Featured Artist Mike Brennan

Artist Mike Brennan presents a delightful collection of digital artwork filled with colorful energy. See more of his portfolio by visiting his website.

 

 

I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. When I was a boy, I used to make my own greeting cards with drawings of cartoon characters and give them to family members. I didn’t know it at the time, but I fell in love with the exchange that was happening when I created something and gave it to someone else to see their face light up!

 

 

That ethos is something I’ve been pursuing ever since in all the things I create. Much of my visual art and illustration is informed by my own experiences and interests and then seeking to use it to form connections with others. Pop culture, travel, and live events have been central themes in my work.

 

 

Although I attended art school for graphic design and have been a working design professional for many years, it wasn’t until a personal crisis happen that I truly found my voice and style as an artist.

 

 

There was a ten-year art absence that ushered in a season of depression, which was ultimately the catalyst for bringing me back to my art. I embarked on a 365-daily-art-making journey that has lasted to this day, over ten years later.

 

 

I recognized this journey wasn’t just for me, but for other creatives who might have similar challenges. After identifying key steps and principles, I developed a framework where I help creators show up consistently on their quest for creativity & innovation, through a Daily Creative Habit.

 

 

I also illustrate and design for a variety of projects such as books, branding/logos, and storytelling through my Live Event Sketches for conferences and gatherings. Personal passion projects also fuel my creativity as I travel and continue to find inspiration in pop culture and my surroundings.

 

 

My pop culture art has been spotlighted on AMC’s Talking Dead and featured on Syfy.com. My yoga art appeared in “The Art of Healthy Living” exhibit at the I.D.E.A. Museum, Mesa, Arizona. I have been a featured illustrator for meowbox, featured in Capsules Pictoria Volume 3, The Best Contemporary Illustrators Worldwide, and long-listed with The Association of Illustrators World Illustration Awards 2020. I have had art represented by Galleria Misto gallery, am a member of Illustrators For Hire, and have featured art in the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Illinois.

 

 

Listen to my conversations with other creators as we talk about their journey, story, and creative process, on my weekly podcasts for Creative Chats!

 

Mike Brennan invites you to follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and to visit Daily Creative Habit, Creative Chats and Event Sketches.

 

 

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