Things like that keep him up at night.

Raised in Provo, 27-year-old Jess Smart Smiley is what many would call right-brained — and hopelessly so. Making music and art is his passion, his career, his life. Without an ounce of guile — and with an infectious twinkle in his eye — Jess possesses a unique, perpetual excitement that seems ready to burst out of his otherwise demure persona.

I first met Jess while I was writing for my college newspaper and got the the chance to interview him at his home in Orem where we sat down (during which time he told his son he’d be sent to the “police store” if caught as he struck out on the sidewalk wearing merely a diaper).

I’ll be honest — in my line of expertise, I get a lot of less-than-talented musicians requesting coverage and promotion. In addition, and with a name like Jess Smart Smiley, I was less than inclined to take an earnest look at what this guy really had to offer. I soon came around, though. This endorsement is in no way prompted by personal gain, but it has to be done—in part because Jess, himself, would never tell you he’s great, and also because the man is wildly talented.

Although he’s been drawing far longer than playing music, he’s been performing for the last ten years — wielding his guitar and sparse, Bon Iver-styled indie-folk vocals. Fairly recently, Jess released a collection of songs entitled “Things That Light Up,” available for free on the Internet, after realizing he had five hours of songs recorded on his computer.

On the aforementioned tracks in the collection (he is careful not to say album), it’s not uncommon to hear ambient sound effects in the background like birds chirping, a phone ringing or his young son enjoying a repeat viewing of 101 Dalmatians since the songs were all recorded at home. Oddly enough, instead of masking disappointment, Jess enjoys the added soundscape, believing it to add to the authenticity and message of his music.

“There’s nothing professional about it,” he said, partially smirking but with an unmistakable fire in his eyes. “My goal is to make it something people can relate to. It doesn’t really fall into a category of music — just call it genuine or sincere. I’m not trying to make it a big presentation, I just really mean it. My songs are about people working hard and struggling; having dreams and having dreams broken. I feel like my music would have a stronger impact if just a few people really got hope out of my music, instead of just a song everyone can dance to.”

However, music is more of a hobby in Smiley’s artistic repertoire. He maintains his first love and “native language” is his artwork, which he simultaneously does to pay the bills, and in a variety of mediums — producing album artwork, concert posters, laptop covers, coloring books, portraits and more. A self-proclaimed “rotten kid” growing up, Jess spent most of his younger years in his room sans Nintendo or TV, his only companions books and blank pages, which is how he developed this language.

Due to be released next Halloween, Jess recently completed a 135-page all-ages graphic novel for what he dubbed “one of the top three comic book publishers in the world.” (I trust the claim, partially because of his sincere honesty and partially due to the fact that despite my well-deserved place in geekdom, I know little about comic books.)

In February, he submitted said graphic novel, entitled “Upside Down,” to two other publishers who weren’t interested and, on a whim, sent it to another publisher who immediately wanted to buy it and turn it into a three-part series. “You could go to Barnes and Noble next year and see my book there,” he eagerly told me.

Regardless of medium — or portion of the brain utilized, for that matter — Jess is a believer in doing what you love, an advocate of finding and cultivating passions and individuality. Along with the majority of our population — especially in these uncompromising economic times — Jess constantly worries about making ends meet and supporting his family. However, happiness, not simply financial security, is what he deems most important.

“There’s this gap between where we are and all these places we could be in life,” he said. “I have a wife and a kid that want me to be happy — that makes them happy. I’m going to be happy if I’m doing what I love all day and then come home to the people I love. I really believe what I do to be a force in helping people.”

Jess has something akin to a “no regrets” policy in his life and career, believing if he doesn’t pursue what he really wants wholeheartedly that he’ll spend the rest of his life wondering what could’ve been. “I have so much more to offer than just clocking in and out,” he added. Besides being described as “down to earth” and “one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet” by friends and associates, Jess has also received praise as someone who has found innovative ways to make money with his unique talent and skills.

So far it seems to be working.

“If you’re doing what you love, then everyone you talk to will be better and you’ll inspire others to go after their passions,” Smiley said, delivering a seemingly cliche remark with absolute resolve. “I feel a moral obligation to go after what I love. I think there’d be a lot less conflict if we all did that.”

Like the lyrics penned in John Lennon’s timeless “Imagine,” Jess portrays the idea of hope and unity: “You may say that I’m a dreamer/But I’m not the only one/I hope someday you’ll join us/And the world will be as one.”

