Ryan Alford [00:00:01] What's up? Welcome to the latest edition of the Radical Company podcast. We're in the holiday season, it’s December and I'm late buying gifts, but nonetheless, we are here in the studio at Camaraderie ready for another episode, which I have been wanting to do for a while. Jared doesn't know that, but world renown artist, speed painter Jared Emerson is here with me today. And I've been wanting to do this for a while, known Jared for a couple of years through local, different local things that we've been involved in. But this guy so hard to pin down because he's taken off like a rocket. Jared man, really excited to have you on the set today. 

Jared Emerson [00:00:39] Thanks for having me, man. This is pretty cool. And I appreciate the intro. 

Ryan Alford [00:00:46] Well, we've got both audio and video. We're looking at one of Jared's paintings here on the cruise. A little different haircut, but Jared was sharing some stuff pre episode here, some of his stuff. I'm an Indie. I mean, before we kind of get into the story and all that, being an NFL junky and all that I got to choose from. Man, Carson Wentz. 

Jared Emerson [00:01:09] Right now we've been a man. The last couple of days have been brutal. I mean, they've been great from a creative standpoint. But yeah, I customized Carson's shoes for them. And to me, it's a great thing to do because I also believe in what he believes. His purpose and point, which was just telling people about Jesus and love loving people. I mean, he's got a food truck in Philly and he feeds people for free. Like, how awesome. And it's legit, really good food. So he has me do different cliques for me each year. And this year, this is the third pair for him. And then I'm doing about nine other players. So from Zach Ertz to different guys on the team. 

Ryan Alford [00:01:54] So sweet. I want to get into everyone you've painted and been involved in a lot of the bigger names in sports. I know you're getting involved with some of the, just amazing people you've been able to either be in front of or paint. Definitely want to get into that. But, I told you this, we like to have Rad people doing Rad things - on the who’s who list of my speed dial who I go or walk by or see periodically. You're on that list man 

Jared Emerson [00:02:25] and man up. 

Ryan Alford [00:02:27] It's just something about the speed painting that blows my mind, your talent, your ability, how down to earth you are. There's just some characteristics about you that I think are really unique in starting with your talent. And you look at that. I'd love to just start there maybe a little bit, for people listening, given that kind of synopsis on your background, what got you into art and the arts and kind of your some of those philosophies that we've talked about in how you paint in what in what kind of keeps you moving. 

Jared Emerson [00:03:01] Wow. That's a lot. What keeps me moving is I think every day just coming up with new concepts and ideas. And I think you hit, especially where I am in my career now, is like you don't want to say hit a wall, but you come to a point where you're like, OK, what's the next best thing? What's the next thing I need to do? I mean, my story is kind of long. So, if you got a lot of time with deep in,  but I've been doing art professionally for about I want to say 17, 18 years. Moved to West Palm Beach. I'm originally from Michigan Perimetral, a small town between Lansing and Flint, and ended up migrating down to West Palm Beach after college and then from there moved here to Greenville. So basketball was a big part of my life. And I know you love sports. I had that kind of childhood dream of just becoming an athlete. And, Michael Jordan was a guy that I looked up to growing up. And,  I was just like, man, if I could be like Mike, like, that would be ridiculous. And but as I grew and got older, I realized that basketball was for all the wrong reasons. And I was pretty good back in the day. Now I think I'm an old man and I can't quite keep up anymore. 

Ryan Alford [00:04:20] But you were a shooting guard. A point guard? 

