CREATIVES OF MEMPHIS: Vince Long

Meet Vince Long, a mixed-media artist who has worn many, many hats from painter, printmaker, photographer, graphic designer, fine art handler, graffiti artist. The list goes on.

Why do you think you’re creative?

“I battle with a lot of mental things. I have the vast majority of my life, and other than physical humans—being like my wife, my mother, my sister—nothing other than making things has ever helped.

So it’s the only way that I feel like I can voice myself. Because I’m not great with words. I’m not a confident person either. So I think creativity is, number one, my way to stay alive. But number two, it’s my way to talk.”

How do you stay creative?

“My process being so multi-dimensional truly helps keep things fresh all the time. When I get burnt out with painting or printing, I can move back to photography or digital design. And then back again. But physical exercise has always been something that helps keep my brain fresh. I was a long distance runner before we had kids, but now I like to just walk the dog.”