smallprograms we've done here and
there for fundraising, but wehaven't gotten any grants or
sponsorships or, yeah, nocorporate sponsorships yet,
nothing like that.
So we just have been taking itkind of slow so that we don't
(35:24):
let people down.
We don't want to make these bigpromises and get ahead of
ourselves and then it all fallsapart right.
So we've been trying to buildstructure so that we have a
really solid foundation, and sonow we are running a couple
different programs.
(35:44):
We've got our art car, sergeantBubbles, where some of our more
mechanically-minded veteranscan like tinker with this car.
And we've got a replica 50caliber machine gun on top that
you can get in the turret ofthis old Chevy Malibu and you
can ride through the streets ofHouston shooting bubbles at
(36:07):
people out of this giant machinegun.
It's really stupid and fun andwe love her.
We usually do the art carparade, but this year we have an
event that's kind of conflictwith that.
We've got our second serviceprogram that we're getting ready
to kick off, where we're gonnadonate some art supplies to
underfunded schools.
We can talk a little more aboutthat.
(36:28):
That's Operation Game Changer.
We do socials just get togetherand BS.
Yeah, we do workshops where wejust do art for fun.
Last time we made sock puppets.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Family-friendly.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Yeah, we generally try to keep most of our stuff
family-friendly.
That's good, it may not be likefour kids, but I was a single
parent for a while and I knowhow difficult it can be if you
can't bring your kid to stuffand also just you want to do
stuff with kids sometimes, yeah,you do.
And doing art with them,especially something that's
(37:01):
really low risk, like making asock puppet.
You can't screw up a sockpuppet.
I mean really it's hard.
You could, but you'd have totry it really are.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
I was.
I had some anxiety about comingand doing that one yeah.
Yeah, I didn't show you shouldhave.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
I feel so bad, it was really fun.
I made a unicorn, yeah, anyway,so we do those programs, we do.
What else do we do, chan?
Oh, we go to events, you know,and we just talk about our
artists in arms and try to meetnew people and we do some silent
(37:42):
auctions and yeah, those events, there's a lot Getting
recognized out in the community.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
Yeah, the greater Houston area, you know that's
the thing.
You know it's like how does a,how does a nonprofit grow, and
when you don't have funds, youknow it goes by word of mouth.
The veteran community, again,you know Milius said it great.
(38:12):
I mean we can get around eachother and we can tell our war
stories, but we get around eachother and we're like, hey, don't
you do like leather work orwoodwork, you know so, and
that's where I was like artistI'm afraid of that word Because
(38:35):
I'm like, I make stuff and Ithink there's lots of veterans
out there, you know, that mayhave a hobby.
It doesn't have to be this highbrow, you know museum stuff and
, and yeah, it is not therapy.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Right.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
This, you know, artist in arms is, does not, is
not a art therapy provider.
But I think that those of usthat make things hobby, wise,
you know, it's therapeutic.
And when we get around otherveterans and and we can talk
about those things and like, hey, don't you, you know, whatever
(39:17):
it is make something, some sortof creative outlet writing,
singing, you know music, any ofthose things you know and it
creates that community, thatcamaraderie, and we become more
creative.
So we support each other thatway and kind of this social.
(39:41):
It's like here's somebody thatgets me, yeah, and they do stuff
and I can say that's reallycool.
I, that's not, that's not myskill set.
Your husband, josh, he's awoodworking guy.
Yeah, welding to welding.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (39:59):
Welding is an art.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
If you all ever seen some of this stuff welders do,
yeah, what am I?
Speaker 2 (40:03):
good buddies does and he does some, some artistic
stuff.
Yeah, I mean, and that's whatI'm like.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
So I'm like, you know , I'm like.
So any moniker of artist that'swhen I tell people about you
know, meet other veterans andtry to tell them is like don't
be shy, you know, don't shy awayfrom that.
It's that you're being creative, makes you an artist, creating
(40:34):
something that wasn't therebefore.
Right, I think that's how youusually say it's like you're an
artist, you know the person thatwrites a poem, a story, you
know the literature, you knoweven if it's kind of half
fiction.