Jared Emerson [00:04:23] Well, I was a point guard, OK, and shooting guard. I would play the point and then pass it to myself and then. I was pretty decent. And then in college, ended up blowing money, tore my ACL and that kind of just took my dreams away. So when you think of ambitions and hopes, I felt like everything just went away, so I spent a few years trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life. And college wasn't really the thing I wanted to do. And because I didn't know what I was going to do, I became an artist. And it was until I got into it, I think it was figuring out, OK, now how do you make a living at. And, um. Man, I think it's kind of crazy because you do I think I told you earlier, like you do portraits and stuff when you start out. I mean, they don't say starving artists for a reason because there's a lot of talented people in this world. And with that talent, also, you have to figure that out. I mean, from an ad agency standpoint the marketing, the business side, you've got to kind of embrace that and learn that too besides the creativity. But a lot of artists, I think can't or don't because they're just so involved with their creativity process. And that's why you see a lot of artists, they need someone that guides them, like I have a manager, I have an assistant. I have people surrounding me to make me better and encourage me and believe me and push me and drive me. So when I get to a point where I'm like, hmm, they're like, listen, you got this or. Just get your mind right and we'll get back to it. So and then taking care of people, paperwork, all that kind of stuff. It's not something I just want to deal with. No. So, I think for me, getting into it at the time was just like, man, how do you do it? So I was doing portraits for people for one hundred bucks, take me three or four weeks and little pencil sketches. And I'm like, you can't make a living doing this, right. I mean you can but I'm going to be on the streets, big time. So it wasn't till I actually got into speed painting. I think things just kind of took off. But, my pastor at my church, which is here locally in Simpsonville, Brookwood, he was like doing your talents are what you do. You should paint on stage. And I was like. Are you crazy, like, 

Ryan Alford [00:06:58] You knew that was a thing? 

Jared Emerson [00:06:59] Yeah, I mean, I did. I did. There's a guy named Denny Dent in the 70s and 80s that was a speed painter. They got all these brushes in their hands and your watch and you can go on YouTube and check different ones. And now there's I mean, there's a ton of guys I shouldn't say a ton. There's a lot of guys and girls that do speed painting. I don't think anyone does it quite like me. I'm probably a little biased, maybe, but 

Ryan Alford [00:07:22] It's definitely a flair to you. I mean, I've seen enough of them now that if flair and style and energy with your shows and I call them show, I mean, but and whether or not you like that term. But a performance show. 

Jared Emerson [00:07:37] A performance. One of my close friends here says it's a gift. Right. Because I believe God gives us all gifts and it's what we do with them and not what just we do with them, how we impact people through them. And that's why I'm thankful that I'm in the genre that I'm in just to be able to create and do it in front of people. Because before when I started when I was doing these portraits. Like, I want to be my own little world, secluded, creating. I don't want anyone to see what I'm doing. Let me just do it. And then I got to this transition of when he asked me to paint on stage, I'm like, that's crazy. Why? 

Ryan Alford [00:08:19] It's a complete 180, I think knowing coming up in graphic design and arts and all that. Graphic designers or artists like just like what you just said, they like to get in their corner to do their masterpiece or their average piece or whatever it ends up being and then show everyone this is like a 180. 

Jared Emerson [00:08:40] Yeah. Like check out what I did. Look what it was. 

Ryan Alford [00:08:42] And then when you is transparent and vulnerable of showing that aren't real time, that's a whole different thing. 

Jared Emerson [00:08:50] It is. And I think that's one thing that scared me to death. Right. OK, how do I let people watch me? I do like what if I screw up, what if I mess up? But then you learn the process of starting preparing yourself. And I think that's like anything. One of my close friends, George Hincapie, he's I mean, Cycliste seventeen Tour de France is like we've become close over the years. And one thing that I think just by knowing him that he taught me was like, you don't just get on a bike. It's a lot of work. Yeah, it's a lot of suffering, it's a lot of pain. But if you're going to do it, you have to train. Alright. You have to train and you have to get better and better. And you have to push yourself into the same with meaning. A lot of like from the NFL and NBA and in MLB, you see in the back side of these guys and even some local guys is like, you see the hard work that they put in to get there. It's like when you watch LeBron on TV or back in the day, Michael Jordan, they don't just show up on Sunday. They don't just show up on Sunday. It's like Christiano Ronaldo. You have Messi, you have different guys that when you see the top of their game, they're usually the last guy in the gym, the first guy there. And so for me, I've taken all that energy because I can say I was a lazy artist, I was a lazy artist, and you can't get anywhere being lazy. So I learned that you have to have a good work ethic. And I always say this in the words of the great lyricist Macklemore and one of his songs, he says the greats were great because they paint a lot. Now, he did say they're great because they're talented, gifted and all this other stuff. You said they're great because they paint a lot. And if you look at some of the greats, I mean, they have bodies of work and there are a lot of them have worked in a lot of people have never seen me. It's because I work hard at what they do. So I realize. From friends in these other athletes, what they put into it is like, hey, I wasn't a lazy basketball player, too. Back in the day, I thought I was just more talented so I wouldn't work as hard. But you have to work hard. And these guys that show up on Sunday, they work hard to get to that point. So I realized for me I'm going to be the best artist I can be. And I want to be the best painter there is out there. I want people to say this guy's ridiculous, but it doesn't mean that I have to be the best out there. Does that make sense to you? I'm going to strive to be the best, but if I'm not, I'm still going to give it my all. I'm still going to keep going. And it's the same when I get up and perform. If I think I'm going to mess up or screw up, then it should be up there. Yeah, but if I know and I'm confident enough to get this done, but I'm prepared in the process then hey it's the most-- how do I put this, when I get up there. I'm anxious, I'm nervous. I'm a wreck usually. But once I get up there and I stand in front of that canvas like nobody's there, it's like an experience I'm in my own world. But that's again, I just go and I just go. Now, I don't think this, but like Picasso said this, I heard this from a great artist in town, Rick Standridge. He always said Picasso, when he looked at a canvas, there was a war going on between him and the canvas and usually the canvas. Always one. Unless you were Picasso, right. 

