We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Miz Chaos a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Miz , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I think it’s beautiful to be an artist in this world. It’s definitely a very unconventional and inconsistent path to follow. I do sometimes think about getting a regular job again – I make rent through working at a couple event companies, doordashing and selling small merch items at a couple in person and online stores. Each month is different income wise – I definitely have to hustle, rotate my art show around and constantly be thinking of new merch to make on a pretty consistent basis. Deciding to go the route of a “full time artist” isn’t an easy one and you have to want it and have the fire and passion to create everyday.

Miz , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into painting (again) during the covid lockdown. I dabbled in painting many years ago in my college days and re-found my love for it when I had to sit with myself and my emotions during that strange time in life. I identify mostly as a painter and enjoy making large hyper colorful portraits (as big as they can find in my car – which usually maxes at about 4 feet). I really love capturing emotions, a moment in time and I love the idea of making the viewer “feel”. I think people are such a captivating subject and I’ve always been one to be so curious of peoples stories (as I can be quite the traveler myself).

In the last year and a half I dove into the world of street art. I mostly got into “pole installations” (pole installs) where I paint on wood adding neon colors, mixed media found objects, broken glass and resin and attach them to poles around Portland (and cities elsewhere). In the last months I also got into another form of street art installs – where I cast broken glass in resin and glue them onto metal etc. surfaces using an industrial glue. I had a drive to make these this winter when I felt the world was on fire and all I saw was hurt in the world – I saw such a huge need to share more beauty and love into the world and make art accessible for all.

For my smaller merch items I’ve dove deep into sticker world and often get batches of stickers printed by two local Portland sticker companies – Trap Slaps PDX or RX Skulls. For my stickers I hand draw or paint them and then scan them in and have assistant in the digital editing. I also get small prints of my paintings made (Thanks Zentwig Printing and Justin Potts). I make magnets from casting broken glass in resin using small silicon molds and will use other mold shapes such as plates, candle holders, bowls etc. I want to shout out the wonderful local “street art store” in Portland OR – PDX Change that is such a wonderful hub for local artists, makers and street artists (and they probably have the coolest stickered floor in the whole city).

My proudest accomplishments this year were having art in Brassworks Gallery in Portland, HomeTeam Gallery in Seattle and Jamm Gallery in New Jersey. I also had two online collab launches with my “street art mentor’, RX Skulls and had one of my designs get printed on fabric for a local queer underwear company called Hot Mango Undies. Currently my full art show in on display at Float On (on Hawthorne) in Portland until end of August and will be moving to Bula Kava House (on Division St) in September. My art will also be going to Spectra Art Space in Denver starting in September. This was also my first summer trying to live paint at festivals – and I’ve gotten to go to Shady Pines Festival, Lunasa Cascadia and The Annual Campout in Ashland.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

In some ways I feel I *do* make art for myself and in some ways I make art for others. In my life I’ve had a long history of depression, anxiety, insomnia and just overall struggles. In the last couple years I chose the phrase “Turn Up The Color” to inspire my hyper color saturation that I use and to just amplify more cheer and positivity into the world. This last winter I saw a massive amount of people struggling with finding happiness or goodness in the world. I also would see this inaccessibility to art or ability to go see beautiful crafted things – and I think everyone should be able to have access no matter what their social, economical or financial abilities are.

My goal is that I want to make the world a better place.

I like to think of my colorful “Miz Chaos” art world – as kind of this dream…this surreal imaginative landscape where all is well and anything can happen. I liked the idea of “making my own art world” to escape from the burden of reality. I want to inspire playfulness and exploration and the idea that “art doesn’t have to be so serious”. I’ve taught adult and kid art classes and see some adults lose this sense of play and light heartedness when creating – and I don’t want to see anyone feel hindered or “put in a box” when its their own expression and art.

I’m also very into community and community building. I put on these quarterly art and music showcases under the umbrella name “Color and Sound” – with each show having a different theme. They are open group art shows and the last few have been a one night pop up at this venue called Azoth in Portland OR. I would like to have opportunities for others to show art, sell art, get their names out there and meet other artists.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I find it rewarding – the idea that you can make a change in the world. You have the ability to impact anyone – make them feel, make them smile, inspire them to think or see something differently. I think being able to convey feeling and spread joy into the world is what drives me. I like the idea when viewing art – it can be strange, different, something you don’t understand or is more difficult to relate to – but its just like with people – we are all beautiful and and it just takes a different lens sometimes to understand each other.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mizchaos
• Facebook: Miz Chaos
• Other: Instagram or facebook – @ Miz Chaos

Image Credits

Main photo – by Dylan Evanston