Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michael Clarida. 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?

I have been a professional creative earning a living for over 25 years. 15 years as a salried contract freelance artist. Art is a process in of itself. I could have worked outside my company job on personal projects to get better.

Michael, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a generalist. That means I have skillsets in a myriad of artistic disciplines. I am a traditionally trained illustrator/painter but have embraced the digital age. From digital sculpting and toy prototyping to acrylic murals, I always treat the process the same. It is an adventure. I started in apparel creating and designing clothes working with Nike, Adidas, Puma and collegiate licenses. I moved to headwear working with MLB and the NFL. I then started design and illustrating for the mass consumer retail market as well as the niche themed entertainment markets(Universal Studios, Walt Disney World, Nasa, Hard Rock Cafe, and the National Parks. Still creating apparel but moving into collectible and toys. After 10 years in apparel specifically I started working with Disney consumer products…creating collectibles and character style guide art. I worked on Start Wars toys, Pixar collectibles, and items sold in the parks( apparel, consumables, collectibles, pins, wearables, as well as niche items. From there I worked with Universal Studios creating collectibles and story related/experience items for Harry Potter world, Seuss world, as well as ALL the properties inside and affiliated with Universal Studios. I have segwayed to now sculpting figures for Universal Studios special events, limited run collectibles and plush as well as drink ware and property specific visual assets.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Art careers are a series of failures and successes. I have mitigated the failures and ;eased forward form my successes.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal on my artistic journey is to provide a healthy living for me and my family. Inspire those around me to view art and the world in a positive way and always have a hand out to help those in need.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.coroflot.com/mclarida
• Instagram: @mikeclarida
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelclarida
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/MichaelClaridaArts

Image Credits
Michael Clarida Illustration 2024