We were lucky to catch up with Neal Hamilton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Neal, thanks for joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

My first professional dollar made was a project I got commissioned by Hall of Fame inductee Paul Warfield of the Cleveland Browns. I was crazy about the NFL in those days, and my mentor at that time
Mr. Gary Thomas was a professional sports Illustrator, so I was always around football and sports.
I remember just being in the right place at the right time when I met Paul Warfield and he wanted me
to do a life journey of his football career. You can only imagine the excitement I felt, and soon after the
anxiety I felt knowing I just got asked to do a major NFL players life story in art. Well I just had to tell
myself that this is what I wanted so there was no turning back at this point. As they say be careful what
you ask for lol. So I was asked to come to his beautiful home and I was asked by his wife to wait in the
den, when a few minutes later the real Paul Warfield comes in the den and introduces himself to me like I didn’t already know that the great wide receiver of the Cleveland Browns was now standing before
me shaking my hand. We then discussed the particulars and I was trying to act like this was just another
job as a professional. Inside I was shaking with excitement. After our meeting I rushed home and started to design the layout of what the painting should look like when completed. I showed the layout to Paul and he was delighted and gave me the go ahead and off I was on a journey that was way beyond
my wildest dreams. I do believe it took me two or three weeks to complete due to me being overly
critical of what I was doing. When I was finished I was happy with the results and delivered the painting
as soon as I could. Mr. Warfield and his wife were very happy with the painting and then cut me a check
for $1,000 and this was back in the 80’s. so that was a good payday. After getting over my first big commission fear things got easier on future projects. I remember booking a cruise with that money
and that’s when I felt good about being an artist knowing if I was ready to really put in the work there
would be real results and benefits.

Neal, 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 do remember that art was in my blood from an early age. My grandmother saw it when I was three
years old she told me. By the age of ten I was enrolled into the Cleveland Museum of Art Saturday
morning art classes so I could really learn the disciplines of drawing and shading. When I finished
collage I had started a family and it was time to step up and make a real living. I first began as an technical Illustrator which landed me in drafting job positions. This isn’t where I wanted to be but it was
a beginning down a path to where I wanted to be one day. After about 10 years as a draftsman I finally got an
Illustrator position at Artist Studio’s as an Illustrator which was a big deal in those days.

I provide a wide range of services, such as Industrial deign, Illustration, fine art Painting, & photography.
I love to take a clients idea and bring it to life! My mission is to solve any problems My client might
have by creating a mock up or rough draft of their vision, and turning it into reality. What I believe that
sets me apart is that I have a long running history of successful projects and my versatility to go in
multiple directions so my client doesn’t have to hire other professionals to complete the job.

What I’m most proud of is that I was a true believer in myself first of all, and always exceeded my clients
needs. I’m very pleased with the company and brand I created to umbrella all of the projects called
“Paint Out Loud” which give a new perspective on bringing a project to life through art. For the last 20
years I have concentrated on music history, and showcasing music’s greatest musicians through my
art and having the name “Keeper of the Flame” so I can keep our musical legends alive forever. After serving 10 years as the official photographer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum it was clear to me painting all these great musicians I work around every day was a no brainer. The true birth
of this ‘Paint Out Loud’ mission was when working at the Rock Hall I had a horrific house fire which had
destroyed just about everything in our home. That’s when I got the calling to get back to my art which
I had taken a ten year break from to work as a photographer for the Rock Hall. When the reality set in
that all my art supplies had been destroyed in the fire I then was faced with how do I create without all
the art supplies I once had. Instincts then kicked in and I started painting with anything I could put my hands on. After just moving forward with using junk as I called it at that time a very valuable lesson was
at play here. This was the only time I had created a new series using unconventional tools that would be my brand technique to this date.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As I said earlier I feel my mission is to be the “Keeper of the Flame” of our musical legends and historical
icons through my art. I’ve loved music since I was a kid, and that drives me to this day. I feel it’s so important to bridge the older generation with the new generation so we never lose the connection we
all have through music. The goal is to leave this world a better place by teaching the younger generation to honor the past and paint it forward! For the highest honor of art is to inspire!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I do believe that supporting the arts in any way would be a huge benefit for all. As I would lecture when
I’m speaking at events that everything you see in front of you today was an idea in an artist head. Artist have designed everything you see and use today. So actually paying artist would boost their confidence so they could reach for the stars! Artist are tired of hearing that old fraise “starving artist ‘
Artist should be appreciated more so they can continue to make our lives more complete. So in short
pay artist what their worth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nealhamilton.com
• Instagram: paintoutloud or paintoutloud_art
• Facebook: Neal Hamilton – personal page Paint Out Loud LLC; The art of Neal Hamilton – business page
• Linkedin: Paint Out Loud LLC