You know, some of us have ourstories and with time, those
(40:54):
stories, good, they grow.
But you know, and it is anoutlet and, and I will say, I
did attend art therapy outsideof the VA and I was like, ok,
well, this, you know, it may behelpful.
You know, I'm sure it's helpingme.
It's not developing skills,it's more like now I want you to
(41:21):
use these colors and draw X andthen we're going to talk about
it.
Well, that's not what we'redoing.
Tell me, tell me, how that makesyou feel.
Speaker 2 (41:34):
It's a line.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
It makes me feel like I don't want to be.
Speaker 4 (41:39):
Right.
So you know, it's just likemore freedom of creativity.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
I like to say it's low risk.
Speaker 4 (41:48):
Yes, low risk.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
It's low risk Like you're not going to come to one
of our events and we're going tobe like now, raul, I want you
to make this sock puppet and Iwant your sock puppet to act out
your feelings about XYZ event.
Right, we're just going to belike we're making sock puppets.
What do you want to make?
And you're going to be like Iwant to make a spider and I'm
going to be like but we can dothat.
(42:10):
I'm going to help you make asock puppet spider just because
it's for fun, right.
And the act of creation initself is therapeutic, even when
it's not intended.
Because what do they teach usUltimately when we are in boot
camp or whatever the rest ofy'all call basic training?
Basic training, oh basictraining All right Whenever
(42:34):
we're in basic training basiccombat training.
What are they, fucking Marines?
Honestly, what are theyteaching us?
They're teaching us to destroystuff.
Right, they're tearing us down.
They're teaching us to tearother stuff down.
They're teaching us to destroy.
They're taking kids, whoever,and, and they're they're
(42:54):
teaching us to become agents ofdestruction as necessary, right,
when we go through taps.
Ha ha ha, they don't.
They don't teach us how tocreate again, right.
They just kind of go you coulddrive a truck for you know,
pinsky, or whatever, and thenthey tap us on the button, send
(43:15):
us out the door.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
Yeah, good luck, which I feel like 75 percent of
it is by yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
But they don't like, they're not.
They're not teaching us how tocreate again.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Right.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
And so some of us, we really lose something in that.
You know, and it's not that badwhat they're teaching us in
bootcamp.
It's necessary, it's what we'rethere to be doing, right, what
we're getting trained for.
But the the act of creation, itdoesn't have to be subjectively
good, Right, it doesn't have tobe good.
(43:49):
Or, you know, I melt crayons oncanvases sometimes, that's, I
make paintings out of meltedcrayons.
You might look at that andthink it looks like trash and
that's OK, it doesn't matter,because I'm making something.
I'm creating something.
I am kind of healing somethingwithin myself through the act of
creation, and I know this isgetting very esoteric or
(44:10):
whatever, but Melting crayons,destroying something in order to
create.
In order to create Right, andI'm creating something fun and
something beautiful.
We have broken crayons, stillcolor.
I love it.
Um, and I think that's kind ofthe core of what we're doing is
we're we're embracing thatability to make, to create, to,
(44:33):
to build things again, you know,and we're having fun with it.
Another thing we do is the fogs, which are forward operating
galleries.
It's been one of our reallycool programs that we started.
We go into spaces.
We did one in U of H Clear Lake, we did one at Artist Gallery
(44:55):
up in the woodlands.
We've got another one coming upwith Spring Street Studios and
we bring in artwork, usuallyfrom our veteran community.
Sometimes we'll take stuff fromfamily members or really
dedicated supporters.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (45:11):
And we hang that art in that space for a certain
amount of time.
You know, it's just like a Fordoperating base.
It's not intended to bepermanent, right, it's a, it's a
found space, it's a Fordoperating gallery and it gives
an opportunity for artists whomay not have more traditional
means of getting their work intoa gallery, an opportunity to
(45:32):
show their art in the communityand to have their friends and
family come and see it and tosee their stuff up on a wall
with a light on it, right.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
And is that?
Is that available for purchase?
Speaker 3 (45:45):
So we don't, we don't charge we.
