Category artist

Jan 1 2012

David Greer: What Will You Do for the First Time This Year?

David Greer, entrepreneur, songwriter and filmmaker, looks back at the end of a year and says “What did I do last year for the first time ever?” In this interview David shares examples of pursuing new venues of creative expression by giving himself permission to NOT be perfect.

“I think everyone has a creative vein in them and anybody can be creative. How many times do you stop and think that’s probably not any good or I’m not an artist? I just encourage people to take one step at a time and not be so consumed with the outcome.” ~David Greer

David talks about how a practice of daily stillness fuels his creativity. He says, “I’m open to things coming into your brain from sources unknown.”

Listen to David’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

More about David:

In the world of business, from marketing to publishing, and now in music and film, David Greer believes it all starts with a story.

For more than 30 years, David has harnessed the creative tools of the day to tell the stories of clients and causes – in print, online, through images, video, film and song.

His use of creative messages to achieve concrete business goals has garnered him a stellar reputation in marketing and media, while newer endeavors in the music and film industries have brought those mediums to the art and craft of his storytelling.

Extending his work into new mediums, David recently ventured into the world of filmmaking. David’s first screenplay was a quarterfinalist in the 2007 Slamdance Screenplay Competition, chosen from more than 2,200 screenplays. David’s first short film, produced and shot on location, was accepted into the International Family Film Festival in Hollywood, California.

He’s written songs like We Light A Candle and All Are Our Heroes, to benefit all those touched by cancer. The song and social media campaign became a touchpoint and a sustainable campaign to raise awareness and funds for the Cancer related charities.  Recently the Heroes Project has morphed in to a new endeavor called Faith On. Greer says seeing cancer survivors incredible faith inspired him to explore the role faith plays in every day life. Anybody can face a hardship… be it unemployment, rebuilding after a hurricane, heartbreak, illness and many other hardships. Greer seeks to use storytelling and real world examples to inspire folks to press on in faith. So far the campaign has reached 20 countries and throughout the US and a new song is in the production stages along with a Faith On Magazine and social media sites. A benefit concert is planned for 2012.

Find out more about the project at www.FaithOn.com or “like” the FaithOn Facebook page for daily encouragement.

An entrepreneur at heart, David launched his own marketing and media company in 1996, Tillman Allen Greer, enabling him to combine his technical knowledge with problem solving and creative applications in the marketing arena. A believer in vision with a keen focus on a quality outcome, David is known for balancing practical business sense with creative endeavors.

Tillman Allen Greer has provided strategic marketing services, including economic development, business development, public relations, advertising and creative design, video production, Web site development and collateral production to key organizations in the metro Atlanta area and throughout the state for more than a decade. The firm has produced award-winning work for Gwinnett Technical College, Gwinnett County Public Schools, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Discover Point Child Development Centers, the Gwinnett Center and the The Brand Banking Company. David is the creator of the now famous Gwinnett County development campaign Success Lives Here.

In the media realm, David has launched several award-winning publications. He is the founder and publisher of both Gwinnett Magazine, the area’s definitive lifestyle and business publication, and the Gwinnett Business Journal.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Oct 20 2011

Art as Worship

I have been interested in my spiritual connection to life for as long as I can remember. I was raised in a Christian family in southern WV and was always involved in church activities. I also had parents who showed me how to BE love in real life. They lived the example of loving people, being kind, being curious, embracing those who are different, appreciating nature and choosing to say positive things.

My mom is amazingly creative and I grew up around art and creative expression in many forms. Even in our small town, I experienced art shows, classes, plays, music and festivals. In high school, I was blessed with a fantastic art teacher, Ellen Anderson, who opened my mind to the possibility that art could be a career for me. I’m beyond grateful for her influence.

In Gary Zukav’s book, The Dance of the WuLi Masters, he talks about the ability that scientists and artists share of “re-presenting” the common in a new way. “It is possible that scientists, poets, painters and writers are all members of the same family of people whose gift it is to take those things which we call commonplace and to ‘re-present’ them to us in such ways that our self-imposed limitations are expanded.”

As I’ve met people from many faiths and backgrounds, I’ve been drawn to people who share their gift by connecting to their spirit. This Art as Worship project is designed to tell stories of artists. To explore their process of creation and how it is an expression of their own connection to however they name God… Jehovah, Allah, Source, the Universe, The Great Spirit or something else.

Thank you for joining me in this journey. Let me know if you have a story of your own art and spirituality to share.

Learn more about me at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.