The Artist's Journey: A Conversation with Corey

I'm sitting down with Corey, a multi-talented artist who has been exploring various forms of creative expression. From painting to music, Corey has been experimenting with different mediums and styles, always pushing the boundaries of what is possible. As we chat, it becomes clear that Corey's journey as an artist has been shaped by their love of learning and their willingness to take risks.

Corey starts us off by sharing their recent experience with abstract painting. They had taken a break from creating art, but found themselves drawn back to the canvas after a few months of experimentation. "I studied color theory, how that worked, how the balance works, composition," they explain. "After all of that, all the color study, I was able to birth a whole new era of abstract work." This newfound confidence in their artistic abilities led Corey to start a new branch of their work, called Maison Basil, which caters to clients such as interior designers, businesses, and restaurants.

When it comes to inspirations, Corey names a range of artists and musicians who have had an impact on their work. They cite Sting as one of their biggest influences, but also mention the likes of Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington, and the band Staind (who they fondly remember from their cousin's love). These influences have shaped Corey's approach to songwriting and music, which is deeply rooted in their desire to connect with others on a emotional level. "I've been listening to a ton of Sting," they reveal. "I thought you said Stained." The conversation is laced with laughter as we chat about the nuances of music and art.

Corey also opens up about their love of painting, citing Caravaggio and Van Gogh as two of their favorite painters. They explain that these artists have a way of capturing light and emotion in their work that resonates deeply with them. "I feel a lot of similarities with Van Gogh," they say. "Both Hemingway and Bukowski taught me to keep it simple." These influences can be seen in Corey's own artistic style, which is characterized by its simplicity and emotional depth.

One of the most striking aspects of our conversation is Corey's openness about their creative process. They reveal that much of their work is self-taught, having learned through experimentation and practice. "Like a lot of it is selftaught as well, right?" they ask with a laugh. This willingness to learn and adapt has allowed Corey to stay at the forefront of their artistic journey.

As we wrap up our conversation, Corey shares some exciting news about their latest project. They recently created a painting that is now on display in one of their clients' homes. "It was a lot of fun," they recall. "Like two years ago." This piece holds special significance for Corey, who had taken three to four months to create it after deciding to take the risk and experiment with abstract painting.

Finally, Corey shares some parting words about the importance of creative expression in our lives. "I'm always been so inspired by just the massive amount of work that you have created," they say of their own artistic endeavors. "And I've always wanted to tell your story." As we conclude our conversation, Corey invites us to check out their social media profiles and explore their latest creations.

