To submit a question, email: minitruckin@sorc.com
This question can make for a great ice-breaker. It can create bonds, set boundaries, and allow a conversation to go almost anywhere.
If someone has a hobby or an interest and is willing to bring it up in conversation, then there is a good chance that they have some knowledge of the subject, which could possibly create one of those "If you have to ask, you'll never get it" type situations. The person answering the question can either give up and avoid the conversation (like when you first tried to explain to your family why you had airbags installed on your truck), or they might spend the rest of the night trying to convey the awesomeness of their topic of which the asker probably lost interest in a long time ago (like when you first tried to explain to your family why you had airbags installed on your truck). But here's a little secret: A subject that is always safe answering or using to strike up a conversation is art. Everyone is into art, even if they don't realize it at first. I guarantee that you can find something art-like that interests anyone enough to carry on a conversation.
Although, simply stating "I'm into art" is perhaps the most ambiguous statement that you can make. Art is anything, or nothing, and art is everywhere. On the other side of that coin, and this holds true with anything that could wear the label of "art," it can also be just as strongly disliked as it is liked. That's just how it goes; it's the love-it or hate-it personal choice of freedom that makes art such a great subject
My personal artistic interests are far too many to list, and as such my collection reflects this inconsistency. I own art that is as common as vintage hood ornaments to one-of-a-kind pieces of mixed media on canvas to art glass sculptures by a world-renowned artist. The majority of my assortment falls into a vague category called "lowbrow," which is art that is crass or dirty and just generally not geared toward the stuffed-shirt crowd, but I do have a few pieces from the fancy side of things as well. Topping the list of my favorite type of art has to be "mechanical art", which can be anything from a motorcycle to an ornate shock mount to a sheetmetal four-link bar (like some of the pics of my work pictured in this article). The most prominent artist of this genera has to be Leonardo Di Vinci. Even though his Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world, I have zero interest in it. It's his mechanical drawings and inventions that keep me awake at night dreaming of my next big idea. He has graced us with sketches of flying contraptions, bridges, war machines, hydraulics which have never failed to impress me. His work is truly awe-inspiring if you think about how long ago they were drawn. The modern world really wouldn't be what it is today without his ideas.
Truth be told, I regard myself as an artist first and a car builder second. So consider this: Each month a new Mini Truckin' magazine is printed and distributed with a piece of art on the cover. Every truck is an interpretation of someone's dream and whether the owner/builder knows it... They are really an artist.