Ryan Alford [00:12:12] I think he won his fair share. 

Jared Emerson [00:12:13] So to me I've kept that in the forefront of my mind. So when I get up there, it's like, hey, here's this here's this battle. If I don't win, like, I got to give it my all. But the challenge is I'm going to I'm going to try to win each time, 

Ryan Alford [00:12:29] That makes total sense. 

Jared Emerson [00:12:30] So it's yes. It's been awesome to do I think do what you love, do what you're passionate about. But most importantly, you have a purpose in it too. 

Ryan Alford [00:12:42] So I know I want to talk about some of your experiences and some specific people because there's some big names that you've painted and have the opportunity in front of they've had the opportunity to watch you. You talked about making a living. You talked about that mindsets, which maybe for someone that might be listening because we do have a lot of artists and different people that listen, you just kind of the chicken or the egg. I mean, can't hire a manager to make money, can't make money, too. You have like how when did that switch kind of happen for you? Was it finding that niche of speed painting which then opened a lot of doors? Because that's not it may be more prevalent now, but 10, 15 years ago when you first started that, I don't think it was as mainstream, if it's even mainstream now. But what was that switch for you? 

Jared Emerson [00:13:36] So I think the switch for me. So I'm a man that I believe in God. I believe that he died for my sins and yours and everyone else's. For me, there was a struggle of God, what do you want me to do with my life? Right. And again, just like basketball had hopes and dreams, ambitions to be successful, famous. This, this, this. Right. And I realized that you can have it all and it can all be taken away. But you still going to be you and you still going to have to live and you still going to have to go and survive. So. I think I try to figure out, OK, if I'm going to do this, I got to be the best at it and I'm going to keep working hard. So first was what I just just told you all about working hard at work ethics. And the second part is how do you sell a painting like you do a painter? How do you sell it? Well, you have to, you do have to market it. You have to push. Thankfully, I haven't had to as much, but before speed painting and people don't want you to do the process, you got to bring the process to them, right. You got to bring the artwork to them and show. So I, I, I think it was that transition of, OK, if I'm going to get into the speed painting thing, like I saw that video of Danny Dent and they have a guy that comes out of Greenville, he's come for a long time. So I was like, OK, I could do this, but let me be the best at it. And then the first time I did it, I had a few brushes, actually tore my MCL the week before I did my first speed painting, which was at church. And I was a mess. I went up there. I was hobbling. But I think there's a YouTube video you can watch if you just search my name. And that's something I'm proud of right now, something I'm very proud of. But through that process, like I said, being scared to death, it took me to a transition of, hey, this is what I have for you. So. I believe it was God telling me, OK, listen, you've been searching for all these things your entire life. If you just listen to me and go down the path I have for you, it'll blow your mind and I can literally say that it has blown my mind. I have done more than I ever dreamed or envisioned, like I've always wanted to play basketball. The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pistons. But that dream never happened, but guess what, I was able to perform with BOB at halftime show. At the Palace of Auburn Hills, so instead of shooting hoops. I was throwing paint like, how cool. What I mean? Like that. How cool is that? So in that moment when I realized God showed up for me and said, listen, here's a path I have laid out for you. I'm looking at like I don't know what this looks like, I don't know if I can continue to do this, but this is where I'm going to go. And once I made that commitment. I feel like God's always protecting me, right? He's always provided for me, he's always taken me there. So to answer your question, you have to work hard. You get going right. Then you start selling stuff. People see what you're doing and they get interested in what you're doing. And I think people are like even yourself. You've said just the process and the performance. You see that it's intriguing to people.I mean the radical podcast, I mean when I think about it, even though it's me and I do it from people's perspective, it's pretty radical. Yeah, right. It's a pretty cool thing to be able to do. And I've done it from the biggest arenas and some of the biggest arenas in the world to, a small little party with five people. Yeah, those are more nerve racking, though, the five people versus 

