Welcome to the first blog post of Tene Lewis Photography! As a photographer my creativity is definitely captivated from the things I do and the people I meet. The creatives I've met have tickled something in my brain and overall exposed me to new perspectives in art. This first post is about an individual who has been a friend and a creative guru for me for the last 11 years.
Arislenny Corcino is a Multidisciplinary artist who specializes in "Dominicanism". She is a proud Dominican artist based in New Jersey; She attended St. John's university and majored in Fine Arts. I was ecstatic to leave New York for a weekend to go sit down with her and discuss the process of creating her studio space from scratch and what's next!
* Name: Arislenny Corcino.
* From: Perth Amboy, New Jersey
* Occupation: Dominican Artist/Event Coordinator
Tene’ L: Thank you girl for sitting down with me. You've definitely been instrumental in my process throughout the years. I appreciate the bond we've created personally and now professionally. So tell me how would you describe your visual style, and when did you realize you found it?
Aris: My visual style is what I’d like to refer to as a “Sancocho”, a Sancocho is a soup with a bunch of vegetables and meats, there're many ways to make it but there’s really no right or wrong way. A Sancocho will have its distinct taste based on the person who makes it but no matter the ingredient combo somehow that person’s Sancocho will tend to taste the same. For me my style is very experimental, it’s always a mixture of things and depending on what I’m working on there are certain techniques and processes that come into play. At the end no matter if it’s a painting, video piece or installation, there’s still that Sancocho phenomenon that happens; You can still tell it’s made by me. Some artists work with specific palettes and artistic styles, I don’t... I’m all over the place but at the end it’s still very me.
Tene’L: What inspires you the most to create?
Aris: Everything inspires me but nothing inspires me more than myself. My feelings, my experiences, my connections with the people around me and the things that I find important. Basically i'm a sponge, I absorb, I feel, and I try to understand everything and it’s what I love most about myself. My work can be described as a direct dialogue from me, that is created based off of the lack of words to express how I feel aloud. On the contrary, other pieces of work I create are based on an abundance or confidence of expression. One thing I learned in school is "Everyone has a story to tell and the best story to tell is your own," and that to me always stuck. No one can tell you how to perceive things nor how to feel about it because that’s yours and yours only.
Tene' L: How do you develop a creative idea?
Aris: Developing a creative idea for me can go many ways. Usually the first thing I do is annotate the idea somehow, whether that is a quick sketch in my sketch book or just jotting down some words in my notes app. I’m also very big on voice notes. even if it’s for a visual piece. There are specific things that can spontaneously trigger an idea for me, so making sure I have that note to refer back to is so important in my process. Sometimes I let things marinate for a while just because it can be overwhelming to execute a vision just for the sake of finishing, rather than focusing further on what I’m trying to express . I’m kind with my time depending on what I’m working on. I lack the sense of urgency for my most difficult projects because working under pressure can sometimes make me lose sight of the message I’m trying to put out there. But then again, I can also work on the contrary and bang out ideas quickly. It comes down to the overall process and some ideas just need more time than others
Tene’L: What inspires you the most to create?
Aris: Everything inspires me but nothing inspires me more than myself. My feelings, my experiences, my connections with the people around me and the things that I find important. Basically I'm a sponge, I absorb, I feel, and I try to understand everything and it’s what I love most about myself. My work can be described as a direct dialogue from me, that is created based off of the lack of words to express how I feel aloud. On the contrary, other pieces of work I create are based on an abundance or confidence of expression. One thing I learned in school is "Everyone has a story to tell and the best story to tell is your own," and that to me always stuck. No one can tell you how to perceive things nor how to feel about it because that’s yours and yours only.
Tene’L :What has having a studio done for you and the process of creating?
Aris: Well I acquired a studio space in November of 2020 it’s now March 2021. The space itself required some serious TLC and I refused to have a creative space that wasn't welcoming to me. Since November I’ve basically treated the studio space as my most important creation because it's where I planned on spending a lot of time. A lot of the things in this space are customized by me and I’ve had a lot of fun getting this studio together. I've stocked it with a lot of my favorite things and a lot of my own artwork. Currently I’m still working on collecting artwork from other friends and artists who I admire. Overall it’s a very welcoming space where all of my supplies are accessible, so it’s extremely hard to not be inspired. I work a full time job and coming home after a long day of work can be exhausting, but when I’m here, in this room, it’s hard to not grab my tools, or supplies, or even my gadgets when they are so easily within reach. That makes this space special and works for me! Ever since I’ve acquired it, my creativity has been sparked and I think that’s a beautiful thing to experience. I’m very thankful for having this space to make me feel this way and make me more productive entirely. The problem right now is focusing on one thing at a time..
Tene’L :What are you currently working on?
Aris: I’m working on changing the narrative, accepting the past, and growing from it ... that’s something I’ll always be working on through a series of works. Right now I’m working on a small video series “Celebrando La Raza'' which is actually me rebranding a familiar discriminatory saying in Latin America, “Mejorando La Raza” that is still widely used to this day. The video series features oxymoronic components but overall its goal is to be informative and to inspire others to accept their own roots as well as appreciate and be welcoming to the roots of others. Racial discrimination is everywhere not just in the United States. If you’re for racial equality in America then you gotta be about it in the rest of the world. It’s truly time to change the narrative and in order to do so difficult topics and conversations need to be brought to the forefront. To be honest I’m just a catalyst in this conversation so if people need pretty or graphic pictures and pieces to become more aware of the subject and themselves then my work is doing its job. Aside from that I’m also working on a painting which I started in August of 2020 and a few other pieces. But please rest assured I’m always working on something.
Interview est. 2021
