We were lucky to catch up with Chad Blakely recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chad , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I think one of my most meaningful projects was my most recent large scale piece of art. Here in Cheyenne, Wyoming, we have these 7 foot tall cowboy boots all over town, that are painted on by a variety of artists. The local hospital commissioned me to paint a boot for them! The boot would be permanently displayed outside the hospital, by their main entrance. I was beyond honored to be asked to paint such a public piece of art, but I was also kinda intimidated, these boots are all over town and are a tourist attraction. Add this to the idea that this painting was going to honor our healthcare workers, I was under a lot of pressure. This painting had and extra layer of meaning for me, over 10 years ago, my sister fought breast cancer. The staff at the hospital were amazing and aided in her recovery and eventual triumph over cancer; I really wanted to show my gratitude in this piece of art. After working on the boot for the boot for over 2 months, it was installed in front of the hospital. They had a dedication ceremony where they expressed how much they loved the art on the boot and what it meant to them. I got to speak to a few healthcare workers at the event and they told me how much they liked the artwork and appreciated how it represented the hospital and patient care. I am very proud of the way it all turned out and I now look forward to tourists and locals alike enjoying the boot!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an artist who loves pop culture and loves creating artwork that is pop culture centric! As a kid, I grew up on a steady diet of Star Wars, comic books, and music, I would spend my days reading Conan the Barbarian and my nights trying to draw my own Conan illustrations. Through out junior high and high school, I dreamt of becoming a comic book illustrator. I got a degree in Art Education, and started teaching Art in 1999. Soon, my old desire to draw comics reared its head, and began submitting artwork to the big and small publishers, only to be rejected. This rejection only strengthened my resolve, eventually leading me to write, illustrate, and self publish my first graphic novel, 2011’s “Kidnapping Kevin Smith”. This book was followed by a few more self publishing ventures, including my recently released book “Blood In Bitter Creek”. In recent years, I have branched out into doing more commercial work. I have done artwork for many bands, including Finding Aurora and The Wonderlands. Internet sensation and uber talented musician Nandi Bushell commissioned me to create the artwork for her singles, including her recent climate change themed collaboration with Tom Morello and his son Roman. It was pretty cool, because the cover art also included Jack Black and Greta Thunberg, both of whom appear in the music video. I also had my art featured on a Vlad Duthiers segment “What To Watch” on CBS This Morning; which lead to me selling some art to anchor Tony Dokoupil that he gave to his colleagues as Christmas gifts!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of creating art is the creative journey. Seeing an idea go from being just a sketch or doodle, to a fully realized piece of art, is amazing. In that same vein, I love working with a client and taking their idea and turning it into a completed artwork. When they get excited about what you created for them, it fills me with a sense of pride.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Like I said earlier, I tried to be a professional comic book artist for many years, to only get rejected time and time again. I won’t lie, it hurt, every time I got a rejection letter in the mail and later rejection e-mails. But it also drove me to improve my drawing techniques and hone my craft. Part of this was sitting down with editors at comic book conventions and having them review my portfolio of work. Their criticisms were tough and sometimes cutting, but they were constructive, and full of good advice. This constant rejection and criticism could dissuade a person, and honestly there were many times I threw my hands up and said ” I QUIT!!” But, luckily, my desire outweighed my bruised ego, and I kept on trying. Eventually, I decided to take the bull by the horns and make my own future and career path as a professional artist, and that got me to where I am today. Still plugging away and putting in the time to get better!!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.blakely737.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blakely737
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/blakely737

Image Credits
All artwork by Chad Blakely