We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Craig McInnis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Craig, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
As a child who was a bit of a loner and relatively terrible at most sports it became evident quite early that art and music would be my path. Both sides of my family have creatives throughout, but my Mother’s side specifically has artists and musicians that followed the path. I started drawing very early like most kids and spent a good amount of time watching my Mom draw beside me. She is quite talented and encouraged me since those early days. Art and music were my favorite subjects for as long as I can remember. I spent elementary school doing every play and musical that existed. By Junior High I shifted more towards art. The first reason was the drastic changing of my voice and the second was meeting a peer and mentor in my art class. I spent the next 6 years “chasing” after my friend as he was much more well rounded as an artist. Early in High School my answer was “ARTIST”; to Counselor’s questions of “what do I want to do for a living?” Even though there were a few adults conveying the stigma of “starving artist” and trying to sway my decision, I carried on and attended Art School right after High School.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Upon graduating Art Institute I spent a short time in the Ad Design business (as this was what my degree was geared towards), but quickly realized it was not a good fit. I transitioned over to faux finishing, decorative painting to get a more hands on creativity going and to get out of the Advertising Internship situation. Eventually this led me to murals, illustration and the like. But, before I finally landed on becoming a true freelance artist I pursued many avenues and a handful of “regular jobs”. The first thing that happened after Ad Design and Decorative Painting was that I met likeminded individuals at the record store I worked at. We formed a band and eventually went on to tour, produced records and chased a record deal for all of my twenties. When that chapter ended I went back to art and have been concentrating on thriving in the field since. My business cover a myriad of services and products including, but not limited to: Murals, Fine Art, Illustrations, Arts Education, Design Services, Storyboards, Set Design, Mentorship, Voice Acting, Special FX Makeup. I love keeping my workload diverse and enjoy on site projects as much as studio and commissioned works. I concentrate on efficiency, quality and exceeding client expectations. I pride myself on creating interesting concepts to solve design challenges for clients and taking my fine art to new levels. I am always striving for growth through exploring art practices outside my comfort zone as I believe this keeps me fresh and ready for all creative challenges.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
As V.P. of the Board of Directors for the No More Starving Artists Foundation this topic is near and dear to me. Our mission is to help provide sustainability for PBC artists personally & professionally. We are a not for profit that provides grants, and opportunities such as artist calls and professional development programming. With that said, the first thing members of the community can do is support arts related entities such as this (or even for profit ventures). Another way to ensure the robust health of culture is to support the artists themselves. This can be achieved by attending their events, buying their art, sharing their work with others, and donating to causes they are involved with. For those that want to do even more, I highly suggest joining a board of a not for profit or even finding an individual creative to sponsor. And last but not least, id someone is into activism, a role that needs attention is making sure that law / policy makers do not cut funding to the arts across all platfrms but especially in schools.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I do believe there is a section of society that feels quite differently about creatives than they do any other field. There is definitely a stigma of “starving artist” that has been passed down through generations. This sentiment often casts a negative light on the pursuit of a career in the arts. It is a detriment to society as a whole to have less true artists amongst communities. Going “against the grain” and becoming an artist was the only thing I was meant to do. I got there despite the stigma and found my true calling. This is what we are all looking for in our daily work. It is a shame to see someone leave it behind and choose the wrong career because of pressure. I will say that the negativity did help to fuel my soul to focus harder and triumph, but imagine the heights a young artist can reach with full community. and family support.
Contact Info:
- Website: craigmcinnis.com
- Instagram: @craigmcinnisstudios
- Facebook: facebook.com/craigartist
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC37-0MoAbUi5M92z_vs6dTg
- Other: TikTok @craigmcinnisstudios