Kelli
VISUAL ARTIST
My name is Kelli, and I have C.P. I’m from Lincoln Nebraska, and I took art in school and loved it. I’ve been at Live Yes Studios since 2011. A lot of the inspiration for my work comes from anime and food aesthetics. But honestly sometimes I don’t have any inspiration other than it looks cool. I enjoy writing, making music, sewing, and many other art forms. Recently I’ve been doing more self- advocacy work for people who experience disabilities. I have recently testified at the Nebraska state capitol to the appropriations committee arguing on behalf of the DD community in Nebraska.
jessica
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTIST
Once upon a time…whatever. Nothing happened. My name is Jessica. Some people call me Rufus or Jessicat, but I am Tasha. Painting and drawing is what I like to do. My paintings are a mixture of colors based on my mood. My work is inspired by the people in my life. I’m thoughtful and always making pictures to give to my friends and family. My favorite classes at the studio are Tasha’s ceramics class and Nate’s collage class. I also like to go for drives and do puzzles. Walk please. I eat worms. And snakes. Ew. Firetrucks! I like them. I kiss them. MUAH! I kiss my mom. I love her.
Steven
VISUAL ARTIST
I’m Steven, and I’m the doodle master. My preferred medium is drawing, especially with ink and calligraphy pens. I love traditional tattoo work which is my biggest inspiration for my artwork. I also really appreciate looking at other artists’ work and find inspiration from those I look up to. At the studio it’s nice because I get to work with instructors that have different strengths. I’m able to learn something new from each instructor. Outside of the studio I enjoy going to Eagle Raceway and watching the races. Lately I’ve been practicing my photography skills while I’m there photographing the racecars.
SUSAN
VISUAL ARTIST
I am Susan Mays, aka The Suze, Suzie-Q, Su-Wooh!, A-Mays-ing Grace, Hey Suze. Live Yes Studios is my kingdom by day, and the rocking chair is my throne. I have many constituents that attend to me at my will, providing me with various forms of tantalizing stimuli—soda pop, socks, tasty morsels from cooking class as well as other more trivial trinkets like markers, paint brushes, and the occasional canvas. One of my greatest preferences is when these jesters provide music of the hard and classic rock variety—synth is not to my liking. A good jaunt down the highway in one of our vans to a savory tune is one of my favorite daily pursuits. I am also an occasional peruser of the dance floor, if only to move around the studio, maintaining order amongst my peeps and their beverages. One of my greatest contributions to my community at LYS is to be the wise mediator amongst my peers, providing an open perspective of optimism, approval, and disapproval, if needed. I keep a balanced and direct approach to life, reminding my peeps of what is really important: a chill day. A good day, keeping life simple and straightforward, the Susan Mays way.
Son
MUSICIAN AND VISUAL ARTIST
Good morning Vietnam! My name is Son. I’m a really good cook, and I enjoy feeding people. You got a party? I want to make ribs, rice, and egg rolls for you. I love to work with my hands in any medium, a true jack of all trades. At LYS I like to paint, make sculptures, and design. My art varies from beautiful landscapes to geometric patterns, but it is all very precise. My first art show was a series of paintings called “Son-sets”. I enjoy using cardboard and balsa wood to make sculptures of airplanes, cars, and houses. Recently at LYS I learned how to sew, and I’ve made a handful luchador masks, bags, and pillows. I’m also the teacher’s assist in our screen printing class, and help print my designs on t-shirts and coffee mugs.
CARA
COMEDIAN AND VISUAL ARTIST
Hi. I’m Cara. I like to draw food and people. I’ve made a series of faces with funny saying that we’ve printed on t-shirts and mugs. My artwork is inspired by myself. I’m funny, and I have some weird stories. My favorite classes are embroidery, ceramics, and Live Yes Live. I enjoy acting for videos, and my favorite character to play is Snake Eyes (seen in picture above). My best memory of 2021 was pie-ing Tasha in the face. TEN TO TWO! I’m also a comedian. I had my first stand up comedy show at LYS in February of 2019. My favorite part was making people laugh. It makes me happy. The show was a blast! I shared the stage with other local comedians. One was even in an Amigo’s commercial! I’m also using my comedic skills in writing a podcast for the first time. I also like going fishing with my dad in Canada and traveling with friends. I love swimming, watching sunsets and taking pictures of them! I even like going to the dentist! Speaking of the dentist, I’ll leave you with a joke…What time do you go to the dentist?..........Tooth-hurty!!!!
GOOD DAY, GOOD DAY AND GOOD NIGHT!
CArla
VISUAL ARTIST
My name is Carla. The details of classic cars, fords, and semis inspire my work. I love to draw and make sculptures of those vehicles out of cardboard and tongue depressors. My work is a self soothing practice that has taught me patience as I develop each detail of the vehicle. I enjoy design class that helps me turn my drawings into t-shirts or mugs. I’ve recently began playing the piano, and I would like to try working with leather too. Though I enjoy making art every day, my favorite thing about the studio is hanging out and joking with my best friends. I had an art show in 2019 that showcased my sculptures. My friend, Bill Chrastil, even performed at my art show! When I’m not at the studio, I like watching TV, WWE SmackDown, and horror films. My favorite horror film is Christine. That’s my dream car!
Andrea
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTIST
Hi, I’m Andrea. I like to draw and work with clay and sculpey, and I get inspiration from animals, nature, and television. My drawing style is full of colorful and inspired by cartoons. I especially love to draw bears and cats doing things that humans do, like having a disco party, eating tuna sand-witches, and having gas. I also enjoy participating in classes at the studio. My favorite classes are screen printing, meditation, tie-dye, and Friday’s dance party. Lately I’ve made many designs for t-shirts, mugs, and pillows for our gift shop. My favorite thing to do outside the studio is garage sale shopping and walking in the parks.
