We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bandy (RAREBANDY) a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bandy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I pride myself in being two things: 1: a risk taker and 2: a BIGGER risk taker! Risk taking, is an art form in itself; it involves a developed eye for personal risk management. What felt like the biggest risk I have ever taken has become one of the biggest rewards I’ve ever received. After 12 years of military service, I decided to hang up my uniform to pursue my dreams of being an artist and designer. Not only did I make the decision to end my career but I did it abruptly with no plan outside of, “Become a success artist.” So many things could have went wrong but in the end of my life I’d like to look back and say I bet on me, I took the risk to chase my dreams and that is something a lot people can’t say. That they’d leave stability to pursue an unknown outcome, but I left to pursue greater purpose and happiness. I highly encourage people to manage risk, plan and take a leap!

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?

Greetings fam, I’m Bandy, originally from Inkster, MI, and I began my art journey/career in Japan in 2021. I spent the bulk of my career in the Los Angeles area and I’m currently back in Detroit to begin laying my foundation here. I’m known for utilizing my brand, Bandyland to seamlessly connect art, fashion, design and people. I have a motto, “Creating freely with love”, and it’s the base for everything I create. My footprint can be found across painting, digital art, street art, décor, streetwear, and other production design. I’m inspired by early cartoon, streetwear, pop culture art and animations. I began my career by building community, serving as one of the first Black NFT project founders with my 2x sold out project the Rare Panthers. And since then, I’ve created an entire world around my characters, Rarie Panther, Saki Love Blossom and a cast of characters that I use as my muse to explore humanity and raise awareness for social, political and cultural issues. That’s what makes my work special. I’m able to tastefully use my art to draw in all age groups and create conversation around different topics that can be controversial or difficult to have. I’m most proud just to be here, creating and pushing the boundaries of my mind and my art, and have so many people connect instantly. I am excited about the future because I know it includes so many amazing people and experiences all stemming from love and art.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society plays a huge role in the success of an artist. I believe now more than ever the most powerful gesture you can make for an artist that you love is to make it personal and champion them on their journey. It sounds exhausting but the reality is that every opportunity provided to artist are by people who either love their work or are profiting in some way. It’s also true that most artist just aren’t business savvy. So to grab our hands and walk us into rooms, introduce us to people, and keep us in mind when there’s an opportunity for progression in our careers is huge for us. Although I say grab our hands, I’m speaking metaphorically, but I’ve had people actually walk me directly up to someone and say, “Hey, this is Bandy, he’s a dope artist and designer.”, and then walk away. It’s awkward to me but the reality is that, it’s just a friend/colleague introducing me to their friend/colleague, not some random stranger on the street. These interactions have always led to a sale, connection, or opportunity.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFTs are not dead or worthless. :)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rarebandy.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/rarebandy
• Facebook: Facebook.com/rarebandy
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rarebandy
• Twitter: twitter.com/rarebandy
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@RAREBANDY?si=0U2CSkoQ2uT93aKy

Image Credits
Ezra Ledbetter, Hugo Grey