Kevin Cassidy - Conversations with Artists
What do you do?
"I'm a 3D Model Maker. I scan people's bodies and print them in 3D."
What does it mean to be an artist?
"An artist is a well-rounded person who is receptive to new mediums. Someone who views the world in different ways and gains an understanding of things through 'making.' When I was a child I calculated the way I wanted to be - as a person and as a maker. Even down to the way that I do my hair. I made a sketch of myself as a teenager of what I wanted to look like. It became realized when I was in my 20's."
What is your dream project?
"To work on an amazing 3D Experience. Creating spaces, sculptures - creating experiences for people. Making something, building something and having people enjoy it and get something out of it."
Talk to us about the hair.
"My red hair is my Kryptonite. Coming from conservative Massachusetts my family was a little hesitant at first - they didn't understand why I was making my hair 'big.' I wanted to do my hair and take pride in the way I look - and be comfortable in my own skin. I think you can create yourself physically to appear any way you want so that people understand what your message is and what your creative vision is."
"'Be more comfortable with yourself. Be open and understanding of yourself. Be confident. Know that you're worth more than you think you are.' That's what I'd whisper in my own ear, if I could go back in time."
Are you confident now?
"I mentioned that I made that sketch of myself as a kid and made it come to realization. That was a really full-circle moment for me. I'm still here, developing and working on myself. That was the turning point for me, though. I would now say that I wish I'd done it sooner."
"My friends say I'm a bird. I'm a percher. I like to sit on the edge of things. I like to keep a straight posture. I'e been told I'm a bird and my hair is my feathers."
" I went to a show this weekend and heard some really amazing singers. To understand and feel the emotion and soul that came out of their bodies -- something that is so natural and felt from their toes to their heads -- that's awe. Awe is something you can't explain -- it's breathtaking, stunning. It just is."
