We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Phil Musen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Phil, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I think to date the project that comes to mind is a series of paintings I made called “Mermaid Fantasy”. I reimagined a romance in my life in the setting of some sailors who get shipwrecked in an archipelago inhabited by mermaids.

It meant everything to me because it helped me process the experience I had gone through in my life, being with someone from a very different culture.

Phil, 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 am 37 years old and have always been a curious and creative person. I received my BFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art & Design in 2009 and initially worked in galleries as an art handler while putting on/participating in exhibitions.

I got pretty disillusioned with the art world and simultaneously interested organic agriculture and for a number of years volunteered or worked on various farms.

I have always dived into my passions for better or worse.

I’m into my fifth year as a street artist right now and these have probably been the best years of my life, no exaggeration at all, because I have been more accepting of everything. I think that comes with aging and maturity. I have better boundaries with everyone including myself.

These days I make a lot of paintings specifically designed to make people laugh and be happy. I paint a lot cats doing funny things but I am not limited to that. I sell prints and paintings outside off of a little cart I can pull around. I also make ceramics and sculptures and show them in a local gallery.

I think what sets me apart from other artists is my attention to details and craftsmanship. I am intensely critical of my own work and always strive to be more creative. I cherish my close friends who give me wonderful and thorough criticism and who keep me grounded and real.

I’m grateful to have my job. It’s awesome even if it’s tiring a lot of the time. I have worked in so many tough jobs for very little money. I didn’t have success until I committed to believing in myself.

I am also lucky or fortunate or however you want to look at it to have my supportive family. They have always been there for me and that has been crucial.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Pay attention to what people like. If you make things that people like you will be way more likely to sell them.

If you try something and the first attempt isn’t successful, don’t just quit. Keep at it and keep fine tuning.

Don’t quit before you ever even try.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There was one year in particular that was a struggle for me and an older friend of mine. I was unemployed and losing my mind. She owned a farm and it was not doing well. she had lost a shit load of money. The tractor which was a large John Deere wouldn’t start and it was all a bit bleak.

I don’t exactly know what gave me the strength but I figured out how to get the tractor running again.

It was simple in retrospect. I had to take the fuel tank off and clean it out with a pressure washer and replace the filter on the injector line… I don’t even know if I’m saying that correctly but when that machine cranked up again, roared back to life I think I screamed and cried with joy. As I said I have a degree in painting and it felt like a great victory or something. I was covered in grease and sand, it was amazing.

A few things came into play there. I realized I was waiting around for someone to fix my problems for me and I refused to quit.

I can’t remember exactly what gave me the strength to climb out of the preceding depression but that was monumental in my life and changed the way I take on adversity. I think it was largely my friend’s love and support. I know it was from my family too.

After the tractor was working again I was able to grow a couple acres of beans and sell them to local restaurants.    

Contact Info:

• Website: philmusen.com
• Instagram: @cutetomatoes