Radio Maine Episode #132: Chris Ryan Ross
September 9, 2023
Maine native Chris Ryan Ross had built a very successful photography career for himself in New York City when he realized that the pull from his home state was too great to resist. In 2014–well before it was popular to do so–he decided to work remotely, traveling to photo shoots in Los Angeles and New York via the Portland International Jetport. Recently, Chris took another life leap, leaving his full-time photography work to develop his skills as a painter. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Art and Design in Providence, Chris recalled many childhood hours spent with his sketchbook, and found himself wanting to re-engage with that earlier version of himself. Following this theme of exploration, Chris and his wife, Alice, will be spending the next year in England with their two children, as they reconnect with Alice’s extended family. Join our conversation with Portland Art Gallery artist Chris Ryan Ross today on Radio Maine.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
Hello, I'm Dr. Lisa Belisle, and you are listening to or watching Radio Maine. Today I have with me artist Chris Ryan Ross, thanks for coming in and talking with me today.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Thanks for having me.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
we had to ask you a few times to come to come talk with us. Did you have any sort of trepidation as far as having this conversation?
Chris Ryan Ross:
No, not at all. I just, we just, me and my family have had a very, very busy summer and it's just been, there's been a lot going on with us. We were actually gearing up for a, a year long trip to the UK as a family, which has kind of like become a big sort of a big job <laugh> for us to kind of get everything taken care of from getting the dog on the plane to getting the kids in school, and you know, figuring all of that out. So that's a big, that's a big thing, but it's really excited about it. So that's, pardon me for, for having to put this off, but yes, that's one of the reasons.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
<laugh> Well, I just wanted to make sure that we weren't intimidating you in some way.
Chris Ryan Ross:
I think it's a little intimidating. I mean,
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
You mean with like the big light.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Around you? Yeah, yeah. And having to--
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
--Talk about yourself.
Chris Ryan Ross:
I've seen the show, you know, it's a little bit I don't know. I find I find it hard to sometimes talk about, you know, the things I'm up to, but I think, I think I can do it with you.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
<laugh> I think you can. I think you're gonna be great. Yeah. But you're kind of actually used to being behind the camera and being the one who observes and the one that creates out of your observations. So I, I think it's that this is a shift for you.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Definitely. Yes. I much prefer being that person than being in front of it. So yeah. Absolutely. I like to observe rather than be observed.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
Did this start for you, you grew up in Kennebunkport area. Yes. And you went to school down there? Yep. Did this start back in the, back in the day, has it always been this way for
Chris Ryan Ross:
You? I think I, I was always into you know, I always loved drawing from life, drawing faces, drawing people and, you know, that was sort of my, that was my quiet time as a kid and, and growing up. And yeah, definitely. that was, that was a big part of my, my, my, my childhood was being, being in art class, you know, sitting for hours at, on end with sketchbooks and stuff like that, so, yeah.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
And why did you decide to go to the Rhode Island School of Design? What was the draw?
Chris Ryan Ross:
I think I had seen my sister go off to Parsons in New York, and she was two years ahead of me. And I got to visit her there. And that was just like, so inspiring and amazing. But I just, I also felt like if I went to school in New York that I would probably do a lot less work just because of all the distractions. So when I saw risd, it just seemed like such a great city. And you had New York nearby, but you were also in this great college town with so many resources. And right before I did that, I went to, I went up to Haystack for a, a, a three, a three day weekend scholarship thing through, through high school. And that just, that was sort of an eye opener, just to see all of these incredible resources in this remote location. And, you know, from blacksmithing to metal work to, you know, painting and all of those things. I, I was just like, okay, if they can do that here, then RISD must be unbelievable. And it was, I wish only that I could have taken more advantage of what I had at my fingertips there.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
And Providence is such an interesting small city. Yeah, it's great. It's, I mean, my daughter went to Providence College, so we spent some time down there, and it's definitely, it's a little bit like Portland in some ways. It's kind of that same size mm-hmm. <affirmative>, but also like really different pockets of different people doing different things.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah, absolutely. It's, and it was, it's even, it's even gotten better I think since I've, since I've left there, you know, that was like 20 years ago. So, but but yeah, I've a good friend of mine who's now back in at, at RISD teaching as a professor. And so we get to go and visit him and it's just so great to go back and to feel that energy of, of, of the town and, you know, the students. And yeah, there's a lot more going on now than there, than there was when I was there, for sure. But it's a great place.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
You initially took more of a photography approach to your art, and at some point you must have kind of had to make a decision amongst all the different things that you could pursue that this was, this was the direction you wanted to go in. Why did you go in that direction first?
