Kurt Weston at a Glance: A Brief Interview (a #tbt)

Many years ago, when I was working on Journeys Through Darkness: A Biography of award-winning, legally blind photographer Kurt Weston, I did an additional, brief q&a with my subject. I believe his answers are as relevant today as they were years ago. Since Kurt Weston is an award-winning photographer, visual artist, and HIV and LGBTQ+ activist, I’d like to share this interview here.

Kurt Weston at a Glance – A Q&A with the Award-Wining Visual Artist

Q. Who is your hero?
A. I have had many heroes throughout my life, but basically, it is anyone who can take me to the next level of consciousness.   

Q. What do you fear most?
A.  Unrestrained hatred and prejudice.

Q. What/who inspires you?
A.  Anyone who is inspired by reason, intellect, and compassion.    

Q. What brings you hope?
A. Every hand that is extended towards mine and every face that graces this world with a smile. 

Q. What would you tell an aspiring artist?
A. Artists are creators; go create something that will transform people’s perceptions.

Q. What are you most proud of?
A.  Surviving AIDS and using my life experiences and my art to help others do the same.

Q. What is one of your bad habits?
A.  I have an acute awareness of the passing of time, and I become anxious unless I am using my time to continually do and create.    

Q. Name one person/event/anything who’s touched your life for the best? Worst?  
A. This is a very complex question. I believe that there are different levels of consciousness that we experience over our lives, and for each level, there is a person who represents the best and the worst of humanity and life on this planet as we experience it. My [husband] Terry is one of the best human beings I have ever had the pleasure of being connected with. And, of course, so many others before I reached this level with Terry. As for the worst, I believe that even what we consider as being terrible is placed in our path for a reason, even if the reason is to see the duality and polarity of the world we live in.       

Q. What is the most useful thing you’ve learned in life so far?
A. So much of our time is wasted on useless, mind-numbing activities, entertainment, and trivial pursuits. The world belongs to people who are present, focused, and participating in life.     

Q. Favorite (one) word to describe: 

Art: Creation

Terry: Giving [Terry is a fellow activist and Kurt’s husband]

Kurt: Being

Quasi: Unconditional [Weston’s dog he mentions in the book]

SWAN: Surviving [Surviving With AIDS Network organization, also mentioned in the book]

TPA: Hope [Weston is a Chicago native. Test Positive Aware (Network) organization, still in Chicago]

”Q. Favorite quote/motto you live by:
A.““And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” (John Lennon)  “Q. Favorite quote/motto you live by:
A. “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” (John Lennon) 

Q. Favorite word phrase:
A. Wow!

Q. What do you want to be remembered for?
A. My artwork and fight to survive and thrive in the face of disease and adversity.  

Q. What do you wish for in your life?
A.  To use unrestricted resources to release the full potential of man’s ability to cure disease, create transformative art, music, and performance, and stop the war. 

Read more about award-winning photographer Kurt Weston in Journeys Through Darkness: A Biography or online and check out his interview on CNN.

Learn more about Kurt Weston by visiting him online.

As always, thanks for stopping by,

Alina Oswald