We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rob Millard-Mendez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rob below.

Rob, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My hero is H.C. Westermann, an artist from Chicago who had an incredible vision and a very successful career. He is one of the reasons I became a sculptor working mainly with wood. Why is he my hero? He never compromised. He remained true to his own style and world-view regardless of what the artworld was doing. He produced art almost until the day he died. Looking at his life, he was far from perfect (like nearly every other human), but his art was rich and full of meaning and self-reflection. The lessons that can be taken from his life are plentiful. He practiced powerful self-discipline; every day he trained his muscles by carrying a big rock up and down a set of stairs. He combined brashness with sensitivity; his work is biographical and universal. I get up early every morning and try to emulate many of the things he did.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I entered college on a full academic scholarship on a pre-med track, art had always been my other passion (next to science). In my sophomore year I switched to art and never looked back. I got into teaching because I have always enjoyed seeing people grow and empower themselves by learning skills.

My work is mainly sculptural and usually made from wood (at least in part). My pieces are narrative and complex and layered. There are two things that set my work apart; one thing is its tragicomic content, the other thing is my commitment to a high level of craft.

One of my points of pride is that I am a first-generation college student who went on to become a full professor. Another cool thing was having my work presented in every one of the fifty states. My work has been shown in over 500 exhibitions and I have won over 120 awards for my art and my teaching.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I am a big believer in the value of showing up and the importance of getting yourself “out there”. I was in a nationally-juried art exhibition in my junior year of high school. Even back then I was always on the lookout for opportunities to show my work. I started in earnest with local shows and then worked outward to regional and national and eventually international opportunities. At this point I am much more selective about the things I pursue, but when I take on a project I work hard to be punctual, professional, and easy to work with. All of these things have helped me to build a strong, positive reputation. Another thing that I think is worth mentioning is how small many of our “worlds” are. As a resident in the world of craft, I make it a point to treat everyone as well as I can. A person who is an intern today could become an important curator in a few years!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I absolutely adore the work of The Teaching Company. You can enjoy some of their content through Wondrium. I am not affiliated with them in any way, except as a customer. They offer courses in a wide range of topics, the courses are taught by some of the best college faculty in the world. Whatever you are interested in, they will likely have something that you will find worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.robmillardmendez.com
• Instagram: @millardmendez

Image Credits
I took all the images that I sent to you.