We were lucky to catch up with Matthew Dancy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I happened to be. working an odd job as a recent college graduate and I ran into a guy that asked me a simple question, “What quality of life is important to you?” “Do you want to have a family?” “Will your career allow you to be involved with your family?” Already having artistic talent and ambitions, this brief conversations helped me realize I wanted to pursue a career that brought me fulfillment while getting paid for my imagination.

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 a self-taught visual artist and creative director raised in Houston, TX. My mediums of choice are painting, drawing, and fashion. My artistic ability and imagination for painting and drawing was cultivated through my time creating full comic books and doodling the heroes of my childhood. I was enamored by figures like Allen Iverson and Kobe, Wolverine and Batman, Goku and Vegeta; the somebodies of that time in my life and the culture they created by their stories. I was exposed to fashion through 90’s movies like Boomerang where Eddie Murphy’s clothes defined the film just as much as the acting. Men’s fashion of the era was cool, the silhouettes pushed the boundaries of masculinity, the vibe was understated, and it illustrated the type of confidence I wanted to see in myself. Today, my art pieces are based on abstract realism — highlighting reality from my point of view and influenced by the cultures around me. My fashion and merchandise brand, Somebody, can be described as “Art on Display” where the clothes are an extension the culture, accented by paint and other custom touches to emphasize the hand-crafted essence of my work.

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

The mission driving my creative journey is the responsibility that comes with operating in my purpose. My hope is that my journey inspires others to pursue the gifts and visions God has blessed them with in the way I have been a vessel of mine. Everyone is purposefully made and deserves to explore it.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

In my experience, non-creatives struggle to understand the duality required to exist in both corporate and creative spaces. My path has been different. I earned a degree in Business Mangement and pursued a corporate career. I’ve gained skills, knowledge, ad understanding of the resources needed to be successful in this space. I am a better creative because of my experience, well-rounded in my approach, and execution of my creative endeavors. Still, I have a level of imposter syndrome navigating both of these worlds.

Contact Info:

• Website: artbysomebody.net
• Instagram: shopsomebody// _gregmatthew

Image Credits