Ryan Alford [00:17:23] You feel like every stroke is under like one person looking at each stroke, 

Jared Emerson [00:17:28] every little thing. And then and then when you keep going, it just just happens, um. But to give you a little example of that, like I did. I did a painting on a yacht. It was very Kendrew shots like a honeymoon. So, this guy named Clint Bowyer, NASCAR driver, called me up one day and he said, man, I want to do something nice for this buddy of theirs, um, which he does very well. I won't say his name, but I guess a billionaire. And what do you get? A billionaire. Right. So he's like, I figured I'd call you and we'll get him. Gerard Emerson. I'm like, that's a good tagline. What do you get a guy that already has everything get me. We'll do a painting and just have fun. Right. There's some truth to that. Yeah. So, um, he was like, man, we're going on the shot. Someone's always coming. Someone's was coming. So I end up being on the yacht there and Guy Fear was there. Emeril Lagasse was there, Clint and Jimmy John. So I'm like, these guys have done some big stuff, but they're all food guys. They were cooking catfish on the side. They're like, dear, can we help you with your canvas and stuff? And I'm like, no, I'll take some of that catfish, which is amazing experience. But in doing that, I was a nervous wreck. Yamanashi out. The crew is freaking out, but I'm trying to prepare. So I had to paint a logo and then I had to paint thing. I think I've painted Jimmy John's kids. So the kids are they're three kids. I got to paint them with my fingers. It's kind of dark out. We're on a yacht and I'm like a nervous wreck, but I just get into it. Right. And literally two or three feet away or five feet away to the side. Emeril's just sitting there and didn't move. Didn't move at all. He was just so intrigued by seeing that paint being moved with finger like it was just crazy. And every once in a while I'd be like, bam, just playing. But, talk about nerve wracking experiences. How did it turn out? But also it was great. I think it turned out great. I'm always skeptical myself. Like, I wanted to be a little better this, but they loved it. Turned out great. Clint, Clint was happy, um, and it was just a pretty neat experience of how you can go from some of these big things. It was a big thing, but it was a small group of people. Right. And a little more intimate. So you get to meet people in those settings as well, which is pretty cool. 

Ryan Alford [00:20:00] I know you've painted, we talked about Carson Wentz and doing the shoes now, but Jerry Rice, you want to talk about let's talk about some of the other athletes you've been around. 

