Meet Spencer Garland | Creative Director of BRENDA ARTS

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

Hi Spencer, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Actually finding work-life balance has been a long road for me. For years, probably the last seven or so, I have been on “go-mode.” Every opportunity presented to me I took; all of it felt so crucial and a career starter. I sent thousands of emails, spoke at every engagement offered, and made every video that had a budget. I prided myself on working long hours and achieving the lofty goals I had for myself. I really was a Hollywood guy, sustaining myself on coffee and cheap diner food as I edited until 2 AM while my peers were out, you know, enjoying their 20s and socializing. My parents did not raise a slacker. They didn’t raise a quitter.

That mindset was ultimately extremely detrimental to me in almost all aspects. Deeply rooted in anxiety, I felt like I needed to do everything right now as the future was not guaranteed. This feeling of dread consumed everything around me. I recently went to an artist residency in Washington and reflected on where I am at and where I’m headed-I didn’t like the direction I was moving in so I had to make a change. Now, I actively limit how many hours I dedicate to BRENDA. I spend time with loved ones who give me energy and do hobbies that help me relax. I feel better now, much better. Reinvigorated even. I spoke at Chapman University a few weeks ago and my parting advice was to find balance during the student’s artistic journeys. They will get to where they are headed!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My creative journey started from day one. I am truly the hybrid of my parents; my mom made art and my dad ran a small computer programming company. I run a business that deals with digital art so it came full circle for me. My father introduced me to Jurassic Park when I was three and I knew what I wanted to do with my life from that point forward. I wanted to get these ideas I had in my head out into a form when others could see them. I practiced my skills since then. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by individuals who trusted my vision and worked alongside me since I was a child, some of which are my closest collaborators today. I started learning how to produce for TV in middle school, learned how to write in high school, started a lucrative music video direction career in college, then started my own art practice once I graduated. I was very incensed by my film school experience and knew I could make something more engaging while simultaneously helping my community.

I started BRENDA ARTS, an interdisciplinary media company that houses a POC youth arts program built within it. Named after my late mother, BRENDA started life as an after-school program where I taught BIPOC students film history, theory, and production along with aiding them to create their own visions with the resources/equipment I acquired. In late 2019-early 2020 the students, who I dub “wizards” because they are making movie magic, put together 3 short horror films which premiered in a movie theatre in Portland, OR. As COVID hit globally and classroom teaching was no longer an option, I decided to pivot to making videos that fell in line with the values I set in the classroom.

Over the next few years, I built a small media company that prioritized cultivating the Black imagination and explaining how the productions were made. BRENDA LAB, our first production, is made in conjunction with the Portland Art Museum. Billed as “Bill Nye for Black Art,” the show speaks on BIPOC art and culture through an afrofuturist lens. I wanted to make something that emulated educational programming from PBS while I was growing up, but insert hip-hop into it. Episodes are currently online, but will soon be installed in the museum itself.

I am also the lead designer of my first video game. Quantum Phantom Basketball is a basketball adventure game currently in production for the Panic Playdate game system. Playing more like Street Fighter than NBA 2K, the journey follows Starx and company as they play hoops across Neo Elsewhere, a high fantasy New York City. I did a lot of research into not only game design, but also aesthetics. I am pulling inspiration heavily from 90s-era basketball, PSX Squaresoft J-RPGS, and UK drum and bass. I’ve been getting prototypes back for the last month and it becomes more and more fun to play. I am so stoked to be able to share it when the game is finished.

What sets BRENDA ARTS apart from other media firms is that mine is a “glass studio.” I knew I could never walk into Universal and ask to see how their films are made based on complexion alone. Since I retain the rights to my IPs, I can share the entire process of creation from beginning to end with anyone who is willing to listen (especially the Black kids). I’m currently making a docuseries about the making of Quantum and that is available for free on Youtube. For both the show and the game, students from the BRENDA program have the opportunity to add their ideas, creatures, levels, etc. into what I am making. I want to give them ownership over what I make as they inspire me so much. The relationship is symbiotic, they help me with my work and I help them with theirs. I still teach, I recently did a theme park design workshop which was a lot of fun, and that keeps me grounded. Hearing what the kids say fuels my own curiosity and sense of play.

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?
When it’s nice in Portland I take my friends to the swingset at the base of Washington Park. It overlooks a vista of multicolored trees and soft, green grass. It is a place that makes me truly happy. My favorite food cart is Tito’s Burritos; it was my favorite Mexican spot since I was in college. I have spent way too much money there. Powell’s Books is also an essential destination for me. It is the ultimate bookstore, taking up an entire city block in the heart of downtown. I have been lost in there for days at this point. Last, can’t forget about the Portland Art Museum. Another place I have spent a lot of time in. I am glad to be in a relationship with an organization that has introduced me to so many cool works of art.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been blessed to have a large infrastructure of support around me to encourage me and push me to move forward. I would like to thank my lifelong friends who have been helping my work since the beginning, the members of the BRENDA ARTS R&D Team who aid in all of my current projects, and the teachers who have nurtured me both creatively and emotionally. I would also like to thank KairosPDX, teenage engineering, Panic, Sweet Baby Inc. and so many other organizations who helped me reach my creative potential. Lastly, my family, who I love dearly, have been caping for me and their support will never go unnoticed.

Website: www.brendaarts.org

Instagram: lonesaucerboy, brendaartsnw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lonervision3427

Image Credits
Bear Perry Anthony Hou David Conklin Spencer Garland Pierre de Vallombreuse