We recently connected with Ed Irmen and have shared our conversation below.

Ed, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. 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?

There are days as a self employed creative that I have absolutely no idea where my next paycheck is coming from. And that is incredibly frightening and sobering. I work as a Mural Artist but I have a background in production and art handling, which gives me a little more leeway in finding jobs or gigs. I am happy to answer to myself and hold myself accountable, but at the end of the day the thing that is most important to me is that I can set my own schedule. Sure some months are busier than others, but I don’t think I could ever go back to job where someone limits the amount of time I have to be at the job.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I graduated from art school and really didn’t know what to do for money. I had a buddy working in the garment decoration industry and they needed digital artists so I jumped on board the day after I was officially done with school. The job sucked. I was there for two years, three different departments, one less fun than the next. I was actively painting murals after work everyday and the stress from overworking was ruining my life, my finances and my relationships. So when the opportunity to work Murals in the Market (mural festival) came along, I quit my job immediately. From there I ran logistics and began producing murals for the next 3 years as a part of the 1xRun team (an art publisher in Detroit). It got me a ton of contacts and a ton of walls. I am now freelance and do contract work for galleries and publishers all over. Birdman has taken flight.

I like to paint birds. Something about the ability to fly and the graceful poise that they seem to have really draws (no pun intended) me to them. I think there’s always a way to apply a message or a feeling to the image of a bird. Personally I like to think of them as a direct metaphor for the human condition. I’ve painted on dumpsters, garage doors, underpasses, overpasses, concrete, wood and metal. I really really want to paint a grain silo on a farm. I think the size and subject matter would be absolutely perfect for me.

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

I think the best thing that society could do is pay us. Pay the artists. Pay for our images, pay for it to appear in commercials, pay for the photos, pay for the idea. The moment that people recognize that this isn’t just a job or a talent or a hobby, that it’s a compulsion, then I think maybe we’ll develop better relationships, make better products and live fuller lives.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish that I knew when I was just starting out, showing up to galleries and talking to people could garnish opportunities and build working relationships. I don’t know how many times I’ll get a call from a prospective client and they’ll name drop someone I talked to at a show who gave them my contact info. I do the same, if the project isn’t for me I’ll pass along the information of someone it’s good for. Always hook up your homies.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://edirmen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ed_irmen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eirmenillustration
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardirmen/

Image Credits
Ed Irmen