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

Mike, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My dad took a lot of risks, personally and professionally. He was in a helicopter filming Mt St. Helens as it was erupting. He drove 3000 miles away from his home to take his first real job in a news room. He started multiple businesses, many of which did not make enough money but he kept evolving. He continued to learn and bounced from one industry to another. It taught me to not be so worried. My mom paid for all my art classes as a kid and encouraged me to pursue it. My family is not concerned with practicalities, so I became a pragmatic artist, always trying to find the middle path.

Mike, 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?

I focus on murals for retail clients these days. As a teenager my dream was to work at the Stranger, a Seattle alt-weekly. After moving to New York for art school, I eventually worked as a designer/illustrator for the New York Press, the L Magazine, and Brooklyn Magazine. Editorial illustrations were the only thing I truly cared about. I moved back to Seattle at age 30 and started illustrating for the Stranger and eventually took over for the Art Director when he unexpectedly passed away very young. Coming up with covers and art directing other artists was an absolute dream come true. Eventually that industry started to crumble due to the changing nature of publications and the iphone.
I started getting into the advertising world because they were one of the few industries that hired creatives. I started to learn graphic design after a bumpy start.
While working for Publicis, Crown Social Agency and MSL, they encouraged me to start doing mural work. Eventually I became the primary illustrator and muralist for Mod Pizza, which was an absolute career highlight.
The Creative Director, Gabe Goldman and my art director Annelise Cregger taught me a lot about fine art execution and how to create original, deconstructed localized art that appeals to a wide, yet sophisticated audience.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

‘The E-Myth’ was the first real business book that really changed the way I think about entreprenurialism. It focuses on systems. ‘Atomic Habits’ is huge. That and ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’. It got the ball rolling, and I ended up reading more about marketing, investment and other boring topics that are extremely useful for any artist. Creatives tend to ignore the practical side of life. I’ve always looked at life as an opportunity to create for clients, and I prefer being a commercial artist because I like the challenge of solving their problems, instead of always following what I’m interested in.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My generation was taught to follow our passion. But there’s a very important second part. We should always be looking at what the world needs. I think a lot of creative people get stuck because they want to follow a pure vision, but thinking about what trends are happening and where they money is can help bolster a career and allow you additional time to follow your own passion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.autotone.net
• Instagram: @mike.mckeogh.studio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikemckeoghillustration
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-mckeogh-35957026/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mike.mckeogh.studio
• Other: https://dribbble.com/mikemckeogh

Image Credits

Jack McKeogh. Kaila McKeogh