For a streaming/downloadable version of ‘”Things That Light Up,” as well as a collection of Jess’s entrepreneurial endeavors, visit www.jess-smiley.com.

In an area where dates and weekend activities are purely based on cost and not quality, people are more likely to go see G.I. Joe for a buck rather than see a play that will cost them $10. If you enjoy mindless spectacle and exploding buildings, then the dollar theater is the place for you. However, I believe there are a few of you out there that actually have a few ounces of self-respect and are willing to pay a couple bucks more to do or see something worthwhile.

For those of you who fit into this second category, I strongly recommend that you go see BYU’s production of Moliere’s Tartuffe. Not only is it thought-provoking and engaging, but it is also significantly more fun than going to the movies. I lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud and not once did I check the time.

The play is centered on a man, Orgon, who has decided to disown his son and make a pious holy man named Tartuffe his one and only heir. It turns out Tartuffe is an infamous fraud and Orgon’s family tries to convince him to sever ties with the imposter before it is too late.

Not only is this play one of the finest works of French Neo-Classicism, but this is also one of best performances I have ever seen at BYU. Everything about this show is top notch, from the stellar performances by Andrew Veenstra (Tartuffe) and Dallin Allred (Orgon) to the unique set design. Trust me when I say you will be surprised by the talent on display in this performance. BYU has always been known for its singers and dancers, but it’s time the students and alumni recognize the students in the theater department for their acting prowess.

The style of the play takes concepts from many different time periods and mixes in modern elements that make certain ideas more relatable to the audience. Director Stephanie Breinholt said Cirque de Soleil and Tim Burton were two of the main influences of the performance. If that doesn’t intrigue you, I don’t know what will. Oh, and don’t let me forget to mention the original music, written by cast member David John Banks, that adds to the plays amusing personality.

While this play will make you laugh with its quick-witted humor, it will also make you think. There are many things the audience will take away from this performance, but one of the overall themes is that of religious hypocrisy, a topic that is always very relevant for us here in Provo.

So, my culture-seeking friends, do yourself a favor and go see Tartuffe before it closes this weekend. As economically appealing as a dollar movie sounds, this performance is well worth the extra couple dollars.

Tartuffe will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on BYU campus in the Pardoe Theatre in the HFAC until Feb. 6th. Purchase tickets online at byuarts.com/tickets or call the ticket office at 801-422-4322.

Jake Welch is a regular correspondent for Rhombus.

Byron Stout's "Snake Death" has hung in Velour since the venue's opening.

The recession has been particularly hard on downtown Provo. Despite the quaint charm of the city’s historic architecture, an alarming number of spaces remain empty. Sadly, the recession has taken an especially heavy toll on businesses participating in the local arts community and Provo’s recently thriving gallery stroll has lately appeared to be in its death throes.

However, gallery stroll may be down, but it isn’t completely out. This Friday, long-time arts supporter but first time stroll participant Velour Live Music Gallery will be hosting Byron Stout’s new exhibit, “Truck Meet Truck.” Along with the reopening of the F Stop Cafe, Stout’s Velour show will pump some much needed new blood into a community recently pummeled by gallery closings. It will also take place simultaneously with Velour’s vintage flea market, which means that admission to the venue — usually six or seven dollars for a weekend concert — will be free and include the opportunity to riffle through old school threads while checking out the paintings.

If you’ve ever been to Velour in the past, you’re probably familiar with Stout’s work though you may not realize it. Near the entrance, Stout’s painting “Snake Death” has hung since Velour opened. The painting depicts a car with Utah license plates and a mural of a snake and a skull on its hood. Velour owner Corey Fox felt that the painting fit the venue’s vibe and, like some of Stout’s subsequent work, portrayed a world that “wasn’t quite normal, but that’s what made it appealing.”

For “Truck Meet Truck,” Stout will add a handful of new paintings to the several that already hang in Velour. Like those you may already have seen, the new paintings continue Stout’s interest in material possessions and the pride that people achieve by working for and owning things. They’re also uniquely local. Some feature landscapes and many depict vehicles but, according to Stout, they typically portray a “regionalist, realistic view of Provo, Utah.”

Appropriately, then, Stout’s work offers a poetic statement for a beleaguered downtown. According to Stout, it depicts the “personal affection you have with a personal object. It’s important to be proud of the things you worked hard to get money to buy.” It’s also about an “innocent kind of love. It’s basically about someone being proud of their achievements. For me it’s completing a painting or having a car that I paid for and paint a mural on, and then do a painting of the car.” Not surprisingly, the paintings also tend to have a broad appeal. While they fit well in a hip music venue, the artist has felt especially proud when his work has appealed to children as well.