What we do is a a smallapplication fee.
It's usually around ten dollars.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
No, let's say I'm in the gallery and I see some
they're busy in the gallery.
I got you Sorry.
Speaker 3 (46:00):
It depends on the venue.
So, some venues.
They don't want to deal withhaving to try to manage money
and get people in touch with theartists and stuff like that.
But we always try to put someway of contacting the website or
QR code or something, so thatif somebody wants to buy that
art they can get a hold of theartist.
But some galleries do likeartist gallery.
(46:22):
You could sell your stuff there.
I sold a piece.
Speaker 2 (46:25):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
Yeah, I was real happy.
Speaker 2 (46:26):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
So that is location specific.
Speaker 2 (46:31):
OK.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
I do always ask because I want the artist to
have that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
Right.
Speaker 3 (46:35):
I'm a big believer that artists should get paid, of
course, for their art, you know, for their skills and for their
time.
But yeah, it's specific to thelocation.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
So I've participated in one of the kind of pop up for
operating galleries and I meanit was kind of a very short
notice.
It's like in this one for me.
I was like, hey, I'm going todo this.
And then I was like, oh shit,I'm going to be doing this,
(47:06):
people are going to look at mystuff and they're going to judge
my stuff.
And I say judge.
You know, that was myperception and I brought I think
they, they allowed me a fewpieces and I brought, brought
some variety of things and itwas really eye opening to me.
(47:27):
It changed my perception thatthat judgy Because the people
that are that'll go.
You know, I had some friendsthat showed up and they had
never seen my stuff.
It's great to get support fromthem, but then see strangers
Come look at your stuff andreally look at it and get
(47:48):
engaged with what you've done,what you created, and it helps,
I don't know.
It, just like I said, changedmy perception.
I was like, ok, so people cancome to a gallery and they can
look at my stuff and they don'tfeel like oh, that is just you
(48:08):
know my 12 year old could havedone that.
You call this art, right, right,I mean.
And I was, I was really reallyI did not know.
And I know Amelia she was.
I flooded her with questions.
I was like what do I do?
What about this?
How do I?
And she's like just come, we'llfigure it out.
(48:32):
And yeah, and I actually sold afew pieces, awesome, amazing,
you know, just like whoa,somebody's like my stuff enough
to buy it.
Yeah, you said with money.
Yeah, like yeah, I mean OK.
And even.
How many times have I asked youwell, how do I price this?
Speaker 3 (48:56):
My price is yeah, and guess what I do.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
Google how to price I don't know either.
Speaker 3 (49:03):
In fact, that's a workshop that we're going to
work on.
Presenting is helping artists,especially non-traditional
artists and artisans, figure outhow to price their stuff,
artisans and artisans.
Artists and artisans.
So a lot of people here, likeChan touched on earlier, a lot
of people hear the word artistand they think painting, drawing
(49:25):
, maybe sculpting, that's it.
Speaker 2 (49:28):
That's kind of where it goes.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
The number of times people have said oh, I'm not an
artist, I can't even draw astick figure.
And I look at them and I seethat they have hand.
Or they have designed and handbuilt an entire Elizabethan gown
.
And I'm like buddy, yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:46):
OK, I got you.
Speaker 3 (49:47):
You are absolutely an artist.
You just don't.
You're thinking too small.
You're thinking too small.
So one of the things we want todo is actually expand the
definition and theacknowledgment of what is art
and who is an artist, Because Idon't know if you've ever had a
really bad cup of coffee.
Speaker 2 (50:05):
Oh yeah, we're a bear .
Speaker 3 (50:07):
Or a really good cup of coffee.
Roasting coffee beans that's anart, because you've got to know
just the perfect crack andeverything right.
There's all these classes youcan go take.
There's a coffee, sommelier'sand stuff A really well-brewed
beer, that's an art.
Baking is an art.
Welding is an art.
(50:28):
Designing buildings is an art,you know like you tell me Making
a podcast.
Making a podcast is an art.
You tell me a career.
I could probably find the artin it.
Makes sense.