Jared Emerson [00:20:11] Jerry Rice, actually, the BMW program, I don't know. Nine years ago. Ten years ago maybe. Right. I don't know. It's been a minute, but, um, I think my first athlete I painted perform that was there watching was Jerry Rice and is pretty cool because, um, just this past year we did a cruise ship with the 49ers. So I do a lot of different cruises, performances from K Love, Forty Niners, Steelers, Green Bay Packers. We're trying to get more, more teams to do some different things. But, um, it's been pretty neat just to meet a lot of these guys. So Jerry was just on the 49ers crew, so I did another painting with him. And, when you think of the greatest of all time in a sport, he's a name you think of when he comes to football and wide receivers, right? Yeah. Um, what do you think of quarterbacks? You think of Joe Namath. You think of Brady, Tom Brady. You probably think of a bunch of others. I don't want to upset anybody out there. You've got a lot of guys. So just having a conversation with these guys, I think as an artist, my creative process, like I think of what they do. And I actually watched a movie, I think was Jerry Jerry's in it, Wayne Gretzky and someone else, but they're talking to them about the aspects of sports and what makes you great at what you did. And I think each of those guys would probably tell you, I don't think I was great. Like, I wasn't the fastest. I wasn't the strongest. I wasn't this. But what I was, is I worked at my craft, right, like Jerry told me, his dad used to throw bricks and catch bricks, and then he told me that he would at night in the dark, he would just toss the football up and catch it, toss it and catch it. So he understood the feel of the ball. Wayne Gretzky, if you watch this, this portion he talks about as a kid, you would watch the hockey game on TV, right. And he would just follow you get a pad of paper and a pen and he would just follow the puck and just follow the puck where it went through the whole game. And then at the end, he would look at his scribbles and where he had the most scribbles. That's where the puck is the majority of the time. I'm listening to this going. That's pretty cool. Like, what do you think of the creative aspect to that? So he figured out this is where the puck goes and he'll tell you I wasn't the fastest, I wasn't based on angles and everything else. I know where the puck is going to be. And even though I'm not the fastest based on the angles, I'm going to get to the puck faster. Right. I'm going to know how to get to the puck. And he said that my greatest strength was my creativity. And so as an artist, I truly, wholeheartedly believe that your creativity will get you very far. Albert Einstein. One of the greatest quotes to me, he said is creativity is far better than knowledge. I'm sorry. Not creativity. He said imagination is far better than now. Which imagination, when you take Nazi analogies isn't good because knowledge is everything. But when you take the imagination and expand that knowledge, what can it do? 

Ryan Alford [00:23:30] Yeah, knowledge can be learned. Creativity and imagination is unique to any individual.

Jared Emerson [00:23:36] Right. So, as an artist, it's that imagination, creativity that you that you continue to build inside of you and then let it out is what really I think impacts people, impacts yourself, too, in the process, because you might like I might be in the studio one day and just be like scribbling or thinking of something or trying to figure something out. And then it's like it clicks and I'm like, whoa, this is good. And then there's other times where I'm like, man, I'm so frustrated I can't think of anything. So I find things that inspire me. And a lot of things that inspire me are, first of all, God inspires me to just keep working hard. But also music. I listen to all kinds of music. So it just depends sometimes on my mood, 

Ryan Alford [00:24:23] You like Connie's new album? 

Jared Emerson [00:24:24] I do actually. I do. Yeah I 

Ryan Alford [00:24:28] God. I mean one switch he's made.

Jared Emerson [00:24:31] I think first of all, as a Christian, you want to believe that he's real with it and everything else and I think it's huge. I think he is, I truly think he is. And, we all have our own, uh, I think ways of living life and how we do things. And yeah. But yeah, I think it's pretty cool. But yeah, the albums I bump are a little bit in the studio. 

Ryan Alford [00:24:57] Here and there. I'm enjoying it. We play it here a lot at the nice offices, but uh so lots of inspiration. What's you've had so many opportunities and now the doors that have been opened. What's been there's a favorite if there's a or like some of the people you've met, the things you've done around, like lost people's bucket list. But like but for you personally, what's been like 

Jared Emerson [00:25:23] I don't know if I'd say there's a favorite,

Ryan Alford [00:25:26] or maybe one that sticks out more than the other? 

Jared Emerson [00:25:27] Like I was telling you, when I go through my phone or I'm looking at different pictures, like, then I just keep scrolling and scrolling. I'm like, well, I forgot I did that or forgot I did this. There's that specific moment. I was on this tour called Winter Jam in 2014, and that was pretty epic because you're, pretty much, in front of crowds over I think over the period of time it was three month or four or five nights a week. Arenas sold out all over with at the Georgia Dome, 70000 rest in peace at the Georgia Dome since they're not there anymore. But, just doing that, it was very impactful. And I think it was just an experience for me that I'll never forget. I love to do it again sometime if they won't have me back. But we'll see,, but just just even that aspect of maybe even taking on where we do a segment where it's like I do a couple of paintings and just entertain people for a few moments with different genres of music and then go into the concerts with the musicians. And because everyone loves to go to a concert and feel that, um, inspiration to me as well. When you think of Kanye and his new album as old albums, what do you think it was, his career, his creative process? Like back in the day, I think man was this guy, but as I've seen him go, whether it's been up or down or whatever. I think he is a genius when it comes to being an artist. The creative aspect, I also think of Virgile with Louis Vuitton. I mean, he started off white, right? Just cut, I guess, in some aspects the basic concepts. He kind of made new again, right? And I love that I love seeing that. 