Chris Ryan Ross:
I was always using photography as more of a tool for drawing. Drawing from photos or, or painting from photos and working from imagery. And my dad was always a really I, he is, he still is. He's a, he's a hobby photographer, but he always had a camera with him. And I just kind of learned how to use 35 millimeters from him, just kind of through osmosis. And he would have old minoltas kicking around and he would give me one. And you know, just learn to learn to play with that. And I was kind of a Luddite when digital photography came out, 'cause I was just so used to those, you know, s l r lenses and all the settings and you know, actually having to put like a, you know, non, a non lithium ion battery in a camera, you know, just to keep certain functions going.
But yeah, I was always using it as a tool and then getting outta school and, and, and going into you know, eventually finding my way into like a magazine world for, for a career, for a job that sort of became the, the creative outlet for me and sort of, that seemed to make sense. And I started seeing photo shoots happening and productions that were really interesting. And, you know, it wasn't painting, it wasn't fine art, but it was it was, it was still exciting and it was creative and that sort of had that, had that happened, I just kind of sort of found my niche in, in, in in photography, I guess. I don't know. Yeah, I think that's how it happened. <laugh>
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
And my understanding of the current series that is available to look at through the Portland Art Gallery and on the website is that photography actually had a piece and inspiring that series because it was initially a picture of your niece Yes. That you took Yeah. Doing a cannonball Yes. Into a pool. I'm guessing.
Chris Ryan Ross:
It was it was actually out in Vinalhaven. We had our family over from the uk and these kids had never really been to like a quarry before. And it's such a, it's such a main thing to do to, to go into the middle of the woods and stand before a, a dark body of water that's sort of manmade, but just kind of not really meant to be for swimming. It was just a hole that was dug, that got naturally filled with water. And and I think the kids were just a little bit freaked out by it. They'd seen too many Stephen King movies or but at the same time, everyone had to jump in. So it was just, it was just really fun to watch that. And I always, I always usually have a camera on me anyway, so I was just observing and watching, and there's just these, these, these kids from England, my nieces and nephews that were just like gearing up to jump in and just that excitement, but that fear and all of those kind of emotions were kind of at play and, and, and, and exciting and energizing.
And yeah. So I was just snapping a bunch of shots and, and, and I just kept thinking to myself like, I really want to do something with, with, with that, that like, just that feeling that I got from, from watching and observing that that sort of overcoming of that fear of jumping in the water. And and so I just started doing these sketches on, I started to sketch based on an image that I'd taken. and then I like to kind of put the photo away after I do a, a study and then sort of build the study from the, the image that I've sketched or painted or, or just somehow, you know, scribbled. and that's sort of what I did. I did loads of just studies. 'cause I just felt like there was more to just a, a jumping a just a, a cannonball to jump It just, you know, there was stuff going on with the water.