Creativity and artistry is notlimited to drawing.
You know that's a big soapbox.
(50:48):
Item I have is getting peopleto acknowledge, yeah, you are an
artist.
Man Like you designed a car.
Like you designed an entire carright or whatever, I don't know
where.
I was going originally, but mywife calls them tangents.
(51:09):
Yeah, yeah, tangents.
Yeah, not a tangent Train aboutderails and goes off this way.
Speaker 2 (51:15):
Well, there's a couple questions I want to ask
you all.
Ok, so tell me a little bitabout the supplies.
You said you all do a thingabout school supplies.
Speaker 3 (51:23):
Oh yeah, operation Game Changer that's our newest
program, really near and dear tomy heart.
I told you I did theater inhigh school.
There is a thing that you do inTexas called one act play.
It's kind of like the playoffsfor theater.
Right, it's our big competition.
A lot of funding for your dramadepartment can kind of ride on
(51:44):
how well you do it.
One act play it's all the UILrules, just like in football and
everywhere else where you haveto keep your grades and
attendance and all that stuff.
The thing about one act play isthere's is really stringent
rules, including the set you canuse.
And they have this thing calleda basic unit set.
(52:05):
It's these certain pieces ofgeometric shapes.
It's like ramps and platformsand pillars and doors, and they
have to be very exactingmeasurements.
They all have to be paintedmedium gray.
It's a very specific color.
You can only have a certainnumber of them and it's very
(52:30):
specific and you have to usethat for your competition.
You can't have any other set.
One of those to purchase startsat around $6,000.
Speaker 2 (52:40):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
Yeah, many of our theater programs are entirely
funded by the teacher, and Idon't know if you know what
teachers make right now, but alot of them don't have $6,000
laying around that they canafford to buy this set.
Sometimes they'll have a budget,but it will be like $300 for
the entire year and out of that$300, they have to buy the
(53:03):
scripts, because you have to payroyalties to use a script.
They have to buy costumes, theyhave to buy lighting, they have
to pay for food for the kidswhen they stay after school.
Speaker 4 (53:13):
Paint transportation to the events.
Speaker 3 (53:16):
That's for the entire year.
One act play is just one play.
In the entire season.
It's in the spring You'reprobably doing six, seven, eight
plays a year if you're a robusttheater department.
So there are a lot of theaterdepartments out there that are
using either busted old20-year-old one act play basic
unit sets that are falling apart, or they just don't have them
(53:38):
at all.
And then what happens?
When you practice, practice,practice on AstroTurf and then
you go to play the playoffs andnow you're on grass right, it's
a whole different field.
It's gonna screw it the way youplay your game.
Same thing happens with one actplay.
I use a lot of sports analogies.
Speaker 2 (53:58):
No, it's good.
Speaker 4 (54:00):
It makes it understandable.
Yeah, but there's funding therein sports.
Speaker 3 (54:04):
Right, right.
And so you same, with one actplay.
You're practicing on a barestage.
Then you get the competition.
Now you have the basic unit setavailable to use.
You've set up your stage.
That's been hypothetical untilthis point.
And now you're performing.
You might get one practice,maybe if you're lucky, if
there's time.
And now you're performing incompetition on a set you've
(54:27):
never set foot on, that you'renot used to.
It puts you at a competitivedisadvantage.
And who gets the funding?
The schools that win, right,you know.
So these underfunded.
Speaker 4 (54:37):
Rich get richer, I think, is how it kind of goes.
Speaker 3 (54:38):
Yeah, these underfunded programs remain
underfunded because they're youknow, and it's not always some
people like they do fine andthey, you know, power through,
but it's problematic, right.
So this whole operation gamechanger idea came when I was
like, well, what if we built abasic unit set and donated it to
(54:59):
a school?
Well, buying the lumber,finding the people to construct
this thing, buying the paint,that's a lot of money, right.
That's a couple thousanddollars in itself.
So then I was talking to afriend who's an art teacher and
she was talking about how, youknow, she couldn't afford to buy
watercolors for one of herclasses and she was gonna have
to go and, like, put it on hercredit card.
