Shawn Kolodny has already sold a piece for $50.000. Now, his goal is to sell one of his works of art for a million bucks. Just last year, during Milan’s Fashion Week, the artist did an installation for Missoni’s fashion show. He also produced 30 sculptures for House of Creed’s global stores and got engaged.
The man is definitely happy. These days, he’s aiming for Formula One and Ferrari. And while these things happen, Kolodny is looking for himself as an artist, seeking his signature, which he believes is what an artist does for half their life. We think he’s already got it, so we came up with a bunch of questions to try and figure him out.
Where were you raised?
I was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. New York City, born and bred. One side of my family, four generations: New York City.
Where is your family originally from?
Predominantly from Eastern Europe. A little bit of Russia, Poland, and Austria.
Who raised you?
Mom and dad did, and we were ironically next-door neighbors to my grandparents. So, they served as caregivers and babysitters.
Were you a lonely kid or did you have siblings and cousins around?
I have one younger brother. So, it was never particularly lonely. I grew up with a good support system and a great family. No complaints there.
How are you as a kid?
I didn’t come into myself until later in life. I wasn’t the coolest kid in the world. Was probably so slightly socially awkward. A little chubby and probably a little lost. I didn’t really find my passions, callings, and reasons for life until many years later.
How did you entertain yourself?
I played a lot as a kid. Back then we didn’t have iPhones and computers. So, we played with blocks and billboards, and outside.
What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid?
Deep down, I always knew I’d be an entrepreneur of some sort. I always had ideas of businesses and things, and I kind of followed that path.
There was no art in mind at the time?
I’ve made art since I was a little kid. I used to make stone sculptures at the Art Students League when I was 13 and 14 years old. Went to RISD and summer programs when I was in junior high school. I was very math-driven and also very creative. So, I was torn between going Engineering or Art. I actually kind of like split the difference and ended up in Industrial Design.
What is your relationship to Halloween?
Used to be my favorite holiday of the year. I’ve been known to spend an offensive amount of money on Halloween costumes, custom-made contact lenses, and going to the dentists to have custom teeth. I’ve gone all out. We’re actually getting ready to launch Big Shiny Pumpkins. Big, giant, and playful pumpkins that originally started as a side hustle business called Big Shiny Balls, where I sell the big shiny balls. I’m getting excited about Halloween again!
Do you like candy?
Yes, I have a horrible sweet tooth.
What’s your favorite?
Lately, I’m probably more of a chocolate guy than a candy person. But sometimes I’m not. I like Sour Patch Kids. I was a Mike and Ike guy.
How do you celebrate your birthday?
Well, now it’s different. I used to be in the hospitality business for 20 odd years, so I used to own fancy nightclubs and restaurants. My birthday was somewhat infamous. I used to throw a huge costume party called Eyes Wide Shawn, where I’d get masks for a thousand people, and it was like a whole big thing. Now it’s literally the exact opposite of that. Maybe a nice dinner with some friends and bed by 11.
If you had a birthday party with a thousand people, how many gifts did you receive?
That was usually my gift to everybody else. It was more a marketing excuse than anything else.
How do you have fun?
I’m just gonna sound terrible, but I’m enjoying work these days. I like making art and I love coming to the office. I truly love doing what I’m doing, and get to play all day. Also, a good boat day. Living in Florida, you need a solid boat day every now and again.
Are you still living between New York and Miami?
Technically, I still have a home in New York, but it’s like 99% Miami. I don’t think you could pay me enough money to move back to New York.
What do you think graffiti does for a city?
I think that it’s really compelling in terms of just artistic expression and bringing vibrancy to what is otherwise potentially somewhat boring. I remember going up to graffiti on the subways when every subway car was fully tagged. There was grit and culture, there was something about it. There are times when I’m into graffiti, but not necessarily just for the sake of graffiti, but really for the sake of art. When I say graffiti, I mean the murals. Anything that engages the spirit and mind and makes the neighborhood a little more interesting.
You started with Industrial Design, then an MBA, and finally art. What were you looking for, what was the plan?
When I went to school for Industrial Design it was before computers like today. There were no drafting and design tools, we did everything by hand. We made sculptures and models, and we had portfolios on slides. My portfolio was destroyed between years four and five of my education. That was my body of work that I used to try and get a job. So, I saw it as a sign that maybe I shouldn’t do it.
How did it get destroyed?
There was one year that we used to keep our stuff in our classroom during the summer months. Between years, they decided to clean the building out. And I had left too much stuff that I probably shouldn’t have. They threw a bunch of stuff away.