There was stuff going on with, with you know, tension in the body. And yeah. So I just started focusing on, on those studies and eventually just started scaling up and scaling up and, and, and kind of did a big one. And I really liked that way of working. And I think that's kind of the way that I'll continue to work for a little while. It's just going after something and just, you know, discovering as I'm going, not really knowing what, what, what, what I'm gonna say until it's just saying it by itself.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
I think the fact that it, that you're describing it as being a quarry and having been from Maine a long time, I've, I've gone swimming in those quarries, and you're absolutely right. I mean, the water is kind of very dark and it seems very deep, but it, it's a little bit intimidating. But the fact that then your niece would be like, yeah, I'm just gonna take this on, like I am, I'm gonna fully commit myself to doing this and, and then do that cannonball, take that big risk. I, I think that's it for, for me, it embodied something that was very relatable. Emotionally, this, this idea of being that kid and thinking, all right, I'm really scared, but I feel like I could do this.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah. And I think it's just, I love the idea of throwing yourself into a void, you know, just, just, you know, it's, one of my friends was saying that it's kind of just like any painting that you do, you're just staring at this void. You're staring at a blank canvas, you're staring at a blank piece of paper and, and you have to just make a mark or start somewhere. And I kind of liked that, that similarity that was just like, you're just gonna go for it. I mean, it's not like you're gonna die, but you're, you know, still getting over a little bit of a fear and, and then eventually you start climbing higher on the rocks and jumping higher and higher and higher until you can't get any higher on the rocks. and I don't know, there's just something to that buildup that is, is really just about summer in Maine to me.
And, you know, it's also kids jumping into jumping off of a, of a, of a dock, you know, and the ferry's coming and they jump into the thrust of the bubbles. And it's just, that's just, I love that, you know, it's just joy, it's fun. And for me, getting back into painting after having been on a, a painting hiatus for a while because of my job, because of photography, I just felt like I needed something light and, and, and not so heavy to focus on something that brought me joy rather than something that was political or something that was, you know, dark or sinister. I feel like, you know, even in that, even in some people have said that, that some of the, the, the jumping pictures are a little bit dark. And I think that's true because I think there's definitely, you know, some fear in the water and, you know, people sometimes are afraid of water, people die swimming.
And I don't know, I just was trying to have a, a lot of different feelings with not just the form of the, the human, but also how we're gonna make that water work and how, and what we want that water to look like. And, and also trying to just make that water not photographic and make it a painting more than anything. and also make the flesh more, more painterly and less photographic and the marks. I mean, that was a, a lot of those were a case of wiping and, and adding and so much subtraction. I mean, hours, hours and hours of lost work coming in the next day being like, wow, everything's gone that I just did and redoing it. And I dunno that for me, that's a process that I, that i, I really like. And that, that comes from just early days of, of, of school and foundation classes of drawing where your teachers are just trying so hard to get you not to commit to, to the form or to the shape until you've like erased and added and erased and added until you have like a ghost there. That's actually a good template to work off of. And that's kind of how I've been doing those paintings.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
So that's knowing that it makes it even more impressive that you chose to do this image in series and really try to explore all the different ways that you could have this sort of active human body interacting with this natural body of, of water and, and to be able to kind of show up the next day and think, okay, how, how can I see this a different way? You know, how can I put this on canvas in a way that is slightly different than before, but still maintains a theme. That takes some I guess, ongoing focus that not everybody feels comfortable.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah. You could call it focus or you could just call it <laugh> craziness or obsession with just repetition. I feel like that's definitely one thing that resonates with me is repetition. And, you know, I'm a victim of, you know, observing people, other artists in history that have done repetition. And I think that there's just something to be said about that. You've gotta get something out of your system. And for me, the way that I was trying to do that was just to just do it over and over again. Because I, every time I would finish one or think I was finished with one, I, I would feel like, wait, I, I should start, I wanna try to start that one a different way again and just give it a, a different feeling somehow. you know, just, just changing colors can just make it, make everything, everything different. Everything changed. So yeah. I, I love it. I mean, my wife thought it was kind of crazy and she was like, you get to do something different, right, <laugh>, but I, I just kept, kept, kept, kept at it until I felt like I, I could stop, but I still feel like I want to do more.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
You, you sort of stopped, but also possibly, or just leaving the door open just in case.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah. I keep every, I often like go to bed thinking I, like, of different colors that I want to explore or, or changing, you know, changing the body somehow or yeah, just giving it a different feel, a different look. I just think that there's, just, for me, it's just something I'm kind of just right now obsessed with that jumping into things. I like that.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
Well, it makes me think a little bit of, of the artist Jean Jack and, and the barns that she does. And you can look at one barn, but you're only looking at one barn with one backdrop and one way of approaching it. And it, I mean, you really can do a lot with one image. Yeah. You can really look at it in a lot of different ways.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
Do you, as you're thinking about moving to the UK for a year, do you think that's going to shift the way that you approach the work that you do?
