Meet Erik Stone | Photographer & Artist & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erik Stone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erik, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Many members of my family are artistic, creative, and musical. It was a natural path for me to take.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My journey into the creative started at a young age. I did some painting, drawing, art block prints, candle making and other creativities. As I got older I did artistic woodworking, pottery on the wheel, photography, and leather works. Musicality I did a bit on the piano, accordion, harmonica and other instruments. In college I won 1st place in an 11 state college contest for photography.
However I never pursued any of these things as a business initially.
Why not?
I felt that these things were a natural part of my life much like my mother and siblings. Therefore I concentrated my efforts to my wife and kids and my faith.
What changed?
I got older, my kids grew up, my wife had other plans and left. So I shifted gears.
I revisited my creative side. I bought a pro camera I learned about the new digital world of photography. I immersed myself in it. I started snapping thousands of photos. I learned the editing process too on my computer. Now I do photo restoration for clients, sell prints and run several photo educational groups online.
Musically I learned to play piano by ear and have learned close to one hundred songs.
Artistically I learned to sketch portraits of people with color pencils. I am totally self taught. Now I am getting training to be a certified art therapy coach.
Was it an easy road?
Yes and no. What do I mean?
I have enjoyed every moment of the process because of my creative background. But it is a bit more complicated than it may seem. There is no secret path to quick success. So my advice is to stay positive and motivated. Keep working on it and moving forward. Share with others and get to know people on a similar path. How do they handle bumps in the road?
I learned a lot from people of similar pursuits. That is why I get to know many photographers, musicians and artists personally.
That makes it quite enjoyable as well.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love this question. I am fortunate to live in an area with much to see. If my friend visited during the summer I would take them to the county fair and visit the art, woodworking, and beautiful rock and gems sections. We also listen to the many bands playing there. I would take the nearby concert in the park with 4000 people. We would visit the nearest desert and look at the ancient Indian art on rock walls. We would go to the beach close by too. All the time I would be snapping photos and encouraging them to do it too. We would have a beach bonfire and barbecue complete with a marshmallow roast. I would take them to one of the local wineries or breweries and do some sampling while enjoying some music by some of my musical friends.
We also have many coffee and meal places so that would be a great way to start the day.
Or we might visit the Zoo, Sea World, or the many museums in Balboa Park, or the Botanical Gardens nearby.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I give most of the credit to my mother. She has passed away but leaves a indelible mark on me and many others in my family. How? She pursued art in many forms. From her beautiful stained glass windows and paintings and many other creative things she delighted onlookers.. She was also quite musical and played several instruments. From guitar, her main instrument, to the harp, autoharp, piano, and others, she got many involved. Many family members as well as friends joined in the fun. Because of this influence most of my family is creative in both ways. I am no exception.

Website: https://erikstone.wixsite.com/etchedinstonephoto

Instagram: I’m on Instagram as @erik.cody.stone. Install the app to follow my photos and videos. https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?utm_source=ig_contact_invite&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_content=p3k1t

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/etchedinstonephotography/

Image Credits
Erik Cody Stone