We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeff Miles. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeff below.

Jeff, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’ve been drawing ever since I could pick up a pencil. I started drawing on church pamphlets and copying the LooneyTunes while watching them on television. While practicing over and over again for the next decade did wonders for my natural gift, I still had a lot to learn. Learning new artistic skills required me to push myself past what I already thought I knew. Realizing that there were others that knew more than me about art was a hard pill to swallow, but ended up benefiting both my techniques and social circle. Knowing what I know now, I wish I was more open to the wisdom of other and the power of influence. The skills I value came from my Color Theory, Life Drawing, and Painting classes in college. Being able to see colors in common objects that are not visible to the untrained eye or seeing a person’s muscle/skeleton structure just by looking at them is a skill my artwork has greatly benefited from. In the art world, my biggest obstacle of learning more was thinking I knew best and not being open to knew ideas or even new mediums. Without the influence of others I would’ve never expanded my artistic abilities to painting, ink, or graphic work.

Jeff, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am visual artist born and raised in P.G. County, MD. I moved to Austin, TX after receiving my BFA from St. Edward’s University. At the time, Austin was the clear answer to where I should begin my professional artist journey. I started doing pop-up art shows around the city, with my biggest shows including RAW Artists’ Showcase, Black Art Matters through the Austin Justice Coalition, and East Austin Studio Tour through Capital View Arts. With each show I participated in, the more artistic minds I met and began networking. Pretty soon I was being offered opportunities to show my work at the airport, schools, public gatherings, and even an NFL Stadium. In terms of what I like to create, my work is mainly depictions of realistic people, majority being minorities. To portray my vision I mainly use oil and acrylic paints, ink, graphite, and graphic programs such as Procreate. Most of my paintings are of people because I find the human body fascinating along with the emotions it can give off. What’s even more fascinating to me is how my artwork is received by it’s viewers. I believe that messages, feelings, and influence can be passed through each brush stroke, each additional detail. It is also common for people who view my art to have different interpretations of it than I intended. This is also valuable to me because it can influence a future piece while giving me insight on how others’ brains and emotions work. Witnessing people react to that is one of my deepest pleasures.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are plenty of benefits to being an artist! While not all rewards are financial gains, they can be just as satisfying sometimes. As artists we are some of the few human beings that can actually see the future. We have visions of things that do not exist and can mold them to our will. Art is something that has been around since the dawn of time and we keep track of it throughout history. Whether you’re painting a mural on a building that will become a part of people’s everyday life or taking a photo of a protest, your work has the ability to change lives and become a memory with a story. Personally one of my favorite rewards of being an artist is seeing what I am truly capable of talent wise and using that talent to touch people leaving them awe. Sometimes I do surprise myself with what I create. But it doesn’t always hit me until my supporters tell me they are proud of me. Knowing how much my parents sacrificed to put me in a position to follow my dreams means the world to me. And hearing them tell me that they’re proud of me makes it all worth it.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first moved to Austin I was so desperate to be involved with anything art that I ended up working at a retail art store just for a discount on art supplies. For a couple years I worked there happily but a shift in management left me working crazy hours and enough write-ups to leave me stressed wondering if I was a good employee. I ended up being hospitalized with an ulcer due to stress. When the doctors asked me what I do to relieve my stress, I told them that I paint. It wasn’t until they asked me when was the last time I painted that I realized that I was so focused on my job that I hadn’t even picked up a pencil in almost a year. I put in my two weeks and began teaching painting classes the next month. The moral of the story is that I lost focus on what really mattered and allowed work to create an unbalanced mental state. It is important to be financially stable but without a balance of passion and happiness you will be unfulfilled.

Contact Info:

• Website: themilescollective.com
• Instagram: @jefe.miles
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.milesii/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffery-miles-852b81ba/