“Truck Meet Truck” will be up at Velour throughout the month, though the gallery stroll will be one of the few times to see the entire exhibit free of charge. The paintings will also be for sale as part of a silent auction. To learn more about Stout’s work, visit his Web site at byronstout.blogspot.com.

Jim Dalrymple is a culture correspondent for Rhombus. Follow him on Twitter @jimmycdii.

Mirror Mirror brings together a renowned group of contemporary artists that take it as their task to provoke museum patrons to thought and introspection. For example, Valarie Atkisson’s “Hanging Family Tree (Patriarchally Oriented)” depicts the artist’s genealogy using thousands of hanging slips of paper. Like the best works of art, it’s visually stunning and intellectually challenging all at once. Similarly, Rebecca Campbell also works with the image of a tree, but actually installed a real (and fairly large) avocado tree wrapped with velvet in the gallery. These pieces, together with the work of world famous artists like Takashi Murakami, provide a fitting follow up to Dan Steinhilber’s phenomenal exhibit that previously occupied the same space. Though the MOA hasn’t given up on exhibiting traditional painting, Mirror Mirror proves that it’s also invested in the frontiers of contemporary art.

Given all that, however, I also didn’t love the exhibit’s overall composition. On each of my three visits I found myself wanting to be deeply moved, but not actually feeling much. As a non-artist it’s hard to get excited about brushstrokes or inter-artist dialogue that I’m not aware of. Instead, I hope for images that can be viscerally affective, psychologically deep, and intellectually challenging. Some pieces accomplished all that; Ben Coonley’s “Valentine for a Perfect Stranger” and Oliver Herring’s “Basic (Dance 1)” are fantastic video pieces that use wit to explore relationships in a media-saturated, post-Youtube world.

Other pieces, however, worked less well. If Rebecca Campbell’s tree was one of the highlights, her portrait “Highlander (Rebecca)” felt shockingly out of place. Though technically well executed, the painting, along with Mary Henderson’s work, seemed outdated and intellectually lite next to pieces that engaged on so many more levels. Even worse, some of the exhibit’s more traditional paintings and photographs dealt with the “mirror mirror” theme in the most obvious ways and apparently forgot that the “fugitive self” was the more interesting part of the show’s title.

Surprisingly, some of the more experimental pieces came off awkwardly as well. For example, next to Atkisson’s family tree the curators placed a computer that rapidly displays pictures of Paris Hilton. Provocatively, the piece cites “the internet” as its medium. Sadly, however, “the internet” isn’t really being used to demonstrate anything worth looking at. What are we supposed to get from looking at pictures of Paris Hilton? Is it supposed to be some sort of social commentary? If so, how is it bringing something new to the table that pop artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein didn’t explore decades ago? Ultimately, the piece felt like a high school cliché and left me with nothing but admiration for Hilton and her apparent ability to always turn her good side to the paparazzi.

The overall feeling of the exhibit, then, is somewhat akin to an NBA All-Star game: theoretically awesome, but inexplicably disappointing. Taken individually many of the pieces bring a postmodern sense of playful irony to their subject matter and work very well. Unfortunately, those pieces are also juxtaposed with others that never got past the passé modernist tendency to snottily condemn popularity, mass appeal and silliness. The result is accordingly haphazard. Though the exhibit raises questions about the relationship between Paris Hilton, genealogy and Halo, for example, it never bothers to answer those questions or even explain why they deserve to be asked in the first place. Like a Jackson Pollack painting, the exhibit feels random, but in this case there is disappointingly little method to the madness.

If you happen to be an artist yourself, these inadequacies might be easily overlooked. In fact, even if you don’t closely follow the art world, Mirror Mirror is worth visiting and the MOA deserves recognition for pushing the limits of convention and for assembling an ensemble of artists that includes some spectacular talent. The exhibit also represents a useful, if still imperfect, experiment with modern art that challenges our understanding about the world, which in some ways is the best thing that art can do. It is a lesser collection than some of its predecessors, but it is also clearly a stepping-stone on the path to bigger — and better — contemporary art exhibits.

Jim Dalrymple is a popular culture correspondent for Rhombus. You can follow him on Twitter @jimmycdii.