To learn more about Corey's artwork and music, be sure to follow them on Instagram (@corey), Facebook (@coreyfanpage), or by visiting their website (insert link). If you're in the Nashville area, Corey recommends stopping by Franklin to experience their latest work. And if you're interested in learning more about their creative process and inspirations, Corey invites you to join them for a future conversation.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey guys, it's Jusineand today we're talkingabout the brand new iPadPro 2 that just came out.I'm really excited aboutthis thing and I'vebeen testing it out forthe last couple of weeksand this thing is amazing.I told you I was gonnado a follow up videofor my unboxing video butI was trying to think of,what is somethingdifferent that I could do.The specs are out there, you've seen allof the Geek bench reports.The screen resolution is incredible,there's no face ID,there's no home button,the new Apple pencil to is really fast,you can dock it, you can charge it,it connects automatically.That's all really greatbut I think one of the mostimportant things to takeaway from all of this is,you don't really need thelatest and greatest techto create, which is kindof ironic coming fromsomeone who loves havingthe latest and greatest techbut I started with basically nothing.I made most of my firstYouTube videos 12 years ago,kind of crazy to say that out loud,on just my computerwith an eyesight camera,using the built in microphone.That's it.One of the things that for me is importantis when you're creating,don't be hindered bywhat you don't have.Use what you do have andI wanted to introduceyou guys to my friendCorey, who I've knownfor a really long time.Basically before I evenstarted my YouTube channeland I've sort of followedhis career creativelyand most recently he toldme that the iPad changedhis life and I was like, what?Tell me more so I sat himdown for an interview,hopefully we can gethim to say that the iPadchanged his life 'cause that'sa really, really great quote.Anyway, let me introduceyou to my friend Corey.(light music)- I'm Corey Basil, I'm anartist who does fine artpainting, illustrating,writing novels, poetry.I'm also a musician,I sing, I write songs,I play guitar, I play piano.I currently live in Franklin, Tennessee,it's a little south ofNashville and every dayI wake up in the morning, I ask myself,what can I make today?(light music)As much as I love workingwith traditional mediums,the Apple products havereally revolutionizedand changed the way I do everythingand there's no way Icould go back from it.The most recent thing I'vedone is release two songsand the iPad came in handy there.I was able to lay down voicememos of different ideasand how I wanted to singdifferent licks of the songsand I hand painted the covertraditionally with oil pant,took a picture with myiPhone, put it in the iPad,laid some text over itand the cover's finished.♪ Beauty in everything but not ♪♪ That I have grown it's so hard to see ♪♪ Past my mind that knows ♪♪ Everything is falling apart ♪♪ What am I to do with my heart? ♪I think one of the greatest mythsis people think thatsuccess happens overnightand that's not it at all.I think that all successbegins as a failure.There's nothing wrong withtaking risk and failing,it's actually a quitebeautiful thing to failbecause you learn and youget up and you try againand then when you're finally successful,you have really a mountainof your own failuresto stand on top of and it's,it may sound negative butit's a really beautiful thingto look back and see how far you've comeand what you've workedthrough and persevered.I'm grateful for all of the challengesin my journey as a creative and I wouldn'thave it any other way.(yelling)- Okay, cool.(laughing)- The liquid feature.- Oh my God, look, we're out of here.Just take a picture with your mindand draw it later.♪ The world was on fire andno one could save me but you ♪♪ It's strange what desirewill make foolish people do ♪♪ I never dreamed that I'dneed somebody like you ♪♪ I never dreamed that I'dlose somebody like you ♪- We have been friendsfor such a long time like.- Very long time.- 2006.I think before I evenstarted my YouTube channel.- That's correct.- That's a long time.It's kind of cool becauseI feel like I've beenfollowing your creativecareer since that timeand you've done so many different things.How did you even get started?I mean I feel you'vebeen into art for likea very long time likesince you were little,was that your first passion?- Yeah, art was first, drawingas long as I can rememberand wanted to be a Disneyanimator when I was a little kidthen I saw my first rockshow when I was about15, 14 maybe.- Yeah.- And that changed everything.- What was your first show?- It was DC Talk.- Wait okay so, weren'tyou opening for Kevin Maxwhen I met you then?- I was, yeah.So kind of a cool circle in many ways.The digital transformation was amazing.First time I drew digitally,it was on one of thoselittle tablets with the penand it was very minimalist,it was probably like a three by three.- Oh, that's crazy.- And I was just blownaway that I could drawand it would translate.So I got an iPad and theApple pencil and that changedeverything, I mean I useit for almost everything.The only exception isPhotoshop, which I'm waitingfor that to happen.- That'll be so soon,which is super exciting.- Soon?Amazing.- Yeah, I mean 2019, I'm assuming.- Yeah, I've writtentwo books on the iPad,110,000 word novel, a lotof poetry and short stories.I've done a slew of digital paintings.I then reproduce prints of and sell thoseat my gallery in Franklin.Laid down scratch ideas for songs.- And what do youuse for your illustrations?- I use Procreate.I love Procreate so far.- That's cool because youshowed my that you cando time lapses of the drawings.- Yes, you can animate it.This is my first piecetrying out the new iPad Proand the new Apple pencil 2.I titled this piece, TheBoy Who Hung the Stars.- Tell em about the lunchbox.- Justine wanted a lunchboxso we have a lunchboxin the painting, it's a Fishboy lunchbox.- What's Fishboy?- Fishboy is my novel,The Perils of Fishboy.And there's a lunchbox.- Co creates.(light music)Do you have a favorite piece that you'vecreated like on the iPad?- I think my favorite piece is called,Lost in an Ice Age.It's got some primitive graffiti work.- So you also have a gallery.- I do.- So people can come in andbuy things or see your work.- Yeah, I've got a littlegallery in Franklin, Tennesseeand it's appointmentonly or the first Fridayof every month we have an art walk,which is really fun andI have wine and donutsand great art and there'sa little trolley that goesby my place to pick you up and takeyou to other locations.