AMBER LOVE 07-JAN-2014 The life of a freelance artist and a dozen other pop culture topics are covered in my conversation with TONY MIELLO on VODKA O’CLOCK.
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“People gotta stop giving celebrity voices more weight than they deserve.†~TM
Tony avoids controversies and nerd rage. It seems to be the sort of thing that Tony (and I) have taken a lifetime to work on. In his words, he doesn’t give a shit about the Kardashians or John Byrne for that matter. Tony is a self-proclaimed curmudgeon. Yet, despite his short fuse about the stupidity in the world, Tony believes that he is absolutely approachable so if you see him at a convention, don’t fear.
#ProTip: When someone approaches your table, pencil goes down and you give the prospective customer/fan your attention. You aren’t only a creator; you are a merchant as well.
#ProTip: Try to be nice to everyone you meet. You don’t want to come across as the dick at a convention.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that, in general, people are offended by just about anything. However Tony and I steer the conversation to discuss specific points in fairly recent news where the people have pissed each other off.
#ProTip: You have to think of the bigger picture sometimes, especially when you have a family to support, whether you can afford to turn down jobs that involve working with people you oppose.
“Like I said before, [I’m not…] I haven’t achieved what most people have achieved in this industry but I’m thankful for every little job that I get. And I take ‘em because someone’s willing to pay me to do them. We have to be professional ‘cause this is a job. If you’re not going to act professionally, people are gonna eventually stop wanting to work with you. So, ya know just like anything else, treat what you do with respect; treat other people with respect even if they may not deserve it but in a professional setting you kind of want to be above the situation.†~TM
“Life is offensive. We’re not promised anything when we’re born.†~TM
Now that I’m over the hill (over 40) I recognize the amount of hard work on myself to get to recognizing anger issues. Tony agreed that maturity and aging were vital to recognizing areas where he needed self improvement. He says anger is an easy emotion and that it’s how you process it that matters; for him that’s in his art. He also believes who don’t seem bothered by anything are disingenuous. He doesn’t trust them.
Don’t fret. This is not over an hour of negativity. I did ask Tony what makes him happy although it is a much shorter list. We got through that faster. On the list is Jack Daniels Honey flavored whiskey.
Some people choose to make their art in sensory-deprived environments. Tony prefers either audio books (when drawing) or hard rocking music (when painting). He also recommends the band The Lone Bellow. The music helps him relax and be freer when painting.
LINKS:
Tony Miello on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artoftonymiello
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.