(55:20):
And I was like that's BS, theschool should be providing basic
art supplies.
And another friend of mine waslike, oh man, that's nothing he
does.
He teaches workshops fordrawing.
He goes into schools.
They don't have pencils andpaper in their art class.
Speaker 2 (55:33):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (55:34):
There's nothing.
Speaker 2 (55:35):
Imaginers.
Speaker 3 (55:36):
Yeah so.
Speaker 4 (55:38):
Well, and even I think those of us that have kids
have kind of gone up throughthe public schools and you find
is like, oh yeah, there's afundraiser, You're allowed to do
this fundraiser and thisfundraiser Okay, that's great.
And again it's that rich getricher.
And I don't mean rich, but youknow, the schools where there's
(56:00):
resources are also the schoolswhere parents of kids have
resources.
Speaker 1 (56:06):
Right, right, right and he's underserved.
Speaker 4 (56:08):
It's doing a fundraiser for buying overpriced
X.
Whatever that X is is not gonnafly If I'm working three jobs
to pay my rent.
Speaker 3 (56:20):
I'm not spending 100 bucks on a fundraiser.
Speaker 2 (56:23):
Good, no, it makes sense, I just don't have it.
Speaker 3 (56:26):
So our idea is to start a little smaller.
With Operation Game Changer,we're gonna start building these
supply packs and what we'regonna do is we're gonna have a
little survey on our website andthat we can send out to
teachers and they'll be able totell us like what supplies they
need.
They'll be able to apply forthe program and anybody who is
(56:47):
approved through the applicationprocess and starts small
probably just do a few a yearthey will receive a supply pack
with a certain amount ofsupplies in it.
Whatever it is they need, it'llbe monetary value.
We'll shop the supplies, we'llpack them up, we'll bring them
to school, we'll donate it andthat's the program and it's
really cool.
It gives our veterans a secondservice opportunity, because
(57:11):
second service is hugelyimportant.
A lot of us were service minded.
That's how we ended up in.
We wanted to help, we wanted tomake changes, we wanted to do
something, and then that doesn'tchange when we retire or get
out for other reasons.
We're still a lot of us lookingfor those opportunities to
serve our community.
Speaker 2 (57:32):
Service after service .
Speaker 3 (57:34):
Service after service , and so this is our program
that we're instituting, where wecan give back to our community.
We can serve the artists oftomorrow's by providing the
tools they need today.
Speaker 2 (57:45):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (57:46):
Right.
Speaker 2 (57:47):
Is that an active program right now?
Speaker 3 (57:50):
We are.
We're about to have afundraiser.
Actually we're trying to raisea few thousand dollars so we can
kick it off.
We'd love to do 10 schools thefirst year.
We're thinking about $300 worthof supplies per supply pack
just to get these teachersstarted.
Get them crayons, paper pencils, whatever they need.
(58:10):
That would give us what $3,000would do 10 schools at 300 bucks
a piece.
Speaker 2 (58:19):
This is tell me about the fundraiser.
Speaker 3 (58:21):
The fundraiser.
You wanna tell them, or do youwant?
Speaker 2 (58:22):
me to you get going, I'm on a roll.
Speaker 4 (58:26):
All right, and it's name.
You fill in when I forget stuff.
Speaker 3 (58:28):
Yes, I will, I'll punch you in the and all right,
our upcoming fundraiser it'sgonna be on April 7th.
Speaker 2 (58:37):
April 7th.
Speaker 3 (58:37):
It's called Crawfish and Colors, because again we're
Marines and it's Crawfish seasonand Well, and I think colors
has a dual meaning.
Speaker 4 (58:49):
It has, I went and dropped off some flyers at a
location and one of theemployees there was like I
dropped them off and just kindof eavesdropped afterwards and
they're like colors, what ifthey're colorblind?
I'm like you sell art supplieshere People that if they're
(59:10):
gonna buy art supplies andthey're colorblind it doesn't
matter.
You know, it's just like why.
But for me, you know, when Isaw Crawfish and Colors Crawfish
pretty obvious colors, what dowe call?
