Craig Robb shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Craig, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I would probably go with wandering. With a purpose. There is always a goal to attain but I do have a tendency to veer off course to explore.
When I started out in life, I had a focus and determination to succeed. I crafted a path with a set outcome, a goal to attain. So I definitely started out walking a path. I spent several years navigating a more conventional course in hopes of achieving success.
Somewhere along the line of that path, my values changed and the relevance of those goals diminished. This was when my life took on more of the qualities of a wanderer, I began to search for a new path that would prove to be more fulfilling for myself and would align more closely with my new objectives. Exploring my options I began examining things that had put a smile on my face in the past. Looking in random directions with no set guide to what I was doing; searching. Eventually, I returned to University looking for that path and ended up discovering my art side and a new direction.
The ends goals still exist but they have become more flexible or fluid allowing for variant’s to enter. Constantly adapting so that I can’t or don’t stagnate. There is still an overriding goal or intent to my path but I love to be side-tracked into discovering something other.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a visual artist working primarily in sculpture. My works of art are created using a wide variety of materials. Within these sculptures I include houses, chairs, and other objects that, with their inherent symbolism, develop metaphors about issues that are important to me. Many of my ideas stem from a fascination with how things are connected, both literally and figuratively. The combination of wood and curved steel are utilized as both compositional elements and to create spaces for these objects to reside. I have always been interested in how objects function within a given space, how they occupy it and the relationships created with the other objects in that space. Because of the broad range of symbolism, these sculptures can speak on many different levels and to many different people.
I am probably best known for my quality of craft and attention to details. I feel that it is important to enjoy what I am doing in the studio as people sense that and respond to it in the finished sculpture
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I was driving into work one day on my normal commute to a job that I was not very happy with when I noticed that I was grabbing the steering wheel so hard that my knuckles were white. Just a bit stressed by where my life was heading. I was about to turn thirty and had reached a crisis point in my life. Maybe a bit melodramatic but…
Upon graduating from college, I had set many goals for myself. The most significant one was that my close friends and I had decided that we would be worth a million by the time we reached the ripe old age of thirty. When I turned 29, I had this revelation of how impractical my goals were and how impossible it would be to attain any of them. I began to question why I was pushing myself so hard at work doing 10-hour days for a company that was more concerned that I had an office instead of a cubicle and showed no appreciation for the job I was doing for them. Needing a break, I was planning a trip to Europe. I was playing for an over 30 team then. Some of the old German guys I played with were setting up some soccer games in their old home towns and asked me to come along. We spent two weeks of playing soccer, drinking beer, eating great food and visiting the local sites. After that, I spent two weeks driving around Europe in a little rented Opel. I came to realize, during my time there, that the corporate world was not a good fit for me. I think that I can easily be described as anti-authoritarian in that I really don’t do well with people telling what to do. I looked on my white-knuckle experience and felt that if I continued on this path that I wouldn’t make it past 50. When I got back to Denver, I went to my boss and gave her my two-week notice. I spent the next few years searching for that thing that would make me happy and I could spend the rest of my life doing. I tried retail, construction, catering and a few other things. I decided to go back to University and discovered that I’m a sculptor! Go figure. Since that epiphany I have spent my life creating, discovering and teaching and no more stressed-out commutes.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Coming from a Norwegian heritage and a family full of farmers/ranchers, quitting is not in our makeup. When things got hard, you just had to find a way around the problem. Also, being a problem solver, I relish a good challenge. And yes, I would spend a few days feeling sorry for myself but would dig my heels in and resolve the situation
There was a time when I was about twenty that things looked glum. Having made some bad choices with roommates, dating and struggles with school, things were mot ideal. And then, going home for Christmas break, I fell asleep on the highway and flipped my car, totaling it. Stuck in Socorro, NM waiting for a bus back to Denver, the towing guys had a call and asked if I wanted to help out. When we arrived on scene, someone had rolled their car with an airstream hooked on. Total disaster.
On the long bus ride home, I got to think a lot about my life and the decisions I had made up to that point. Thinking about the people in that accident, I felt fortunate that I was lucky enough to walk away from mine with a bruised shoulder.
When I reflect on things when they get bad, when I hit a low point, I look around me and see the people who have it worse off than I do and carry on
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
Among the many things that I learned from my family, three values stand out as especially important. Work hard, be a kind person and treat those around you like you wish to be treated. Although I don’t talk about or articulate it, these ideals have been the basis of how I live my life. Not only how I see the world but also how I interact with those around me.
A good work ethic goes beyond simply working hard; it’s about commitment, resilience, and taking responsibility. Success rarely comes without putting in the effort and diligence.
Kindness was a trait embodied in my mother. She was always engaging with the everyday people in her life. Inquiring into their well-being and thanking them for the little things, allowing others to feel seen and valued. On the other hand, she never tolerated bad behavior from anyone. These are both qualities that I have carried on in my life.
The last value is often referred to as the golden rule. Growing up, this was just how my mother dealt with those she came into contact with. There was no name or title for it, it was just a way of life.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
In the art world, there is a huge emphasis put on history. Always looking back in time to understand how artist and their work influenced their contemporaries and the creators that followed them. As an artist, I often ponder my place in history if any. What will happen to the sculptures I create in ten years let alone a century from now.
One night, a group of my friends were hanging around over beers and pondering the glorious life we led as artists. A younger artist had joined us that evening. He had recently graduated and was still full of hope and enthusiasm. He still had that belief in academia and its art traditions and the values held within that. He posed a question to us old-timers that rather baffled us. “Which ‘ism’ do you feel your work belongs to?” he asked. We all chuckled and asked him what he meant. “Modernism, Impressionism, Surrealism, Expressionism,” he inquired. He felt that, to be a good artist, you had to know what category you fit into. When he looked to me, I said that I had no idea where my work fit. That the ‘ism we were in now would not be defined by art historians for many years to come
So, what I do today, the work I create will hopefully still be of value and pleasing people in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://craigrobb.com/
- Instagram: @craiger3d
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craig.robb.35
Image Credits
Craig Robb