Chris Ryan Ross:
Definitely. I think yeah, I think that I, I, I often think about landscapes and England has just, is just so beautiful. The area that we're going to is Somerset. It's just a gorgeous green, lush, rolling hills and just I mean, it's, it's just totally different than here, but in a, in, in a lot of ways, very similar. not as cold in the winter. and always green. Never not green. so yeah, I get really inspired by, by the landscape every time I'm there, but I've never been there long enough to really soak it in enough. It's like, you know, five days here or 10 days here at the most. But to, to be be able to go over there for a year I think that I can really start to you know, figure something out. 'cause I, I feel like there's a lot of observing to do there to see, to figure out what, what the next series might be or, or the next, you know, few drawings or sketches or paintings.
But it's hard to go to this area and not be inspired. So I, I'm really looking forward to that. There's also loads of interesting artistic things going on in, in that particular area. so I'm, I'm excited to sort of get, get connected over there you know, with other artists. And there's there's one, one person that I've been looking at his work. He's a he does egg temporal landscapes, and I mean, I'm not even really that into that, but when you look at these pieces, they're beautiful. His name is escaping me right now. But I'm hoping maybe I can like, connect with him over there and, and just see his studio.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
When I hear about you going to the UK for a year and hear about the work that goes into going to the uk. And it sounds like children, school, all, all of the stuff you need to do, I mean, that, that is a tremendous amount of effort and investment. and a lot of people love this romantic idea of taking a year and doing something different with their lives, but not everybody is capable of maybe or willing to cannonball into that void. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So tell me how you kind of, what was the tipping point for you? How did you get to the place where you're like, no, this is really what we are going to do. We want to do this, we're committed to doing this. What, what was it that caused you to really want to pursue it?
Chris Ryan Ross:
I think it just it made a lot of sense, you know, just logistically with the age of our kids and, and pulling them outta school at this time where it's not really gonna make a big difference for them in terms of like, you know, eighth, you know, eighth grade is really not going to make a difference if they have it here, have it there. and our youngest is also, you know, going to, you know, in third grade. So it's, it's just, it's, it's that was a big part of it, but at the same time, we've been talking about it and talking about it for a long time and just, you know, I feel like it just kind of, every, the pieces just kind of came together and I started painting again, you know, like over a year ago. And that was sort of something I don't know that I, that I had been really hoping to do. And so it's just, it's just all these little things that we've been slowly wanting to get back into doing or hoping to do, or these little dreams are, you know, we've, we just started pulling them in, I guess. and, and rather than talking about them, just trying to logistically figure them out one of the things that me and my wife we're doing a lot was production and producing. So right now we're really like heavily producing our, our next chapter.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
<laugh>. And I assume your wife has a UK connection 'cause you're mentioning Yes.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Relatives. She's a citizen. Yeah.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
So how did you meet your wife?
Chris Ryan Ross:
We were, we met through work and I, I was a photo editor at, at Lucky Magazine at the time, and she was working for a photographer in New York as a studio manager. And we were just chat, we just chatted on the phone and always had an, I always had really nice conversations and you know, she was from the country and I was from the country, and I think probably we just were, weren't those hardened city people yet <laugh> and actually didn't ever turn out to be that way. But yeah, we met over the phone and eventually met in person and everything aligned, so it was nice.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
And what's her perception of Maine, Ben, since you've moved back?
