We were lucky to catch up with Matt Raney recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matt, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

This is a very interesting question. I think about this a lot! I am a digital illustrator and graphic designer. I am very passionate about the art that I make. I love making prints and sending them out into the world. I think about the fact that there are some homes in the world where my artwork lives. I like that! I’m not sure I will ever be famous, renowned or recognized on a global scale, and that’s okay! If I can make art that sparks a singular emotion from someone, Ive succeeded! The art I make has a lot of nostalgia for me, and thats the experience I try to share with others. Make art. Show art. And then (hopefully) someone sees it and goes “Ah yea! This is awesome!” My art is made to garnish a feeling of familiarity and recognition. Through that, I hope to connect with people.

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’ve done MANY things in this industry. I graduated with an MFA in 2007 and started teaching elementary school art, while simultaneously doing as many freelance design projects that I could find. I also taught graphic design at a high school level for three years. Side note-teachers are under-appreciated and under paid in this country. Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk. I worked in a gallery for a while. Ive worked for an interior design company, and currently work for a medical tech company doing all of the graphic design there. All of these things were done with freelance design consistently hovering in the background.
My freelance work is always interesting. I always try to provide a service at an affordable price for clients looking to have good work, but may not have the upfront capital to do everything they want. Early on in my design career, Ive done freelance work in exchange for food, beer and other nonsense. I dont trade art for goods as much anymore, but still work closely with clients to provide an approachable and affordable service. Everything’s negotiable…right?
Much of what I do in my 9-5 is very different from my freelance and personal work. I think its good and important to have the differentiation. It keeps me motivated to make art, even after doing layout and corporate design all day.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Nonsense. Complete and total #$&%ing nonsense.
They are speculative assets with little intrinsic value. It’s a falsity. The idea that owning a digital receipt for an image, which anyone can right-click and save, is absurd. I feel like they are fading away, so there isn’t much concern for the longevity. I understand that technology and exploration are at the heart of Art. And as a digital artist. I can understand some of the drawthat NFT’s created but there is so much on the negative side of this. A lot of NFT images were/are AI generated. The manufactured and artificial scarcity creates ripe conditions for scams. And the idea owning an NFT somehow grants exclusivity to…what? Nothing? Not to mention the negative affect that they have on the environment. No thanks. But enjoy your $10,000 JPEG.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
INVEST IN REAL ART

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

Of course! Always.
I’m going to answer this question a little vaguely though. I am always discovering new ways to do/make/create things. I think thats part of the creative process and definitely big for me. Some of the coolest things I do are because I saw it being done more effectively than the way I was doing it and adopted it! I’m speaking about tech and processes here, just to clarify. Social media has been a big help too. I follow many good, professional designers that know a lot about a lot! And using digital design tools, there are 163 ways to do the same thing. It’s nice to always have the resources to learn, adapt and evolve.
I want to go back and speak about technology for a second too. The way that we make work now is so different than it was 10 years ago. And in 10 more years we will say the same thing. Things like the iPad for example, have been an absolute game changer. The fact that you have a reactive digital pencil and VERY solid design programming at your fingertips is truly groundbreaking. Ive recently been using the iPad a lot for initial design and pairing those drawings with my desktop programs. Its really remarkable! I hope one day to see seamless transitions between design programs. For example, a singular design and a simple swipe right from Illustrator into Photoshop etc. (Adobe please contact me if you’d like to discuss this further) The future will be bright!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mattraney.myportfolio.com/work
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdr.illustrates/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-raney-16883758/
• Twitter: @[email protected]