We were lucky to catch up with Harald Austad recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Harald, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I started making music when I was 15 years old. At first, it was just for fun with my friends, but what started as a hobby, quickly grew into playing shows, making beats and producing records for other artists as well. I vividly remember the first time I heard a song that I had produced being played on the radio. I was driving in my car when it came on and couldn’t believe that I was hearing my own song. That’s when I first realized how amazing it would be to be able to do it professionally. Fast forward about 10 years later, graduating from Kaospilot with a BA in creativity, innovation & entrepreneurship. By then I had produced my first Top 10 song and gotten a lot better at my craft, but I was still unsure about fully pursuing an artistic path. However, the education gave me more confidence in the business aspect and also ignited my entrepreneurial spirit. When I got the opportunity to produce my first full major label album, I re-invested all the money and built a music studio. Ever since then I’ve been working independently as a creative, first with music, then later in fine arts as a painter.
I would describe it as an evolving decision, more than one defining moment. I had a similar journey when it came to visual arts after years of making music. Painting became a new format to express myself and I realized that everything I make is art. Now I both make music and art professionally and hope to inspire new artists to pursue their creative dreams.

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 am a Norwegian painter and platinum producer currently working in Los Angeles. After 14 years in USA, I’ve done many creative projects in multiple disciplines. I started a production company and independent record label called Supervillain, leading to making music videos, promotion, live shows, DJing and performing. I have released 100+ songs for artists and have made songs for TV, films and advertising, among them campaigns for Marc Jacobs and Selena Gomez X Coach. All of these projects have made me stronger as an overall creative and helped me develop unique skills as an artist.

Lately I’ve been focusing on art and painting, with shows at Corey Helford Gallery in LA and in Norway where I am from. I have developed a style called Supergraphics with a philosophy of ‘minimal shapes, maximum color’. The paintings are highly saturated and covered in my signature blend of resin and glitter to make them into pieces of jewelry for your wall. Visually, I aim to continue where Space Age left off and take it into the modern day, merging art with design.

My most recent artistic venture is portrait making. The very first portrait I painted was of my wife and muse Margie Plus. I made her the centerpiece of the exhibition and it inspired me to make more. I then had the honor of painting the Princess of Norway and Shaman Durek for their royal engagement. The works are inspired by old black and white shadow portraits, but turned into my colorful Supergraphic style. As a cast member of the new MTV show ‘The West Coast Hustle’, I got the chance to paint a portrait of the artist Chanel West Coast with an exhibit at In Heroes We Trust by Melrose Place. If you are interested in a painting or a portrait of yourself or a loved one, I make custom portraits and am available for commissions. I share the process of how I make the artworks on my social media channels. Follow @harald.austad on Instagram to see my artistic journey and see the new works.

How did you build your audience on social media?

After I moved to America, I started to use Instagram more to share my journey, but mainly for personal use. It wasn’t until I met my wife Margie Plus that I learned the power of social media. She is a blogger and artist and inspired me to share more of my music and art online. When I first started making art, I only focused on displaying the finished artwork. When it really took off was after I started to share the process of making my art and not just the end result. At first I was scared to show how I made the artworks, but after getting over a million views on a process video I started to embrace social media as a marketing tool and a place to share my creative endeavours. As an independent artist, it is the best way to expose my work to the world. While it can’t beat a real-life exhibition, it is a great way display your art on your own terms.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is to make something from nothing. Creativity is logic at play and there is nothing like being in the flow of making a new work, whether it be in the form of a song or a painting. The fact that I can start out with a blank canvas and end up with a moment captured in time, makes it worth it to me. It’s obviously great when a song or painting sells, but personally, I get most back from the creative process itself. That’s where I find joy and inspiration and what motivates me to excel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.haraldaustad.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harald.austad
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesupergraphics

Image Credits

Photo credit for the main image: Edmund Prieto
All other photos: private