Ryan Alford [00:27:20] I know you're getting into more like merchandise and doing the speed painting, I think I was like, 

Jared Emerson [00:27:27]  I mean a little bit I want to get into more, but it's just fun in the right. Right, right. Feel and a great collaboration with whoever I got to make clothes or make things, but I paint like you can go to any clothing store and find paint and jeans. But I mean, I've been doing it for 13 years, and didn't used to see that too much. So unless you paint a house, right? That's right. Yeah. But I've always yeah. I've always wore a splatter on my pants and we've talked to a few people about doing some. So I just never has come to fruition because I, I think it's just my time. I've been traveling, I've been doing this. I love to do that. Maybe more elaborate with someone, but, um, when I go on these cruises and travel to different, when we did a tours, we, we sell small prints of stuff and, um, T-shirts and. So right now, I want to do a couple of hoodies, I got some ideas, so 

Ryan Alford [00:28:24] How about a Radical coming to meet somebody like a Radical commission or something? 

Jared Emerson [00:28:29] I guess I can do that. No, no problem. I've been doing some some jean jacket so over the last few years, so I kind the Kruse's like I'll do like I did a stealer's one where I painted the gloves on the back and like Joujou I did a few pages like Joujou and James Connor and some Joe Green with the Steelers. So I painted in those jackets and I think I had you sign it. So it's in my studio. So I have different things that people come by, look at, maybe buy. But some of those things I don't like the sounds like a show 

Ryan Alford [00:29:03] That's got to be hard for you. I would think, like with all the experience, all the people you're meeting, you got to be racking up some some what I did memorabilia a little bit. 

Jared Emerson [00:29:12] I didn't used to like when I started, I didn't because I was very like I can. I want to ask someone for an autographed picture, whatever. And I've learned it's fine where I live in the moment. We're in this new age of technology and everything is right now right here. And I and I think that transitions for me, even with my spinning, like. We talked about not letting people see your process, right, versus seeing your brother. Well, people you got to pay for this. If it's in front of people and they get bored, you gotta do it fast. And it's the same with same with technology. It's it's it's everyone's just hands on and just going and going and going. I forget where we're going with that. 

Ryan Alford [00:30:04] But I was about memorabilia and different things. In how many how large are addicts going to have to be?

Jared Emerson [00:30:12] So I didn't used to do it but now I have like Carson sent me a jersey sign. It was very nice, just signed it and uh said some nice things to me on there. So different ones. Jerry Rice. So I have a painting. I did have, I did of him like for myself. So he signed that a few others. I mean Joe signed a Coke bottle for me and he signed my jersey, I painted and stuff. So I get Steelers fans to come in the studio. They're like, wow, see, I grew up in Michigan. I'm a Detroit Lions fan, 

Ryan Alford [00:30:45] Painful!

Jared Emerson [00:30:46] And I never like the Steelers. And the main reason was because they won all the time. Yeah. So actually, this first cruise I did with the Steelers, this is kind of a funny story, but, um, they're like, Joe, we want to do a Q&A with you, with all the fan base. And we'll have some players there. And I'm not going to want to do a Q&A with me like they're here to see these athletes like you you're paying a few times for. So they'll see you. Yeah, some people show up. So I was like, all right, well, they showed up. There's a packed room. There's about five or six players. It came out. And so they're like, all right, let's let's get this going. So I got up there. I introduced myself, Jared Emerson from Perry, Michigan. I'm a hardcore Detroit Lions fan. And that everyone's looking at me like, what the heck did he just say? And we were like, boom. And I said, listen, I just wanted to before I get into a Q&A, like I just have a question for everyone here. And again, full house Pittsburgh Steelers fans. I said, I've always wondered from the bottom of my heart, like, what is it like to actually win? And right then they were like, just blew up and then you stroke their ego. Hey, what's it like to be the winningest team in history like that? 

Ryan Alford [00:31:59] Crushed the ice. Yeah, melted it.

