Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Bryant.
Hi Charles, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Complex as it is, I was destined to be in a medium which fosters creativity.
Born in rural Virginia, I had parents who recognized that I was an aggressive learner, fostering in me a desire to expand horizons at every point in my life.
My education was liberal and family oriented. We moved frequently, but ended up back in Virginia in time for me to go to a great high school in Richmond. and from there to attend the University of Virginia, graduating with Honors, and to begin a career, self educating myself in interior design, and starting a journey that began in Pittsburg of all places, and that was a long time ago..
I mention this because this current profession of mine has an energy which no doubt began those many years ago. My colleague, David Spangler and I met in Fort Lauderdale and discovered that we both had been in Pittsburgh at the same time having a mutual friend named Mr. Rogers! We never met, but while I was having lunch with the gentleman in Shadyside, David was writing music for his PBS show — this set a stage for the future to be sure.
Moving to D.C., after two years in Pittsburgh, I worked with a major firm in the design department working with a few luminary clients such as Pamela Harriman, the great attorney Sylvan Marshall, and others —– creative, but not ground breaking work, but with some really being innovative.
In 1982, I moved myself and my late partner, along with my skills to Fort Lauderdale, working for another large company.
It was here that I became immersed in the richly creative mix of talent that resides here in South Florida.
I was on the board of the Broward Art Guild and worked with the creators in that organization. I became a judge at art openings, particularly working with Art Serve for a while, but the real fun started when I hired Brenda Schaefer as an assistant to help me in my design work.
Brenda’s husband was Hal Schaefer, a wunderkind, who was the protege of Duke Ellington, and the musical coach at 20th Century Fox in the 50’s, teaching Marilyn Monroe how to sing for “Gentemen Prefer Blondes” and working with the great Jane Russel as well — through him I met and became friends with Jane, who still called him “Hal Boy,” learned about progressive jazz, the nuts and bolts of being in a major film, and so much more.
Hal record an album just for me, telling me at the time, that a lot of people listened to him play, but that I was one of the few who understood what he was doing! I also produced three local concerts for Hal before he passed away, thereby becoming part of his diskography.
Through all of this I attended live stage shows, art gallery openings and made it a point to recognize and to foster local creative artists in more than one medium.
Fairly recently meeting David Spangler, who lives across the lake from me, opened up a whole new world.
David is a writer of musicals and the creator of the “Lovewell Method” for providing the educational atmosphere necessary for the molding of creative talent, and for some reason, he seems to appreciate my observations and my input to his projects. We started working together on a modern opera he has titled “Heaven’s Balcony” about Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science Church, and the jump was made to current and to future projects.
Last March, while attending the premier of David’s show “Hard Road to Heaven” in New Hope at the Bucks County Playhouse, we had lunch with a wonderful transgender author, Stefani Moore, who wrote a book — “Last Dance in Paradise.
The book is so wonderful that David and I bought the rights to make it into a film!
The screenplay is almost done, and we have a great lead actor who has already agreed to star based upon what he has heard, and we have approached a significant number of local acting talent both here and in New York to be in the film.
The catalyst of creativity is being able to not only think what you want to do, but to also make it happen. South Florida with its fluid and energized creative arts atmosphere has made all of this possible.
And here we are, when I am supposed to be retired at the age of 80, but being unafraid to begin a whole new career that gets better every day.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have to say that I have had one of the most interesting and progressive lives ever — a perfect example of Einstein’s concept of Quantum Entanglement.
I view set backs as inherent challenges.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have already mentioned a lot of what I have done and do.
I specialize in residential interior design, but have so many other interests.
I have a large following for my political writing, and have taken a lot of time an effort putting people together to be more creative.
The strength of who I am is having no filters and no boundaries.
How do you think about happiness?
Two things:
1. Making South Florida more beautiful every day.
2. Being the catalyst that puts creative ideas and people together.
And the why is self-evident.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
the gentleman in the photo is Tedd Davis, a former gallery owner, artist, and very good friend — taken at a gallery opening.
