Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jerry Miller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jerry, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Less then 20 disc dyes into my art career, I was asked to do a dye on a new special version- disc that was also glow in the dark. Dye can cover up the luminosity of glow discs, so I knew my dye art needed to be on the lighter side. Going for a more minimalist approach worked out great and I was happy with how it looked both in normal light, and while glowing. The process I used involves Clear Glue and Fish Lure Dye, and needs to be set upside down for several hours before being able to clean it and see what the final product looks like. I was very nervous waiting, but I did and I was very pleased with how it came out. When I returned the dyed disc to the person who asked me to dye it, the look on his face is something I’ll never forget- He loved it!, I was so happy to see how happy they were with it. Bringing joy through my art is incredibly meaningful to me

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 am Jerry and I run The Disc Mill. The Disc Mill is an art/sports store. I sell discs that I have dyed artwork onto, using various applications and methods. Disc Golf is a game much like Ball Golf, where the point is to get a plastic disc into a basket with as little throws as possible. I put my artwork on discs, using dye. My artwork can be anything from abstract, or concrete as the dye and disc plastic allows. The biggest moment in my art came when a new Disc Golf Store opened at Lansing Mall and the small business owner wanted to have my Dyes kept in his store. To me that was such a big moment, having my art be displayed and sold out in public, rather than kept in my house for my online store. Thank you Black Ibis Discs!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that not everyone sees my art the same as I do. There has been times where I wasn’t 100% happy with my finished product, as I could only see the mistakes/ the parts that didn’t work out as I wanted. However, when I was able to show my art to others, they saw it for what it was. Some of my favorite sales are from when the customer sees something in it I didn’t.

Being liberated from only seeing the mistakes/flaws and knowing everyone will see my art slightly different has opened up new doors for techniques and encourages me to express more.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal started as trying to dye my own discs, and quickly evolved into much more. I saw the outreach that was possible even just viz word of mouth. I have a two year old son that I hope will love playing Disc Golf as much as I do. Knowing I can carve a little niche out and make a hobby of it, my mission now is trying to pave a path for my son where he is well known in the local disc golf community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thediscmill.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thediscmill