Chris Ryan Ross:
She, she loves it. I mean, we met in New York and then moved here in 2014. And before then we, I, we would come up on trips and I mean, it's hard, you know, I think she is always like, wow, like Maine. I don't really know anything about that. But then I, I met this guy from Maine and he took me to, to see where he lived. And, you know, I think she's just always, it's always really gotten in under her skin in a really good way. So I think it's a hard, I hard Maine's hard not to, you know, people just love Maine. So yeah, being from here has always been helpful. You know, I can really say I'm from Maine, well, I mean, I'm from Maine, but most people don't think Kennybunkport is Maine, but it is <laugh>.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
Yes. Well, I work in the Waterville Augusta area. And it is very true that if it's, if you're below maybe Gardner <laugh> Yeah. It's like, no, that's pretty much just Boston. Yeah. Or, you know, a suburb of Boston. Yeah. But I agree with you. I mean, I think the Southern, for sure, Maine is very different in places, but the southern part of the state really does maintain, considering how populated it has become. It really does have its very specific charm. Yeah. And it's got little pockets. I mean, yeah, absolutely. And Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, that area is, is just gorgeous.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah. I love it. I mean, I, yeah, it's, I never, you know, growing up there as a, a teenager, you're always like, Ugh, get me outta here. But I feel like it's just, you know, now we look back and we're like, wow, we had such a nice, great summers, great summer jobs, you know, going to the beach after work in the summer, hanging out with friends. yeah, I mean, we, I definitely had really good friends growing up in Kenny Bunk Port and still maintain relationships with them. So it's, yeah. Maine is a special place.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
So I, I understand that you have a Georgetown connection.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah, we we've been building a little cabin up there for the last two years. And so we've been, we've been basing ourselves up there this summer trying to finish it desperately trying to finish it <laugh>. and we'll probably be driving the last nail in as we're like getting on planes to go. So yeah. it's been, it's just an area that we discovered together a few years ago during the pandemic on, you know, the endless amounts of getting out of your house and trying to get into nature. And that was just an area that we loved. It was only an hour from Portland, and we just couldn't believe that we hadn't explored more. There's so many gorgeous trails to hike on, and if you like boating or water, it's just like, you know, to have that just an hour from Portland is fantastic. So yeah, we've been up there all summer and just absolutely loving it. It's just peaceful and quiet and the mosses and the you know, the trees and all the bird songs. It's just been a really beautiful place to be.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
And I find Georgetown interesting because, you know, popup Beach is one of my favorite beaches in Maine. Mm-hmm. But Reed State Park is up in Georgetown mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. And they're not that far away, right. As the, as the bird flies mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But they're very different in the type of, the type of beach and the interaction with the water that each of those locations is.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah. Yeah. And a lot of people don't, a lot of people that I talk to often are like, Georgetown, where's Georgetown? That's usually the response. 'cause there's St. George and there's other, you know, and a lot of people just don't, it's just kind of one of those towns. It doesn't have a, a main street. It doesn't have like a, a, you know, a high street. It has the five islands and it has a general store and it has a post office and it has a library, but it doesn't have like a, a big street that you walk down with brick buildings and all that. So that's, I think in a lot of ways made it made it special because you have to go to Bath if you want that. And that's pretty much the closest town, or Brunswick, or, or a little further north to, you know, some of the other mid-coast towns. But yeah, I the fact that when you're there, you're kind of there and you feel like you're on an island, but you're connected by land. And you've got the Sheep Scott River, which flows right out into the Atlantic, and it meets the Kennebec, and it's just, it's just such a beautiful place for getting on the water. And you can do it in a really nice, gentle way by going upriver rather than out to the open rough seas, which we stay well away from <laugh>
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
So every piece of you that I'm kind of gathering from this conversation suggests that you've made not one and not two, and maybe not even three, but lots of different changes in your life in a relatively short period time. I mean, you've moved away from being a photographer. You've moved away from being in New York. You're gonna spend a year in the uk, you're building a place in Georgetown. I mean, that is a lot of transitions for you and your family, but it seems like it, you're not, you don't seem intimidated by that fact. You're like, no, I'm just gonna embrace this. This seems like the right thing to do.
