Carl Scrase is a visual artist who is presenting his work as part of the upcoming Splendid Festival.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I didn’t really have any dreams of being anything until I was around fifteen when I did an aptitude test at school and gave me two options: the army or a vending machine attendant. As you can imagine this didn’t sit to well with me, I think this made me determined to do something special with my life. I decided art was the one talent I could foster, so I devoted myself to learning how to be an artist.

What did you become?
I am primarily a visual artist but I have started also calling myself a philosopher.

What's your official title?
Creative thinker/producer

What's your background - how did you end up here?
Lots of study, lots of exhibitions, lots of applying for things, lots of hard work, lots of great conversations, lots of good friends, lots of good mentors and a hell of a lot of mistakes.

How would you describe your work to a complete stranger?
I have started using the phrase ‘the spiritualization and sublimation of solids’ to describe what I am doing. Basically I am trying to transform mundane things into something special. So far I have done this through found object reconstructions, collage and video; but I am open to any medium and every art form.

What's the first thing career related you usually do each day?
I have turned into an obsessive reader; I try and read for at least a couple of hours every morning.

Can you describe an "average" working day for you?
Well I read in bed; as I just said, then I make myself a coffee and jump on the computer and check my email; this is getting increasingly longer because I am collaborating with various creative people across Australia. I have found there is actually a lot of paper work for the contemporary creative person these days. I then do some yoga, meditate and then shower. I will either read some more or sit at my work desk and try and make something. On every other day there will we a meeting or an exhibition I have to see. If I have a deadline coming up that I need to make new work for I will sit at my desk till 11 or 12, if not I will watch DVD’s or hang with friends.

The life of an artist is a strange thing; the gap between leisure and work often blur, I can’t really complain though.

Who or what in the arts world most inspires you?
My two favourite authors are Haruki Murakami and Tom Robbins; they both write in a kinda magic realism style, there characters live in these strange worlds where everything can and does happen.

I believe as an artist you have to be open to everything, you never know where inspiration may come from.

What's the toughest challenge you've dealt with on the job?
Money is the big problem for most artist; the lack of it that is. Art takes a lot of time and if you having to work a job that is not creative it can be very detrimental to creativity.

What's the best piece of advice you were ever given for your career?
Just be happy, work out what you want from life and work hard to get it.

What are the top three skills you need in your particular role?
Communication
Vision
Wisdom

What's the best thing about your job?
The chance to communicate what’s going on in my head.

And the worst?
Everyone judging what’s going on in my head.

And if you had to sum your working life in a word or phrase, what would it be?
A trip!

Visit http://www.splendid.org.au/ for more information on the festival.