Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rick “SikRik” Fisher. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Rick “SikRik” thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I have created a few designs that i would consider meaningful. Every project i release helps me grow my business and introduce my work to a new customer base, however there have been a few along the way that stand out. The first I would have to say was the original 1990’s era GG Allin mask I released in 2010. Up until that time nobody really showed any interest in my designs. I am very grateful to GG’s brother Merle for taking a chance on me with the project. We did a lot of back and forth through the development but in the end it came out as good as my skill set at the time could have allowed. When we announced it my email blew up with all kinds of interested peeps and publications wanting to talk about it. I kinda felt like I had arrived :0P. A few years later i had the opportunity to recreate the iconic Booji Boy mask for DEVO…my first attempt was what Mark referred to as a lollipop head….it turned out ok and sold well, but it wasn’t until a couple years later that i would revisit the design and actually be given the opportunity to study and measure one of the only surviving original Booji masks at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. My release of that design (i refer to as Booji V 2.0) gave me additional confidence in my sculpting ability. Plus in addition to offering it as a cool merch item for the band I also get to make all of Mark’s stage use Booji masks. I’m very proud of that. Lastly is my first true crime release. POGO the Clown was my first attempt at sticking my toes in the bloody true crime waters. I had no idea how loved and hated i would become after creating the creepy alter ego of notorious Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy. Since the POGO mask release I have built a whole new following of collectors who are quite passionate about my true crime series.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My business is divided into 3 facets. The first being the creation of merch opportunities and stage wear masks for different music groups. Its nice to be associated with bands that I’m fond of plus I really don’t have to do much advertising. Between the band Publicists, Merch company releases and diehard fans posting on social media the word tends to get out pretty fast.. The second facet of my business is the true crime and cult/occult figures. This collector base is very passionate about these subjects. I’m kind of known as the guy who creates some of history’s most infamous characters. Word of mouth and repeat customers keep me busy with these releases. The final facet would be my repaint business. I am a distributor for Trick or Treat Studios (aka ToTS). ToTS offers a great line of big license releases from all the top films. They have an incredible sculpting team and art department. With that said the releases are created in a factory and are head and shoulders above their competition in terms of quality…but some collectors want a more detailed version of those releases so what I do is carry the designs I feel my customer base will respond well to and offer either a factory finish at the msrp or offer a SikRik repaint for an upcharge price. Between the 3 facets i stay pretty busy
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding thing for me as a creative would have to be the pride of taking a vision and moving it through the rough sculpting to detailed sculpting to mold making to creating the actual copy in latex to painting it and having a finished product that may not have ever been created otherwise. Being able to step back and be like ” hey i did it”. My collectors and customers usually have nice things to say each time i post a new product or variant of an existing product. It makes me happy to know that I’m making them happy too.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I think some segments of society tend to be a little negative…especially towards the younger artists. The negative minded viewers (i refer to them as dream killers) will have a tendency to want to tell an artist that “they are “doing it wrong” or “they aren’t good enough”. Throwing up laughing emojis on a post by someone who just spilled their heart out in a song/poem/drawing/sculpture whatever is a dick move. If you don’t appreciate the work someone posts then move on. You don’t have to buy it or support it…just move on. Sometimes the dream killers are your own family or friends. Who knows maybe they aren’t even aware that they are doing it. I guess the main point id like to make to society is just be respectful. Think before throwing out that unasked for criticism, If someone else’s art isn’t to your liking then move on. Its not funny or cool to crush someone else’s dreams. To those dealing with dream killers in their life, don’t give up. Don’t give those people the satisfaction. Keep working…keep learning…stay focused. Your creation is exactly that YOUR CREATION. You don’t owe anyone any explanation. I’ll leave you with a quote from Neil Gaiman that i feel is inspirational. “The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story. your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sikrikmasks.com
- Instagram: SikRik Masks
- Facebook: Rick Fisher (SikRik Masks)
- Twitter: SikRik Masks
- Youtube: @sikrikmasks
Image Credits
I took all the pictures…no need for credit