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

Mike, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

When the pandemic hit, I had a lot of time to think. In the span of a week I went from having 18 months of shows booked to having…zero shows booked.
Space to ponder amidst massive change led to an avalanche of new ideas, and I soon had a long list of projects in the making. I told myself I couldn’t possibly do them all and that I’d need to choose one or maybe two that I’d focus on creating…but every time I tried, I just couldn’t whittle down the list.
So I said to hell with it — I’ll do them all!
I emerged from the pandemic with a project of projects called 21 ROADS.
21 ROADS is an artistic Mt. Everest: twenty-one major creative works spanning multiple disciplines.
To make it even more of an adventure, I took the 10-year timeline I estimated it would take me to complete them all…and I cut it in half. I’m currently 18 months into my 5-year timeline and on pace to release Roads 3+4 (Into The Dark album and video series filmed in Mexico) and Road 5 (my first children’s book entitled How To Fly with Alaska Chai) before the end of this year.
I love the feeling that all of these projects are more meaningful because of the way I’m creating them and putting them into the world.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a singer-songwriter-traveler. If wanderlust has a soundtrack, I’ve spent the last 10 years trying to write it.
My perspective and stories are the most valuable things I can offer. Through art, I help people reframe how they look at the world around them.

Perspective is priceless. Travel opens your eyes. When you watch the sun rise from somewhere new, your world gets a little bit bigger. I love that. And when you see what life looks like through someone else’s eyes halfway around the world, it’s a whole lot harder to fear or hate that person.
I believe the farther we travel, the closer we all become.
This belief fuels everything I make and do.

My upcoming 2023 album INTO THE DARK follows three records in a row to pick up Album Of The Year nominations from the Independent Music Awards, and companion music videos have been Official Selections of seven international film festivals and counting. I’m particularly proud of and energized by the process I’ve developed to independently record and film a project like INTO THE DARK. With a very small, very nimble team, I spent two months covering thousands of miles in central Mexico, recording and filming in locations that large production crews couldn’t even approach with 10x my budget. The stories I’m able to tell as a result are strikingly genuine and truly unique.

My upcoming 2023 illustrated children’s book How To Fly with Alaska Chai makes the idea of a first airplane journey accessible and fun for kids everywhere. The manuscript was awarded an artistic grant from the State of Illinois and is paired with illustrations from award-winning artist Mat Schelsky.
Going to the airport and getting on a plane can be overwhelming and sometimes downright scary for kids. I wrote this book to turn the experience into something exciting, recognizable, and empowering.
I’m proud to be publishing this book independently. I’m also proud to be donating copies from its first printing to underfunded elementary schools around Chicagoland.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

This is such a great question…

Society can value creatives as much as it values their art.
When you learn how streaming platforms pay artists and songwriters next to nothing, be outraged.
Buy music directly from artists.
Buy merch after shows.
Throw dollars at independent creative projects.
When artists you love shout on social media about a new song or album or show or book or gallery showing or film or funding campaign, help us shout louder. Social media platforms throttle our reach and squeeze creatives for dollars many of us don’t have just to communicate with our existing fanbase. Every share, like, and follow directly helps amplify artists’ voices.
Cheer on creatives when they stand up for themselves and the integrity of their craft like the WGA and SAG just did.
Treat artists with the same love and respect that you have for their art.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’ve traveled a whole lot of places in my life, and I’ve met people from nearly every nook and cranny of the globe. One of the precious few things that I’ve found to be universally true… Nobody here knows what they’re doing.
Nobody actually has the answers. (Especially the people who say they do.)
It’s a terrifying thing to learn because it makes you unlearn almost everything.
But it’s also incredibly liberating.
Gatekeepers have only the power we give them.
Creatively, we truly don’t need anyone to give us permission to try something new.

Contact Info:

• Website: mikementz.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/mike_mentz
• Youtube: youtube.com/mikementzermusic

Image Credits
Katie DeVries MHBLA John Eiberger