We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful George Halkias. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with George below.
Alright, George thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
Every job I ever had had a terrible boss who hated their life and took it out on others. They had a boss who took it out on them and so on and so forth. This is how our society’s built and it sucks, so being able to pay bills from art is the greatest feeling in the world. I feel absolutely stoned when I sell art to be quite honest. As an artist the money isn’t steady from month to month but that stress is better than being a cog in a machine that helps some old guy get richer.
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?
I always liked to paint and draw. I quit a job after two years when I was 22 and started to paint again. This time of my life was something of a quarter life crisis because I was drinking and smoking weed too much and not caring about stuff but art filled the void. I also did a bunch of acid and that was great for me but don’t do drugs please. About 8 years ago I started sharing my work online. Over time I found what I like; using flat panels and paint markers. Brushes annoy me and regular canvasses get dented. I only sell flat panel paintings. I don’t accept commissions because the couple times I tried I got too frustrated. I felt like I couldn’t do what they truly wanted so now I sell whatever comes straight from my head. This probably hinders me overall financially but I don’t care. What I’m most proud of is that I am who I am. Other people I grew up with are engineers, scientists, business owners, and I’m an artist. They make more money for sure but I set my own hours and sell creations from the deepest parts of my brain. It feels divine. I just want people to know if you want some weird art from a Baltimore creep please check me out.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
This quote from Andy Warhol: “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”
Even though he’s a bona fide cornball, this quote is great because I don’t feel “inspired” often. It’s like this magical feeling people need to pick up a paint brush. I just remember the feeling of creating when I had nothing else going for me and no one knew about me as an artist. The painting is the only thing that mattered and the echo of that feeling is what I use as a substitute for inspiration. Since I don’t need inspiration I create very often whether I think the finished product is great or it sucks.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I’m not some big name or anything so I don’t make a ton of money, and even though that’s what’s been supporting me this year it’s not the most rewarding thing. What’s rewarding is the people who love my work enough to spend their hard earned money on it. I appreciate them very much and I’m thankful for their support.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://artbydzodzie.myshopify.com
- Instagram: artbydzodzie