(Re)Defining who I am: A conversation with Veteran artist Kevin Basl

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Veteran artist Kevin Basl and I met while working together to design art programs to support Veterans and service members recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center more than a decade ago. In this conversation, I speak with Kevin about his military service, his path to art making, and why he believes military stories need to be told.

Seema Reza: Tell us about your military service in a few sentences.

Kevin Basl: I grew up in rural western Pennsylvania where, if you’re not a Veteran yourself, you’re probably related to one. As a teenager, I ignored the voices encouraging me to join. The military wasn’t for me. But circumstances eventually led me to the recruiter’s office (namely, I got in trouble and needed to turn my life around). I served in the Army from 2003 to 2008, primarily as a mobile radar operator, and I deployed to Iraq twice during that time. Some chapters of my service I’m proud of—fighting wildfires in Washington state, for example—other parts left me feeling morally conflicted. As an artist, I’ve used my work to explore these experiences that define who I am. 

When did you start writing? When did you start making music?

The creativity bug bit me early. As a kid I produced a comic book series with copy paper and staples that I passed around at school. Musically, I started playing bells in a church choir at the age of five, then later I played drums in the school marching band. At 16, I started to take music and writing more seriously. I learned to play guitar, and my friends and I started a garage band. I wrote lyrics and performed original music with them, and we forged friendships that continue to this day. I continued to create while in the Army. I brought a guitar on my Iraq deployments, and I wrote and recorded a handful of songs, which I later finished and released on a CD packaged in a paper sleeve made from a uniform I wore in country. Today, I’m still at it, writing short stories, poems, songs and essays.

How has artmaking or creative writing impacted you as a person?

I can’t imagine my life without my creative practice. It’s my way of navigating and making meaning in the world. It’s helped me get through difficult times. I’ve made many friends through art. It’s led me down rabbit holes, teaching me things about myself and the world that otherwise I would have never encountered.

When did you start facilitating creative workshops?

I started facilitating creative writing and art workshops for the military community in 2013, first with Warrior Writers and later with Community Building Art Works. I also taught papermaking with Frontline Arts. Through these organizations, I’ve facilitated workshops at universities, art galleries, libraries, military hospitals and more. I currently facilitate the Military Voices online workshop with Community Building Art Works.

What do you like about teaching?

Teaching challenges me. Every time I do it, I step out of my comfort zone—a good thing for personal growth. But, perhaps most importantly, it’s the moment when a student or workshop participant has an epiphany that keeps me coming back. That’s when I’m reminded how important the work is.

What should Veterans who have never created art in a community or have never been to a workshop know?

The military community carries so many unique and important stories. But it can be challenging getting words on paper and sharing them with the world. Where do you start? Community Building Art Works can help with that.

Is there anything you wish you’d known earlier in your creative career?

My career as a writer doesn’t look like how I first envisioned it. Starting out, I had a conventional idea of success: lots of publications, a big important novel, a professorship at a university. I wasted time getting hung up on those goals instead of embracing the path organically taking shape before me. Now I feel grateful for what I have: an artistic community that encourages me to speak up, be myself and keep creating. That’s what matters most.

Kevin Basl lives in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. He is the author of “Midnight Cargo,” a collection of stories and poems based on his memories of serving in the Army in the Iraq War. He holds an MFA in fiction from Temple University, where he taught writing as an adjunct. As poetry facilitator for Community Building Artworks, he leads Military Voices, a writing workshop sponsored by Blue Star Families.