Chris Ryan Ross:
I'm trying to, yeah. I mean, trying to just get rid of that fear, you know, and just, and just try to live and, and make, make everything work, and try to work as hard as I can to support all of those things. So yeah, I mean, it's, it's definitely an interesting time. But but very exciting. And you know, oftentimes I feel like you can sit back and see a lot of people doing all these great things and, and you know, eventually there's a tipping point and you want to try to do some of that as well. And it's hard, it's not easy. But yeah, we've been trying just to chip away at some of the things that you know, we know are going to enrich our lives and the lives of our children and and try to do it as smart as we can.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
And I, and I think that it's interesting. One of the things I've learned having been in Maine essentially all my life, except leaving a few times to go to medical school, to be born in Vermont, my family's from Maine, but mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I wasn't born here, so I don't get to be called a Mainer. So to your earlier point, it's okay.
<laugh>. Ironic, since most of the rest of my nine brothers and sisters were all born here, and I'm one of the few that wasn't right. But all that being said, there is something interesting about Maine and that sometimes people who are here, they are here and they never leave. And I think there's something fascinating about that as well. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> that I can talk to people and I will say, oh, you're from this part of Maine. Have you ever been to this place? Which might be literally over the river from where they are over here. And they're like, oh, no, I don't go there very often. So for me, that's a very different feeling of just, I guess pleasure and being rooted really deeply rooted in the state. And that fascinates me.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah, no, it's, it's, it has a hook. It really has a hook. And it's yeah, there's no denying. It's, it's beauty and it's you know, you get these beautiful, warm summers. I mean, this one hasn't been that great with the rain, but you know, you get the harsh winters and it, it takes a lot to really commit to living here year round. but yeah, it's a, it's a, it's a fantastic place and we feel so lucky to be here. And we've had people that we've met over the years that we have been here. I never thought I'd come back this early, early on. I never thought I would come back. I thought I would come back to visit my parents and, you know, do that sort of thing and, you know, come back every summer. But I mean, it just, you know, trying to raise kids in New York and you know, coming up here and seeing what's available at that time, I mean, it's changed a lot, but like, you know, when we did it, it was like, wow, okay, we can maybe make this work.
And we started working remotely in 2014, and everyone that we worked with in the industry was like, wait, so you live in Maine, but you travel to LA and New York for photo shoots? And we're like, yeah. And it was like, you know, then the pandemic hit and it was like all these emails coming out, hundreds of thousands of dollars that they were paying consulting firms to like, teach people how to, you know, check emails remotely, <laugh>. And we're just laughing. 'cause it was like, wow, we've been doing this since 2014. It's you know, it's totally doable. But yeah, it's it's an amazing place to be here. and we're lucky that, you know, certain areas have the connectivity that we have and we've been able to, like I said, you know, maintain our jobs, you know, since we, you know, when we moved here in 2014, up until 2022, everything was working just fine. You know, we could have been anywhere really, but we were here and it was the right place to be.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
So now that you've fully committed yourself to this next phase of your professional work as an artist, have you had to think about things differently in any way? I mean, you are now, you were working for other people and now you're working essentially fully for yourself. Have you had to change the way you think about your work or change about thinking about the way you, I don't know, bring money into the household or being a business person or, definitely, because that's, that's a big shift.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Definitely. yeah. I mean, pretty much not saying no to anything that's coming in. you know, I'm fully, you know, outside of painting, fully freelance, doing, you know, producing and still doing, still doing photography just not, not for, you know, big media companies right now. If I am doing anything, it's, it's on a remote or a freelance basis, which has been been great. but trying to manage that schedule with the schedule of like packing and organizing is, is very tricky. You know, you want to say, you wanna be able to say yes to everything, but you can't. So, you know, luckily we have some great connections that we've made over the years. I'm talking about me and my wife that we're both basically in the same industry. so that's been great. So we, we, we keep that going. and a lot of that when we go to the uk, we can keep that going there.
Although I do want to try to root myself there as well and try to branch out rather than just having, you know, trying to, you know, maintain something here while, while we're over there. So, but yeah, it's, it's, it's definitely tricky, but we're, we're trying to figure it out and we don't have all the answers yet at all. But you know, so far we're okay. And I think that we just have to, like I said, just try not to be, let the fear take over and just focus on getting through it, making it work, staying positive, and, you know, hopefully there'll be some time to paint in there.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
Well, I guess I'm, I'm kind of I'm interested in this in part because one of our sons who also, he went to Savannah College of Art and Design, and he is a photographer and he is also trying to figure out a way to like, how do I support myself but also do freelance photography? And, and it's an interesting balance. 'cause if you're working for somebody else, you are on their schedule and on their dime, but it's, but is security. Yeah. If you go to work fully for yourself, you have a lot less security, but more flexibility and that ongoing kind of tension I think creates a different sort of existence than a lot of people are familiar with. Yeah.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Yeah. No, it's, yeah, I mean, and also coming, you know, having had, you know, a full-time, you know, job for like the last 13 years, you know, it's, it, it's definitely an adjustment, but at the same time I'm like, actually it's really nice not having a boss anymore, <laugh>, it's really nice not having to like do those silly, you know, things. And I don't know, I'm right now I'm kind of very okay with that.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
Well, maybe I'll have you, maybe I'll have him reach out to you can Sure. If you can get some tips and tricks as to how to handle this. Because I mean, I think that, I mean, if I'm being completely honest, I don't actually like having a boss either. And <laugh>, my husband has often said this to me, which may be a point of interesting conversation in our relationship, but I, I do think that the thing about not having a boss is that you are your own boss, right? Yeah. And you actually have to be really good at managing and leading yourself. Yes. Yeah. And some people, it's actually easier for them to have a boss definitely. Than to be their own boss.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Absolutely. Or, you know, you may like it for a while, but then eventually you just have to, you know, call it quits and, and go back and, you know, get the, get the sort of, you know, corporate job. You know, I'm, I right now, I'm leaving all doors open. But but yeah, I'm, I'm very happy where, where things are at right now and I'm excited about, I'm excited about not really knowing what to expect. So, and that's something that's really different than the last, you know, 12 years of my life. So.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
Well, I am really pleased that you took the time out of your extremely busy schedule and now I completely understand why it's been <laugh> hard to get you to commit to come in and see us. 'cause it sounds like you are juggling quite a bit right now. Yeah.
Chris Ryan Ross:
But it's good juggling. Yeah. It's only three balls or so. Okay. Not like, you know, not like flaming things. Okay.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
All right. But still, I mean, I think having this conversation with you at this particular juncture of your life, it'll be fascinating to see, you know, fast forward 15 months or so when you've come back from the uk when you've maybe rooted yourself in another place and then come back and rerouted yourself here. It'll be really interesting to talk to you again and, and see what your observations are. Yeah,
Chris Ryan Ross:
Definitely. I look forward to that. Yeah.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
I've been speaking with Chris Ryan Ross a an artist who actually is from Maine and is represented by the Portland Art Gallery, but clearly has, is so many other things. And it's been a pleasure to speak with you today. So thank you for taking the time.
Chris Ryan Ross:
Thank you so much for having me.
Dr. Lisa Belisle:
I'm Dr. Lisa Belisle and you have been listening to or watching Radio Maine.
Learn more about this artist:
Radio Maine podcast interview #132