Speaker 3 (59:24):
flags.
Speaker 4 (59:24):
Yup.
Speaker 2 (59:25):
With friends in the military.
Speaker 3 (59:26):
it's colors and what that's our dual meaning.
That is our art.
Speaker 4 (59:30):
You know, that's what I'm saying.
A lot of us use colors, so Iwas like yeah, I think it's cool
.
Yeah, it is, it is.
I try to be clever with ournames, just to say that's cool.
Speaker 3 (59:41):
I try to be really clever with our names.
Speaker 4 (59:42):
Wait, that's creative , right, appreciating it.
It's artistic, yeah, creative,at least.
Speaker 3 (59:47):
So Crawfish and Colors, april 7th.
It is a Sunday.
It's from 11am to 3pm.
It's intended to be a day thatpeople aren't already super
booked with a million thingsgoing on, because every kid's
birthday party is on Saturdaymorning, saturday afternoon.
Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
We did a Sunday.
The event will be at SenateAvenue Brewery up in Jersey
Village area.
It's like about way eight andtwo ninety.
Speaker 4 (01:00:15):
Yeah, two ninety.
And Senate Avenue and SenateAvenue, yeah, I mean, there's an
exit for it, there's an exitfor it.
Speaker 3 (01:00:23):
It's actually a veteran owned and operated
brewery, wow yeah.
So the the guy who owns it andruns it is a veteran and I
believe his brother is also aveteran, and they have good beer
y'all.
If you're not a beer drinker,they also have non-alcoholic
options.
They have wine and hardseltzers and all those things,
(01:00:44):
but they do actually brew theirown beer at the.
At the place it is familyfriendly.
There's a patio.
There's food where you have thecrawfish company Bayou Boiled
Seafood coming in.
That's also veteran owned.
He's going to be cooking thecrawfish fresh for us right at
the event.
Every ticket will come with twodrink tickets for our general
(01:01:09):
admission and, I believe, apound of crawfish for the
general admission.
I can't remember.
Yeah, yeah, we just changed it,but you know what it's on the
website.
Speaker 2 (01:01:19):
On the website.
Yeah, you can find out what isthe website.
Speaker 3 (01:01:23):
It's wwwartistsinarmsorg.
That's the easiest way.
We're also on Facebook andInstagram, so you can find us
there.
Artists in Arms.
Speaker 4 (01:01:37):
Links to purchase your tickets Links to purchase
the tickets are posted.
Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
all of those places, yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:01:46):
Or even donating.
I'll say that because of theprograms, people I found that do
have conflicts and if they wantto support.
They can still go through thatsame website.
They can say, hey, I want toput X number of dollars over
(01:02:09):
towards this operation, gamechanger, to get some arched
plastic kids, and that's wheretheir money will go.
I mean, it's that kind of thing.
So, yes, we hope to bring inveterans and supporters of
veterans to the event.
Come, hang out, and we're goingto have some a silent auction.
Speaker 3 (01:02:34):
Oh yeah, we got some good stuff.
We got some box ticket Crawfordbox tickets for an Ashgrove's
game.
We've got some family an annualfamily pass for five for the
Houston Interactive Aquarium.
We've got some one of a kindart donated by a very generous
veteran artists that's going up.
Some books, yeah, some reallynice copies of the Iliad and the
(01:02:59):
Odyssey by donated by one ofour board members.
Just a lot of cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:03:05):
Sounds awesome.
I'm excited, I'll be theredefinitely.
Speaker 3 (01:03:08):
We're gonna have our art car there.
Sergeant Bubbles, I just boughtsome new bubble guns yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:03:13):
Can I shoot?
Speaker 3 (01:03:14):
it.
Yeah, I'll let people, I'll letpeople shoot it.
Speaker 4 (01:03:15):
Are we trailering up there?
Speaker 3 (01:03:17):
I'm gonna have to trailer it up there.
Speaker 4 (01:03:18):
I'm gonna have to rent a truck, unless somebody
wants to.
