Christopher Brown

Christopher Brown

Painter


You don't want your life to be this perfect, uptight experience. You want to be able to say, 'Yeah...I lived. I really lived. And I didn't live in a box.'

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Christopher Brown

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
Was a small kid, knew he wasn't going to be picked first in sports; developed the greatest endurance to make up for small stature.
Says practicing endurance, making himself sit down and doing things for extended periods of time helped his painting down the line.
"Had a lot of doubts," thought he should be a writer, wrote for his college newspaper in graduate school.
Even as he started to realize art was his passion, he wrote art criticism-writing was safer, he didn't think his art was good enough.
Loves the freedom that being an artist affords: he can pick how often and when to paint, he travels often.
Says some artists work like businesses: focus on brand, end product; he works in the opposite mindset, loves the process.
Isn't afraid to change his mind about his art; he'll sand away three years of work if he has a better idea for a painting.
Says we're all 99.999% the same; it's your job to find that .001% that makes you different and act on it.

Education

High School
Bachelor
Painting
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate
Painting
University of California-Davis

Career

Painter

My paintings are like pages in a journal, not necessarily a coherent story, but sincere, honest, and open.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Art
Writing
Being Creative

Interviewed By

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

While in St. Louis, the team lets their imaginations run free at the City Museum, an architectural marvel and playground made out of found objects from the city. Afterward, they sit down with founder and creator Bob Cassilly to learn what inspired him. In Idaho, they speak with sought-after expedition photographer Jimmy Chin, who opens up about his fears on failing and the dangers of extreme missions. "Fear is healthy," he reminds the Roadtrippers.