So, I moved back home to New York and ended up taking a job at my local bar as a bar back and bartender. A couple of months turned that into an ownership piece at a bar. I had a bunch of good partners back then, so I opened up a bunch of hospitality establishments and had a very successful career in the hospitality business. My claim to fame was a nightclub called Pink Elephant, which at the time was one of the most famous places in the world. That’s when I decided to go back to business school because maybe it would solve my woes.
I got an MBA and realized I hated finance, so I took around the hospitality a little bit. And all the while I was making art, basically for myself and privately. Another artist friend of mine, a guy named Jojo Anavim, told me to own it and put my name on it. That was the beginning of a very long journey.
When did you start making a living with your art?
There’s an old Jim Rowan line: You can have a job, a career, or a calling, right? A job, you flip burgers, it sucks. A career, you have domain expertise, you can make a bunch of money, or you don’t have to. Then, a calling is something you would pay to do, right? I used to follow the money. So, I used to spend a lot of money on art supplies, classes, things, and lessons. At the time, I was doing hospitality, which was a calling for me. I loved it.
At some point, it became a career. And I realized I didn’t love it as much anymore. I realized art was my calling and told myself, I gotta go pro. I gave myself another six months to see if I could do art every day, not as a hobby, but as my job.
But I got distracted and ended up out west in Colorado, starting another business, and then COVID happened. So, I moved back to Florida and decided art is still my calling and passion. I needed to give it one more shot. And this time around, it worked. But up until this last run of it, I would say it was like treading water at best.
What inspires you to get into the studio and create?
You know something? You can’t wait to be inspired. If you wait to be inspired, you’ll be waiting for the rest of your life. You have to come into the studio, whether you want to be there or not. And just like today, I didn’t want to be here. I came in, pretending to clean and do stuff. Those are the days when cool stuff happens. So, I started a couple of pieces that turned into two other things. And a bunch of interesting things came from that. Just do the work. Most of the coolest shit I’ve ever made was a mistake.
Do you listen to music while you create?
Never. A podcast, mostly. And books. I was in the nightclub business for 25 years. So, I don’t need more music in my head.
At the beginning of your art career, did you drink or get high while working?
I was definitely a drinker, but kind of for my other life, which I think probably didn’t affect my work positively. One of my old series of work was about addiction and, you know, I’ve had addiction in my family. Drugs and alcohol have been massively influential in my life. I was in the bar and nightclub business for 25 years. So, they were integral parts of my existence. Though I tell you, I stopped drinking when this series started. And I think that the success of this series and my stopping drinking are for sure correlated. My life got better.
Do you now feel more clear-headed or more aware?
I can tell you exactly, it’s a couple of things. When you’re young and drink, the next day you’re like, Yeah! Now, I have a big night of drinking and the next day shot. The day after that, I’m probably off 20 or 30%. Day after that, not that noticeable, probably off 10%. And the day after that, maybe off like 5%. If you take those days, resistance, all those things, and you compound it out, even if you drink one day a week, but that next day shot, the day after you’re not 100%, you know, you have resistance.
I assume your nightclub scene was very posh rather than Club Kids, am I right?
Yeah, 100%.
Is there a Warhol influence in your work?
Yeah. I was a silkscreen artist. So, in that respect, it was the same medium that Warhol used. There’s always that kind of obviously weird, respected connection. I’ve always been a fan of his work. I like pop art in general, and contemporary. These days, I tend to like more sculptural things like an Koons and Anish Kapoor, stuff like that. I also like a bunch of other up-and-coming artists like PichiAvo. And the beauty of the world now, just the internet. Every day I find someone new and amazing that’s like, just Wow!
What is the latest art exhibit you’ve been to?
I went, ironically, to an exhibit in New York almost six months ago now, maybe this summer, called the Balloon Museum. And it was a bunch of inflatable artists. I think they’re actually coming here to Miami too. And it’s all like, other artists that use inflatables to make really cool stuff. Obviously, I have a fond connection to that style of work. The general level of work was quite good.
What’s your favorite piece of art?
I don’t know. There’s too many to count. But, I’m a big fan of like the bean in New York, which I think is actually cooler than the one in Chicago. And then I’m also always fascinated by the business of art and how different artists approach it. Some are just gallery-driven, others own their own business, and others just like art. Because of social media, art has been democratized. You can get to any one person and to everybody. I’m always fascinated by how people build their audience and their practice.
