Life & Work with Talcon Quinn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Talcon Quinn.

Hi Talcon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am an Appalachian folk artist with deep familial roots to my home here in Athens County, Ohio. My art is contemporary, functional art that is rooted in traditional Appalachian practices and includes jewelry, basketry, hide tanning and herbal folk remedy making. Beyond creating I provide hands-on workshops in these traditional art forms and organize community events focused on Appalachian folk art, ways, and traditions.
For over 20 years, I have dedicated myself to learning jewelry, basket weaving, and hide tanning through mentorship locally, around the country, and abroad. At a young age my love, study, and practice of art was nurtured by my great aunt Blanche who was renowned in the area for her chair caning and leather tooling. My passion was further fostered by artists in my community taking interest in my work and mentoring me through my teenage years. Lucinda Moran, a silversmith local to Athens, Ohio till the early 2000’s and the owners of Beads and Things; Jo Merkle and Phil Berry mentored me teaching me the disciplines of artistic practice along side running a business.
I deeply value being taught through mentorship and recognize this as being a unique experience in today’s modern world. Mentorship allows for authentic, kindred relationships to form and far more than just the artform to be taught. When I left home at 18, I continued to seek out mentoring from other skillful artists across the country in basket weaving, hide tanning, and stone age living skills.
These other mentorships shaped what my work is today and what sets my work apart from others. I exclusively work with ethically sourced and sustainably processed materials to create jewelry, baskets, leather work, and herbal folk remedies. I like to say my work does not carry “soul tax” (a spiritual tax put into the cosmos when an object is created by unfair labor, unethically collected, or is processed with toxic chemicals). To ensure this quality, all bones, seeds, copper wire, hides, and materials used are wildcrafted or urban foraged by me. Bones and hides are the waste of subsistence hunters that would otherwise be thrown out, copper wire is old electrical wire, and herbs/plants used are wildcrafted with mindfulness for the full environment to ensure they may continue for generations to come. I am proud that my mentorships in jewelry, basketry, and hide tanning facilitated both the development of my art and of me becoming a teacher and mentor of these traditional arts myself.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a full time artist is an act of deeply committed love. It is revolutionary and like any revolutionary act it requires bravery, courage and dedication to the lifestyle. Full time artists, sadly, do not just get to make art every day; they must master marketing, client relationships, business management, creative writing, financial management, research, design, networking and so much more. I give thanks to the insight my mentors modeled on the necessity of building all of these skills and to remain adaptable.

There is no way my mentors could have provided insight on how to navigate the exponential rate that the technologies for these skills are changing or the mind blowing rate of today’s inflation. When these obstacles become overwhelming, I remind myself that my work is rooted in traditional skills that have sustained humans for millennia and look towards my community for inspiration on how to thrive amidst challenging times.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My original goal when I launched my business was to make art exclusively from materials sustainably and ethically sourced that inspired a connection with the natural world. Over the past ten years of being home in Appalachia, my work has expanded upon this mission.

Through making my art I have felt a deeper connection to place and my Appalachian ancestry. I have noticed that my work has inspired a deeper connection to place in other Appalachian Ohioans. The generations of national rhetoric that define Appalachians as ignorant, backward, and bigoted has perpetuated a self deprecating narrative in our region. My work aims to combat this narrative and spark a more positive, diverse, and inspiring view of Appalachia Ohio. What brings me both the most pride and joy, is seeing other Appalachian artists and makers practicing their art form and opportunities to collaborate and support one another. Collective, corporative work is so rare these days that I think when others see how my work intertwines with my community it feel unique. Though it really is the key to surviving.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
It’s hard to be an artist or creative in our modern society, particularly doing it totally solo without inheritance or a partner to financially support you. I have often wondered what it would be like if I could somehow tame my need to make art with a “regular job”.
This wonder has always been disrupted with an inherent understanding that I HAVE to create. Creating allows me to connect to the Great Spirit that moves through everything.
Besides, being self employed enables me to make a livelihood that is inline with my core values. This lifestyle does require a ton of work, for little pay, but when you love what you do, the work does not feel burdensome.
There is stress in knowing that I do not have a retirement fund and will work till I die, but I choose this path again and again because it fulfills me on a soul level. Living inline with my core values, doing what I love, enables me to live a happy life free of the curses the majority of people face when they choose a “regular job”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://talcon-quinn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talconquinn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talconquinn/