Jared Emerson [00:32:03] So I think that's part of being a fan of a team that's never really won anything. Right. You have to suck it up and still support them and still be happy for these other teams. So I grew up hating the Steelers, but now having a you can say maybe an affection for them, because I've got to meet a lot of their players. And yeah, current and former, uh, even Mike Tomlin. I did a painting in Pittsburgh with him, um, and I did. And just meeting these guys and just. And that's the thing like when people say, what's your team? I mean, lions are my team. But like I root for Carson to be the best quarterback you can be, I root for his team to try to win another Super Bowl. Dwayne Allen, he he played he just won a Super Bowl with the Patriots last year, I think is with Miami 

Ryan Alford [00:32:52] High then from Clemson. 

Jared Emerson [00:32:53]  Great guy. I love him to death. You want to see these guys do well at what they do. And if they don't do well, you just want to be there for them and let them know that you love and care of them no matter what, no matter what. And then when they're on their highs, you want to let them know that, hey, I don't need to be there with you. But, yeah, I'm proud of you and, keep it up, keep doing what you're doing. So I'm probably more of a player fan now, versus a team fan because you get to know some of these guys and just want to see them. See them do. Well, like I love James James Connor, like a great guy. I mean, he's overcome some with cancer and everything and doing what he's doing.I got a lot of admiration for him and he's a young guy and, um, it was an honor to do a painting of him. And I got to let him know that, like, it was more an honor for me to pay him with his fans than anything, so that's pretty neat. 

Ryan Alford [00:33:50] What's the future hold? I mean, where are we headed? I know that's a loaded question, 

Jared Emerson [00:33:55] It's very loaded. 

Ryan Alford [00:33:56] But I mean, if you're guiding the ship, you were where you were, you were taking it, riding the wave. I mean, 

Jared Emerson [00:34:05] I think you continue running the waves, but you're also looking for the bigger waves, right? Yeah. And also looking for the biggest thing. To me, the ultimate thing for me is like and take this the way I'm saying it is the goal is the Super Bowl, right? Yeah. It's the biggest event in the world. Well, I guess they say maybe to us Americans. 

Ryan Alford [00:34:26] I think it's but it's in the top five in the world and in the US, definitely. It's one A, B and C.. 

Jared Emerson [00:34:33] So you have that as hate, so that's the ultimate yeah, I'd love to paint there now someone else does that or some other artist, that's fine, but that's the goal. It doesn't mean I actually have to do it, but if I did it, it would be that I can see 

Ryan Alford [00:34:50] Kanye and you on stage at the Super Bowl like I see it like 

Jared Emerson [00:34:55] Jesus is king, but now Jesus, 

Ryan Alford [00:34:57] How wonderful that is if you're listening or your handler. That's right. 

Jared Emerson [00:35:01] Let's do it. That would be epic. It would be. And that could be done in a way where it is a beautiful setting. So that's their right. You put that up in the air, you put it out to the prayers to God. And, um, if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it's not no big deal. Um, but back to when I told you, like, you have hopes and dreams as a kid. Right. But then I believe God's transition to something different. So I've been able to live out those dreams that I wasn't able to. So once you live out those dreams and you set new goals, new dreams. Right. So I think that's the way my mom is right now. I'm looking for those bigger waves of what I do and how do you empower people? And part of it is coming up with new ideas and concepts like you can. I mean, I get. I get artists and athletes send me videos of different people they saw online or whatever, and, for me as an artist, I usually pick apart the videos, write the time lapse. OK, how long was that? How much does. Do you see it move and change? So to me, I'm like, hey, I just did this painting in three minutes or five minutes or eight minutes but you timelapse that. You can timelapse that in ten seconds, right. Yeah. The beauty of these things, right? So for me, I'm always a skeptic on something, but I think a lot of videos are cool. So I kind of think the same way with me, like when people see videos of me. And then I was that real, like, does that really happen? Part of me is like coming up with a concept for cool video, right, to do one thing, I started 

Ryan Alford [00:36:40] I know a company that does. 

