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

Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Aradani started over 20 years ago when I was laid off from my tech job. I had always done artwork, and this clean break made me think I would try my hand at making it in the art world. I had always loved the Renaissance Festival here in TN, so I thought that would be a good place to start. Being a person who always likes others in my adventuring party, I asked my brother and sister to join. The art was slow-selling, but we noticed everyone loved my brother’s custom-painted elf ears. Seeing a demand, by the second weekend of our first show, we had started selling and painting elf ears for people.

As the years went by, selling fantasy art next to making elf ears grew in demand, and both of our creative ventures grew. Now 21 years after it all started, we have a thriving business both online and at shows, as well as a great studio filled with talented and wonderful people.

Michael, 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?

We are known for making handmade, custom-painted costume elf ears. They are one size fits all, and each ear is hand painted to match the desired skin tone. On top of this my brother, Paul, and I have been making fantastical art from paintings and charcoal drawings. We have been published in books and magazines, but our true love is making the art that we see in our heads and love our fans who have supported our weird visions all these years.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being a creator is a lot of work, and our workday is not a 9-5. When we first started, we lived in a tent at shows for months at a time. And at the first conventions, we often shared hotel rooms with so many people the only room to sleep was on the floor. But the rewards were getting to meet so many people, while also getting to make and sell our art. The days of sharing a blow up bed in a tiny tent are long gone, but it takes a lot to establish yourself, and sometimes saving a little money can help that dream happen.

The other thing that I learned, was that things won’t go exactly as you planned. I wanted to be a painter, making oil paintings for roleplaying book covers. But the life of an artist is not only hard, but often the pay is not very good. We saw this early on and kept working on the costuming portion of our studio, even when others put it down as childish.

Thankfully the world has changed a lot, and our culture is more accepting of all sorts of arts and crafts,

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It is by far seeing people happy. There are many ways to make a living, but to make art. To create and be inclusive, the feeling of doing that is so wonderful.

Contact Info:

• Website: aradani.com
• Instagram: @aradanistudios
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aradanistudios/
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/Aradanicostumes

Image Credits
Affliction Photography.