Do you have a favorite museum?
MoMa is a classic when in New York. I went to this place in Amon, Hong Kong, that was pretty good. I like going to the fairs a lot. When Art Basel comes down, you have all this great art crammed into one place. It makes discovering easier.
What does color mean to you?
Lately a lot. The new stuff I was talking about earlier is really playing, really fun, interesting, and with deep colors. Colors are just… I don’t even know how to describe it. They’re just so vibrant. They’re like, they want you to interact with them. And so, I don’t know, good vibrant color, there’s something just magical about it. It can just trigger an emotion. I like colors so rich that you can’t pull away from them.
When do you decide that the work is done?
Ah, it’s so hard. I’m a big believer in the 80-20 rule. I tend to push things out before they’re ready because I’ve done work where I’ve done it 80% of the way and 100% of the way. And that last 20% takes me like 80% of the time. Then I show those two works to someone. They’re like, Oh, they both look nice! And nobody knows. Almost no one notices that last little bit, all the little things nobody knows. I try to push things out before I think they’re done already. I try to push them into the universe. Because, we always make excuses not to like the sharing part, the uncomfortable part, right? That’s the feedback, the positive and negative. That’s the scary part. So, the faster you can push things into that place, the better, at least for me.
How do you feel about art critics?
I don’t listen to them. I’m sure people have been critical. I mean, if they say nice things, I’m sure I listen to them. I’m sure people have been more than critical about my work. My goal is to make people smile, make them happy. When I make something that I know is like “Wow”, it tickles me, then I know I got it.
What movement would you say your work belongs to?
Oh, it’s contemporary.
What do you hope people take away from experiencing your art?
Joy.
What do you think the world would be without art?
Horrible. Just like prison. Art and creative color, whether in nature or through someone’s gifted hands, make things interesting, fun, and exciting. They create wonder, excitement, and curiosity. The world is: the more art, the better.
Who would you love to see your work next to, alive or dead?
There’s an artist, Joshua Vides, who’s been doing some amazing stuff. He switches between these amazing corporate partnerships and his art. I actually like it. It’s so simple but elegant, it’s awesome. And there’s an Australian woman out of New York named CJ Hendry, who I’m a huge fan of. She’s built her own art business. She does these giant installations as a means to create a series of work around a specific concept and then sell additions in art. The way she approaches art, not only just as art but as an experience and how those connect with the actual business of purchasing art.
What does living in Miami do for your work?
It’s just the quality of life here. It’s the best. I love this place. It’s the greatest. I think this is the city of the 21st century. It’s the best place in America right now. I like the scenery, the people, and the food. I can walk to the beach. Life is good.
How do you define art?
If it moves you, it’s probably art. It could be the ocean, a tree, a mural on the side of a wall, it could be the way that crack on a wall meets up with a standpipe so it kind of looks like someone’s face. It can present itself in any number of ways. Something that gives you that Wow! and emotion. Art is everywhere. The products we use, it’s everywhere. You just have to learn how to see and appreciate it.
How do you define creativity?
Mixing cool things together. Really, that’s what it is. Matching up things in the world in a way that hasn’t been done or seen before. And just do it differently. Being a chef of sorts. Deep down, creativity is being willing to fail, being willing to make something that sucks. Because that’s how it all starts.
So, anyone could be creative?
Yeah, sure anyone could be creative. How that creativity expresses itself, that’s a whole different ball game. Some days I feel creative. Oftentimes I don’t, even though most of you probably think I am.
You’ve been an entrepreneur, a very successful one at it. You’re also a successful artist. You have a podcast. You’ve also been a writer and have been published. So, being so successful in almost anything you do, how does Shawn Kolodny tame his ego?
I used to have, it used to be a problem. I used to have a big head. And now I think I’m kind of the opposite of it. When I was in the hospitality business, I had fancy brands, celebrity brands, and all sorts of stuff. And, you know, at the time it was probably not good for my ego. I mean, my head was probably like, it could barely get it through the door.
Like a big giant sphere!
Like a sphere. Yeah. You bet it was! Now, I don’t think my ego’s there. I’m a bit more of a hermit. I’ve gotten to the point in life or age where I just don’t care. I’m cool with who I am. I love the people around me. I’ve chosen to remove all the assholes out of my life. I’m very fortunate in that respect. And the world is paying me back for it. I don’t have anything to prove to anybody. I approved myself. If other people like it, that’s amazing. But if not, that’s okay.