Speaker 3 (01:03:21):
Unless somebody wants to donate time to join trailer
the Sergeant Bubbles.
Yeah, she needs new tires, soshe's got to be trailer.
Speaker 2 (01:03:29):
So if somebody wanted to donate, is there a donation
link on the website.
Speaker 3 (01:03:34):
Yeah, it's through the platform Give Butter so that
it's nice and secure.
Speaker 2 (01:03:38):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (01:03:39):
And it's.
We have our tickets for salethrough that.
We also do donations through.
That would keep it reallycentered, so that we're not, oh,
you gotta go to PayPal for thisand you gotta go for that.
So it's all on Give Butter, andthe links to that are on the
website and on our socials.
Speaker 2 (01:03:54):
Sweet.
So if somebody wanted to reachout to you, will it be the best
way they could do that?
Speaker 3 (01:03:58):
Email yeah, info at artistsinarmsorg.
Awesome, awesome.
Speaker 2 (01:04:04):
Awesome.
Do y'all have any closingremarks you'd like to say?
Speaker 4 (01:04:07):
I got one one thing.
It came from when I was inDesert Storm.
You know they had this anyservice member mail and somebody
sent me an article from anewspaper and I cut it out.
Very small thing and it wasjust a quote said freedom for
those who fight for it has aspecial meaning that protected
(01:04:30):
will never know.
I still carry that clipped outpiece of paper and that freedom
that we all fight for, havefought for, you know.
I think it is something thatthe protected you know that
makes us something different inour society.
So to all the veterans that areout there you know you hear it
(01:04:55):
all the time thank you for yourservice.
I understand your service meansmore than just a simple thank
you.
There's folks out there thatdon't know the things you went
through.
Peace time service is stillservice, maintaining freedom.
So just wanted to say that.
Speaker 1 (01:05:16):
And well.
Speaker 4 (01:05:17):
thank you so much for having us.
I appreciate you I appreciateyou guys.
Speaker 2 (01:05:22):
I appreciate you guys and any any way I can help with
sharing anything that y'all gotcoming up in the future.
Please let me know.
Get your checkbook.
I do actually.
I'm just just save it for April7.
Speaker 3 (01:05:32):
Just bring it.
Yeah, we we'd really love tosee a lot of people show up on
April 7.
You know people talk about, oh,you know, support, support the
troops, support the veterans.
And this is this is anopportunity to do exactly that
to show up and be present, getto know our artists, you know,
spend some time with us, likesee what we're working on.
(01:05:55):
We're going to have some artout on display from some of our
artists.
We're gonna have some some artthere that you can look at.
We're gonna have some artiststhere speaking about kind of
their experiences, you know, andwhat what we're doing and what
it's meant to them and how theygot into the arts and we've got
one.
Guys got a really cool story andwe just we'd really love to see
(01:06:19):
some faces out there, to seeour community come together in
person and hang out with us.
Man, like it's, it's a kickback, it's it's the anti-gala.
It's an anti-gala.
You don't have to wear a tux,you wear your stretchy pants.
You can wear a tux if you wantto look, I'm gonna show up in
the tux.
Speaker 2 (01:06:36):
Oh, it depends how hot it's going to be.
It's gonna be a crawfish bib onyour tux, you know.
Speaker 3 (01:06:40):
I'm gonna be wearing my stretchiest pants to see how
many pounds of crawfish I caneat.
But yeah, that's, that's whatwe that's what we want.
Speaker 4 (01:06:49):
I just want a designated driver.
Speaker 2 (01:06:53):
You guys again.
Honestly, I really appreciateyou guys coming out and thank
you for sharing the informationand, like I said, I'll push it
out on websites and we'll get itall going, as always.
We appreciate you tuning in.
Be sure to like, share,subscribe.
Hey, remember that if you everneed any help, please reach out
988.
Press one if you're a veteranand you can also text it and
(01:07:16):
they will respond.
If you're in a crisis or youjust need someone to talk to, as
always, I'm here as well, andreach out to your brothers and
sisters.
It's, they'll pick up the phone, as always.
Thank you again for tuning inand Charlie Mike.
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