artist and songwriter
Please check out the work of my friend Ryan Hughes, he's one of my best friends from Mississippi and a great artist. His most brilliant work is his music. He's one of the most talented guitarists I know, and his lyrics are so catchy, he has several that get stuck in my head.
One of the most amazing things about Ryan is how humble he is. Last time I lived in Mississippi, he told me he had enrolled in music lessons at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he works setting up bleachers and things for events. He is allowed to take a free class as one of the perks for working there for so long. I was surprised to hear he was taking a music lesson, because unlike many of my favorite musicians, he is actually very technically accomplished (especially incredible because I know several who went to music school, and he was self taught.) A few months later, he reported back to me that he was enjoying the class, but the teacher said he was a better guitarist and had nothing to learn! He was genuinely surprised, even though I wasn't.
He is also a phenomenal painter, his work is always mesmerizingly trippy (or completely abstract, and that's even better!) He painted the guitar I lost while I was hospitalized over New Year. It was last seen in St. Louis....It's an oscar schmidt painted like this:
