I met Nick theGusz through a job I had last summer. I followed him on Twitter, only to discover his website and that he’s a very talented fine artist! Fast forward to now, and I HAD to feature him on ABCD, appropriately for the Creatives Issue. I love Nick’s work, and I LOVE how he has found a way to document his work process without giving too much away. Check out the interview below and his website – thegusz.com!

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Cedar: What inspired you to create thegusz.com, a site that documents your creative process in a very personal way? Do you think it’s important for artists to connect with fans and potential ones in this way?
Nick: In actuality, the whole idea behind “theGusz” was created after marketing companies told me they couldn’t hire me, because I had no track record or experience with clients, projects, etc. This was at the same time my friends told me I needed to get my art out there. So my creative exploits became my first client. I created a logo, a website, experimented with different marketing tools, booked myself art gigs, sold some paintings, and found out the hard way that the state of California will do everything in its power to not have a small business succeed!
But then I started to have fun with it. The conscious Nick and the subconscious theGusz became one. The website became a place I could document my exploration of the city through photography, let others know about gallery openings and new artists that were in town, and the occasional concert, album or record review.

I think when I was growing up, there was beauty in the mystery of artists. This was before the internet. Wow, that made me sound old, and I’m in my twenties still, barely. I found out about music, about concerts, about everything from my local record store, Zia Records. The guy behind the counter told me what I needed to be listening to, the fliers on the back wall told me what shows I was going to. When the guys whose posters were hanging on your wall came to town, it was an event – like the president was visiting. They were this magical, untouchable force. But now there is this connect that was never there, beyond the lyrics and album liner notes. The mystery is gone in some sense, but maybe that was part of me growing up and realizing these people I adored were just people – no more special than you or I. But as we connect online, we create something special. We connect, and we create a community. So to answer your question: Yes it’s important! I sold more prints of the billboard I painted than any other prints, and it has to be because people would log onto facebook once a week and see my progress on the billboard. So when it came time for the billboard’s unveiling, it was an event you couldn’t miss, versus a painting that just popped up on my website and got lost once I started to update it with something else.
Cedar: I happen to know that you work in music. Does music inform your creative process at all or do you keep it separate? What are you listening to these days?
Nick: I started painting four or five years ago, right when I started in the music industry. I was a songwriter that followed the yellow brick road to the Wizard of Oz, only to find out it’s like the movie, and there’s an old man behind the curtain doing everything. I immediately stopped writing music, but knew I had to find another creative outlet. Before my grandmother altered my life forever and gave my brother and I a keyboard and a guitar, I drew my own comics and sketched all the time. So I started to paint!
I definitely listen to music when I paint. I’ll usually plan an album on repeat, get lost in a zone, or maybe only play the same artist. I need to focus, while still giving myself a mood to run with. As to not distract myself, it’s usually the same albums every time – Sneaker Pimp’s Becoming X, Depeche Mode’s Violator, Queens Of The Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf, and White Zombie’s Astro-Creep: 2000.
New music, huh? I really love The Naked & Famous album Passive Me, Aggressive You, I feel it could be this year’s MGMT or something. James Blake’s self titled has become my new make-out album. I listen a boat load to KCRW’s Eclectic 24 at work and KCRW live at night; I find out about new music through them. Shameless plug, I love the new TV On The Radio record!
Cedar: The LA Times recently did a piece essentially arguing that LA is turning into the world’s major art capital. Do you frequent the art scene here, and do you agree that this is happening?
Nick: Maybe it’s because I live in the Culver City area, but I frequent the Culver City art galleries quiet often. I was really bummed to see Billy Shire Fine Arts go, I love, love, love, Corey Helford Gallery, and I’m really happy how BLKT/MRKT Gallery (Kinsey/DesForges) transformed into the new location for Think Space. Sometimes I don’t feel rich enough to visit Bergamot Station, but I haven’t been to CoproNason and not wanted to walk out with half of what’s up on the wall. Gallery 1988 now has an LA presence in two locations, and their openings are always jam packed. And if you live in the area or love to travel, Subliminal Projects in Echo Park needs to be on your to-do list. I’m trying to make it a point to explore the downtown art scene a bit more and get a grasp on the “Melrose and Fairfax” scene.
I think the LA art scene definitely has a voice, but is still finding it, which is always the fun part. I definitely feel a sense of community amongst the different galleries, or at least I feel that way when I explore. I see the same familiar faces at the galleries on the west side. I love the fact that when I go to Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, the likes of Gary Baseman, Buffmonster, and Natalia Fabia are attending and supporting the gallery and the artists. I was taking shots of a piece there one night and ended up making small talk with a patron. He was a really nice guy, and we talked about the piece and what it meant to both of us. Turns out he was the artist of the piece, Shawn Barber. I love that kind of stuff!
Cedar: Who are any contemporary creatives that you respect or admire?
Nick: The two artists I’ve had the pleasure meeting and getting to know on some level are Gregory Siff (http://gregorysiff.tumblr.com/) and “X” (http://thankyoux.com/). I’m really excited to see how their work grows and progresses and would definitely love to work on some projects with both of them! Seriously, check them out!