Micah
VISUAL ARTIST
My name is Micah, but my pseudonym is Arthur Archibald. My preferred medium is pen and paper, and my art is like magical pixie dust. I have an incredible memory and eye for perspective. My work is inspired from tv and movies and a universe of characters from my own imagination. You will often find me at LYS events drawing caricatures, and I might even turn you into a fairy or cat. My favorite thing about the studio is having a space to create my drawings, and I love the Film Fantastico class. I love movies, and I enjoy connecting with people by sharing my favorite quotes. For fun I like to go on adventures around town, riding to the park, walking, and reading.
Aleah
VISUAL ARTIST
Much of my work is inspired by animals and nature. I base my pieces on the forms of existing creatures, but design them more in line with my own psyche, which I describe as twisted, imaginative and somewhat goofy. As often as my work is amusing, many of my pieces are made to be visually beautiful. My preferred process is mixed media. While inspired by nature, I also upcycle “trash” so that they can be reused as a way to honor nature for what it gives us.
While attending a school for the blind in Nebraska City, I learned that art isn’t just a painting on a canvas. I formed an aesthetic process from materials that are tactile, and I could touch with my hands. I view this process as a calming mechanism; a connection to my inner sense of flow. Making work empowers me to alleviate fears of being in front of people, and to better open up and connect with others. Since 2016, when I joined Live Yes, my exploration of art in various mediums has developed my style. It makes me push myself out of my boundaries in terms of what I can or can’t do, and learn how to improve that further.
I’ve always been surrounded by animals, and had experience with therapy dogs early in my life. I started working with a Norwegian Fjord named Lyder in 2015. This lead me to driving a carriage competitively with Lyder. I was the first legally blind person to compete in the Nebraska State Fair in carriage-driving.
alyssa
VISUAL ARTIST
My name is Alyssa. I am an artist who can make about anything I put my mind to making. I have many different skills. I paint, make unique handmade jewelry, am a sculptor of wire, and can craft just about anything.
Josh
VISUAL ARTIST
I am Josh Morrison. I like to paint pictures, make wood work, and make sculptures out of trash. I start with an idea and then I find pieces that will make it come together. Sometimes my idea happens after I find a piece of trash on walks. I work fast so I don’t forget my idea. I need to walk or run to think of ideas.
Debbie
VISUAL ARTIST
I enjoy painting, drawing, and making art. I really like to use markers and acrylic paint. Stained glass inspires my work, and my art reflects that inspiration. I especially enjoy drawing animals and people. My favorite thing about the studio is hanging out with friends while listening to music. I also like to sleep almost all day. When I am not sleeping, I like to sleep.
Brianna
VISUAL ARTIST
WASSUP! I’m Brianna Heaps, but you can call me Bri, as it’s much easier to remember. I’ve only been at LYS since January 2019, but it’s been a fun learning experience for me. Learning new art styles besides traditional drawing (as that is my main medium) has been good. Currently I have been trying out other art styles and mediums, like digital art, watercolor and sewing. Traditional art is easier for me, as I have done it for a long time now, since I was…um…well, let’s just say I was young. But I hope to be better at digital art in the future. My favorite things are wolves, video games, anime/manga, more anime, and even more anime! Okay, okay. Obviously I’m an anime fanatic. I enjoy drawing anime and manga too. (For those of you who don’t know what manga is, it’s another name for Japanese “comics”.) I love the art style, and I wish to go to ComiCon or NebrasCon someday to see the different art. But for now, I’m happy where I am, at Live Yes Studios!
JOE
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTIST
I go by Joe man, Joseph, Josephina, Joe, Joey, and Oey Oh. I love to create art, but I especially love to make drawings in design class to print on t-shirts and mugs. I’m very funny, and my sense of humor inspires my characters and artwork. I also love the performing arts. My favorite performing class at the studio is Live Yes Live. I get to dress up in costumes and act funny scenes out with my friends. My best friend Josh B. and I love to act in scenes together. I also love music because it makes me calm and melts my stress away. It feels like I can escape from frustrating moments in my life. I taught myself how to play the guitar by ear, and I enjoy playing the drums too. At Live Yes, I’ve learned how to record and create music on GarageBand. My favorite thing about the studio is having fun with everyone, and I like working with the instructors because they help me learn different things. My art and music is a way for me to connect with people. I also live on a farm which influences my every day life. I like draw tractors and animals. I used to show stocker and feeder cows, and I even have 5 trophies for grand championship!
Dave
VISUAL ARTIST
angie
VISUAL ARTIST
I’ve been making art since I was in Kindergarten. I love drawing, painting, and sculpture. I like working with wire, sculpey, pipe cleaners, feathers and working with materials that have different textures. Mythical and legendary creatures inspire my work. I also enjoy doing shiny hunts to find extremely rare Pokémon. My favorite class at the studio is Into the Dungeons which is a tabletop role playing game made of my own character. I decided to create a Golden Griffin which has a special high power attack.
Amber
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTIST
Hi, my name is Amber, and I grew up in Lincoln! My preferred mediums are drawing, ceramics, and all things performance. Colors inspires all my drawings, and food is my ceramic muse. I recently made a cheeseburger, shake, and fries out of clay. I love the visual arts, but performance art has my heart. I LOVE to dance and listen to music. When I’m in the music room, I enjoy playing the piano. My favorite class at the studio is the acting class, Live Yes Live. I enjoy assembling each characters’ costume from head to toe, and I love to act. My favorite thing about coming to the studio is making art and friends.