I have an idea.
We're Bryan and Blair Anderson, founders of Exnihilo. For years, we have worked in various facets of the arts balancing our own creative pursuits with helping other creatives find their voice or realize their vision. One source of inspiration for us has always been the sun, sea and sand. We love good food and good conversation with other creatives. Blair had the idea of bringing all those things together, you know...build an artist retreat.
That is the foundation of this thing we call Exnihilo.
Getting started.
For the creative process to flow an artist needs a quiet place to work, inspiration, supplies, and maybe even someone to cook for them. We embarked on creating such a place. In 2004 we began the hunt for an inspirational location that wasn't too hard to get to, was isolated enough so it wasn't touristy, and had breathtaking beauty. While on a family vacation to Long Island, Bahamas, we felt we had found our spot. Jumping with both feet into an idea that raised eyebrows with friends and family alike, we scraped resources together to purchased a parcel of beachfront property on the Atlantic side of Long Island.
What could possibly go wrong?
As we thought more about this little idea, it began to grow in scope and scale. The resources we'd need to do this thing were expanding, but hey, the economy was booming and our creative pursuits were doing pretty well. Then came the Great Recession of 2008. The impact of the most significant downturn since the Great Depression put the brakes on our progress. We had to rethink the way we were going to do this and recover from the loss of a media business we thought was going to help fund it all.
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.
With Blair's media business a casualty of the recession something new arose from the ashes. After not silversmithing for several years Blair picked up the torch again and opened SilverWorks Studio and Gallery in December 2009. Starting a new business on the heals of the recession was a challenge, but soon SilverWorks became a going concern in the Washington DC suburbs. Even better, a little bit of the dream of what Exnihilo would be or do was beginning to be realized there, albeit without the sand and sea.
Taking another run at it.
The phenomenon of crowd funding over the internet was growing, and we thought this might be a way to get others involved and get the engine running again. In 2013, we started planning and filming for our Indiegogo campaign which launched December 2013. While reasonably successful financially, the most important thing we would gain from the campaign wouldn't be realized until a few months after it ended.
New friends, partners, and perspectives.
A few months after our Indiegogo campaign, we took a trip to Nassau for an annual arts tour called Transforming Spaces. During that trip we met several local artists, but most importantly we met Micheal Edwards and Katrina Cartwright. They were both aware of our Indiegogo campaign and within a few months they were both intimately involved in all things Exnihilo. Most importantly they helped us better understand the arts community there and we've collaborated on ideas and direction for the project since then.
A global pandemic? Really?
Progress came to a screeching halt as did most of the planet in 2020. Beauty, collaboration, and creativity is needed now more than ever, so while forward momentum has slowed again the vision of Exnihilo will continue. Just give us a couple minutes to catch our breath!
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
We continue to just put one foot in front of another working towards the ultimate expression of Exnihilo. Bill Gates is quoted as saying “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” We've seen some great things happen as we've been on the journey, and more is coming.
