Featured Artist Interview: Maps Glover

Creative Socialite is all about meeting and spotlighting some of the most creative and interesting people in the city. We sat down with artist Maps Glover and had a little chat to learn more about him. This was originally a video interview, one of our best in my opinion, except unfortunately we messed up the audio. We were still  able to capture the essence of Maps in the transcript below.

CS: We met you at an Amaze The City warehouse party. You stood out because you have a very eccentric energy so we really wanted to get to know you better. Tell us a little about yourself.

Maps: I’m an artist, originally from maryland in the dmv area and I wanted to come to san antonio because I felt that there was a really big uprising here. I am always in to exploring new places and am inspired by different cities. I came to feel the energy.

CS: You are heading back to New York pretty soon right?

Maps: Yes, the summer is coming to an end and I am going to head back. I have been moving around a lot. It is kind of cool to pop in and out of different places and feel what the world has for me.

What’s the biggest difference culturally in what you have seen in New York and what you have seen in San Antonio?

Maps: If I am being honest, when I first came to San Antonio I felt like I was going in to the past. It felt like I traveled back in time, just because New York has such a fast pace. Everyone is very dedicated to doing creative things a lot quicker and there is a latter you climb. It is just a very different pace. After being here for a while I have learned a lot about myself. People in San Antonio also have much more pride for their home town. It’s also much hotter here.

CS: I hate the cold.

Maps: I am still dressed for the cold here in San Antonio

CS: I see, with your bad ass flower jacket. Like I said before when we first saw you you had a very eccentric vibe, all alien style. Are you an Alien?

Maps: Am I an Alien?.. A lot of my work is inspired by the idea that I feel like I am from the future, like I am not from this time. Like I am not from this planet, but a lot of who I am has been influenced obviously by this time. In my work I try to talk a lot about whats happening now, and just being a human being in this time and existing here.

CS: I notice in some of your videos you start off by saying “Location Earth 2015”

Maps: If you Think about it a lot of the things on the internet, especially now, you don’t know when they happened . you don’t know where they came from . A lot of the stuff on the internet can feel new to you but could have existed for quite a long time. For me making people aware of when things happen when I document them is important.

I also think it is important for us, not just as artists, musical or visual to be very aware of how our place in history is affecting time. We are affecting the story that is being told about humanity. Sometimes, especially now, people forget . Just existing and being a human being you are changing time, you are changing people’s lives. Tomorrow is the future. 30 seconds is the future. We have the ability to change how people are percieving us in that future. If we decide tomorrow that we don’t want any more babies to die, or we don’t want anyone else in this country to go hungry we make that choice. We are human beings. We make the rules, we can change the rules to make it better for who we are as creatures. I feel like a lot of what I try to focus on, not just artistially but in my own life, is being as accepting of people as I can be. Even things that I don’t necessarily relate to. I want to find some way of understanding why people make bad decisions and why people make good decisions that I never even thought of.

CS: Let’s talk about your artistic style; it’s sort to of surreal and you have a lot of these humanoid like creatures in it. Where does all of that sort of influence come from? Or, maybe you don’t know.

Maps: In some cases I am sure, in others I may be more unaware of where they came from. My style kind of starts just with organic shapes. So those organic shapes turned in to people because I really like to tell stories. My work came from a place of me feeling isolated and feeling alien to be honest with you.

CS: I wanted to ask you about URNR.tv . It is a sort of label, correct?

Maps: Yeah, urnr.tv is a record label, but it is also a channel as well. It’s an extension of not only me, but of my friend Santiago Ortega who is the producer of urnr.tv . It puts together lots of different elements to tell lots of different stories.

Love letter To fish . BY : Maps Glover from Nouveau Riche Records on Vimeo.

This film was created By Artist Maps Glover . The film describes a love that never ends .