- That's cool.- Yeah, it's great.- And donuts?- And donuts.- I'm sold, if any ofyou guys are in Franklin,you should definitely check it out.- It's called Imaginebox Emporium.- I keep talking about howmany things you've donebecause it's just, itis really overwhelming.I mean you're a graphicdesigner, I even remembersending you my old flash files.You guys probably don't even know thisbut I used to be a webdesigner and I was realinto action script andflash and then you startedgetting into it.- Yeah, I loved it and Iwas having the hardest timefiguring out mathematics or what have youof the animation and so you'd zip me upand send me a flash file and I opened itand I remember I just drewthis rough sketch of a guyand I opened up the fileand I hit the space barand the guy's eye fell out andI was like, I lost my mind.That's amazing, it moved!- So you also just released two songs.- I did.- And I feel like, I don't knowif a lot of creative peopleI feel like go throughkind of like this roundabout way to get backto something that theyhave always loved to do.- Yeah.- And so for you, youkind of were into musicand then kind of pulled away from it?- Kind of like everything,you just, if there's a doorthat opens, you just walk through it.I've been learning that the more and more,the older I get thatwe do as much as we canto try to plan and plot out,okay this is gonna happen,this is gonna happen.What's worked best is justto you see a door open,you just walk through it andwhatever happens, happens.If the door shuts, so beit, another one will open.- Or maybe you're stuck inthere and you're somewhere cool.- Yeah.- I just want to.- Just open a window.- What if there's no window?- Then I would leave.- Okay, that's true.- I need windows.- It's just crazy howtechnology has really changedeverything and I think even for me to,if people weren't doingthe things that I wantedso it's like you make your own career pathand when people tell youno, this isn't somethingthat you can do orshould do and you shouldstop doing that, it's likeif you're passionate enoughand you just don't quit, Ithink that's another thingthat has been interesting.- Please don't quit.- Is like well how are you still.- If you feel it, do it.- Yeah, like how are youstill making YouTube videosafter like 12 years'cause I haven't stoppedand I still really love what I'm doingand I think that is importantso if there is somethingthat you love doing andit may not be working now,I mean maybe several years later.- Yeah.- Now you're releasing musicand it's super exciting.- I mean I was okay withjust not going back to music.- Yeah.- I mean I have an oldpiano, imagine that,it's like 1900's.- He likes old things, like vintage.- I love old things.And I've always songwritten on the side just to.- Yeah.- To fulfill that insideof me and play my pianoto take a break frompainting but I never thoughtthat I would put anythingout or just kind of okay,now I'm doing the writingthing and I'm doingthe illustrating and fine art paintingand now I'm putting out musicagain so you never know.- You know, it's really cool.- Sorry, step on it.- Oh no, I was just saying that's cool.- It is cool.- So you actually did a painting for meand it's in my place and Ithink we talked about this.- It was a lot of fun.- Like two years ago.- We did.- Yeah so I justrecently got it, it's amazingand I feel like this is a different stylethan what you're normally doing.Is this like a different thing?- I've never been that intoabstract painting beforeand I took three or fourmonths and used that timeto fail over and over again,took the risk to discoverwhat abstract painting would be for me.- Yeah.- I studied color theory, how that worked,how the balance works,composition work of others.So after all of that, all the color study,I was able to birth a whole new era of methat was abstract workand I thought who is gonnaneed this the most, who could use this,who could benefit fromthis vein of my workso I decided to start awhole branch and I call itMaison Basil and itcaters to new home builds,interior designers,businesses, restaurants,that kind of thing.- As far as inspirationsgo, like who are yourbiggest inspirations?Art, music?- Inspirations in music,I've been listeningto a ton of Sting.- I thought you said Stain.I was like, you guys remember Stained?- I do remember Stained.- Me too.- My cousin loves Stained.- I used to be a big fan.♪ And it's been awhile ♪- Mike Shinoda is fromLincoln Park and they werea big influence on me, notonly sonically, musicallyof Chester's voice, all time favorite.Just in the spirit ofhow they wrote lyricsand music to really touchpeople and to reallyhit people where theyare and that's alwaysbeen such a huge part of why I writeand really all of my artis just to touch a placein their heart that theydidn't realize needed.- Yeah.- Needed it, you know.Both Hemmingway and Bukowskitaught me to keep it simple.Painting, Carvagio is myfavorite painter hands down.I feel a lot ofsimilarities with Van Gogh.- Well thank you so much for sharing.I've always been soinspired by just the massiveamount of work that you have createdand I've always wanted to tell your storyso thank you guys so much for watching,make sure you go checkout Corey on Instagram,you're not on Twitter anymore.You're on Facebook.But go check it out,I'll put all of his linksbelow so if you guys are in Franklinor anywhere nearby, Nashville,how far is Nashville to Franklin?- Nashville's just 20minutes up the freeway.- Oh cool, go check it out.Thanks for chatting with us.We'll see you guys later.Bye!- Thanks, bye.- Shut up!Like a lot of it is selftaught as well, right?- Yeah, all of it is.(laughing)So I got an iPad withthe iPencil and that.- It's called the Apple pencil.(beeping)- I made the leap into the.- The iPad?(laughing)He got an iPad!- So I made the leapand I jumped into an I.- Pad.- So I got an iPad Pro.- Okay.- So I got an iPad Pro.- When did you get the. (laughing)- When did I?I got an iPad Pro- You got an iPad. Wait.Wait, you got an iPad?(laughing)So you told me before(laughing)that you got an iPad.Okay, the sun's gonna go down.So when did you get an iPad?(laughing)is that my dog?- Yeah, it is.- That's my dog, okay.So you got an iPad, that's cool.(beeping)(laughing)- Okay, ready?- Yeah.- Alright.♪ Show my something beautiful today ♪♪ I don't have time to waste ♪♪ Show me something beautiful today ♪♪ I don't have time to waste ♪♪ Don't let it fade away,don't let it fade away ♪♪ Don't let it fade away ♪♪ Don't let it fade away ♪♪ Don't let it fade away ♪♪ Don't let it fade away ♪\n"