Jared Emerson [00:36:41] Yeah, some good stuff. I need to take a shameless plug, but is coming up with the concept ideas to do the videos. And the biggest thing for me is usually time because I'm always going, I'm always doing things and I'm a big believer in people want to hire you for some, you do it and you stick with it if something bigger comes along. Finished. But yeah, I'm booked, I can't write, um, some like the Super Bowl came up, we may we might be able to work some. I don't know. But it's it's it's just, continually moving forward is what I think I'm trying to do. Thinking of new things and, uh, like I said, videos and ideas of what to paint, I was going to say this. So two years ago I started painting on glass rice like an acrylic. So I'm actually facing the crowd. They're watching me. And I paint something that seems to soften and I'm not seeing that. So I have an art show every year since September this year. September 24th coming up 2021. I mean, twenty sorry, I'm getting a year ahead. 2020, so September 24th, I believe. So do our show here locally. 

Ryan Alford [00:37:57] I  was there for this. 

Jared Emerson [00:37:58] All right. What do you think is right? And my painting, though. 

Ryan Alford [00:38:01] Oh, it that you use. 

Jared Emerson [00:38:05] It is. Here's the thing. If I'm on a jakab painting, it's going to be my own show because I have control. I can do whatever I want. Right? Yeah. There's someone paying me to do something and make sure I do it right and get it right. Um, but it was fun. We done 

Ryan Alford [00:38:17] a lot of the good I would do 

Jared Emerson [00:38:19] the next day anyway. So just throwing that out there. If anyone thinks that I'm just perfect every time.

Ryan Alford [00:38:25] I want to see that for like next year. Maybe so. Yeah. 

Jared Emerson [00:38:28] Well, the year before, which you probably missed, I missed um I did Aretha Franklin on and on Glass and the year before that I did a Frank Sinatra. OK, so it's it's pretty neat to see because it's almost like it's transformed itself in the year and I'm in between. It's very tough to do because, if you focus on the crowd. Then your space gets blurry if you focus on what you're doing, the crowd gets blurred so you can still see everyone and what's going on. But yeah, it can also be fun, too, because you can play with it a little bit. But I'd like to do something with that. Maybe multiples. And, some of the things I do, it just takes production. So it's figuring that out as well. 

Ryan Alford [00:39:09] Where can people find you? So if someone's listening, they want to hire you some moments, go learn more and you get the website, where can they find?

Jared Emerson [00:39:16]  Right now, I'm sitting here in radical radical studio here and 

Ryan Alford [00:39:23] Where are they going to digitally find you? 

Jared Emerson [00:39:24] So digitally, Instagram is The Jared collection. I need some more followers. Um, so I usually post as much as I should, but I usually put a lot of stories on here and there. But Instagram is one where you can see different things, multiple stuff that I do. So I go from, maybe a video here and there to show an opinion or just something I'm doing or an event that I'm at, but Instagram is my main prize, my main thing. I kind of use it now, but my websites, the jared, not the Jared Emerson .com. Facebook, just Jared Emerson. Art is everyone. It's my business slogan. Slogan because I believe art does reach everyone because art is in everything from this table to our clothes to this microphone. It's building conversation. It's an art form. And I think art reaches and touches people in so many different ways. So, that's where you can find me and I live in Greenville, South Carolina. My studio's right here, right downtown 

Ryan Alford [00:40:32] Available worldwide? 

Jared Emerson [00:40:34] Available worldwide. Yet I've actually been to India. China. Almost every state in the US except for Hawaii have not painted in Hawaii, which we're working on. Yeah, um, let's see if we get any ideas. 

Ryan Alford [00:40:50] I got some ideas. There are a couple of friends that are actually nice, so I can work on that. But, man, I really appreciate you coming on. 

Jared Emerson [00:40:58] Oh, man, I appreciate you having me now. 

Ryan Alford [00:41:00] And I've known you for a couple of years. Consider you a friend and respect admire your passion for art and Christ and everything that you're doing both in the world and locally. I think you're going to love this episode. 

Jared Emerson [00:41:18] I hope so. Listen, if you get some time, go home, throw some paint, you never know, never know what might happen. But yea if I encourage your listeners, just keep tabs on keep pushing, keep creating, keep being creative and take that imagination to the next level, because in this day and age we need more of that versus just looking at our phones, we need some boom boom boom. 

Ryan Alford [00:41:44] I can't agree more. Well, we really appreciate Jared Emerson coming on today. Go check out him at all of the places that he said. That's it for today on the Radical Company podcast. See you 

Jared Emerson [00:41:56] Peace!