Not everybody is going to love what you do, but you have to be yourself, that's what's most important. Bring it as hard as you can.
The important thing isn't that your technically great, I think it's the power of your expression.
Speak with your own voice and be as unique as you possibly can.
I really try towork with an artist who is trying to create a long legacy of quality rather than trying to jump aboard a trend.
Art came fluidly, so I was able to teach myself many of the things I thought were important by copying and mimicking my artistic idols.
If what you want to do is make artwork for bands, you have to love doing it because there is almost no money in it. In order to start doing it, you just have to put yourself out there, work for bands you love and for as little as possible to start, if not free, that's what I did for years.
Punk rock and metal has always been a home to me, it's where I cut my teeth; and those are the friends that I have, and the bands that I love.
I recognize that no matter how old I get, how many records I've done, or what the public perception of me is, there are still exciting things that I haven't done.
Drawing from art history and mythology allows me to connect with viewers in a familiar, yet loose visual framework. Blending disparate histories and themes can give the overall presentation a recognizable, yet unique flavor.
Give your stuff away and if it's good, people will come to you.
It's important for me to have different tiers of value for the art. Some of the silk-screens are really affordable, but I do have some high-end silk-screens that are several color layers and a little more expensive, and then I have the paintings that can get way up there.
It can be difficult to mediate a compromise between what I have in my head and what the musician has in mind, which is often 180° different when it comes to the finished product, so it requires that element of trust from somewhere. The point I make to them is "You've seen what I do, so just trust me and we will come up with something exciting."
In fact, many musicians are the happiest when the artist and audience re-interpret or re-imagine the content of the songs.
