Mahoganee Amiger works in Beaufort S.C. as an Interdisplinary artist in the field of music and has been a songwriter for over 30 years. Mahoganee incorporates poetry and photography into her music to produce a form of visual art.
About
Amiger is a Gullah Geechee woman who lives on Saint Helena Island. She explains that Saint Helena Island is a place where she is able to tap into her creative side, “And so being a creative it is, in my opinion, it is a very magical portal, yes, that right, that I can tap into, and because I allow myself to be open to that I am never not creative”. Amiger also reflects on her journey as a musician and explains how her love for art has always overcome her fears, “so, there was the fear of, I think, just being in front of people, you know, and sharing something…now I’m nervous, I’m not fearful, the nerves are always going to be there.”
Amiger explains the importance of taking opportunities in the creative career field, like a fellowship. She says that “anytime you can find an opportunity to be in a cohort or fellowship or something that is really going to help you grow as a human being, as an artist, as a community leader…look for those opportunities because they have been very instrumental in my growth.” With this, Amiger considers today’s day in age with the noise of the internet and advocated for nurturing oneself away from the media.
“It’s a very fortunate blessing to find something in life that you like enough that you do it before you’re paid for it.”
Philip Mullen is a Painter and professor emeritus Philip Mullen reflects on decades of artmaking and mentoring and why South Carolina and a bathtub shaped his creative life.
About
Philip Mullen is a well-known painter and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina. For over fifty years, he’s poured his energy into large-scale acrylic painting, mentoring others, and staying true to his artistic vision. His awesome studio in Columbia even got a shoutout in The Artist Magazine. He’s had major shows in New York and participated in the prestigious Whitney Biennial. Throughout his journey in the art world, Mullen has shown both resilience and style.
Mullen opens up about the unique challenges and quirks of keeping an artistic practice going for life. He talks about stuff like making custom racks for his big canvases, learning to fix elevators in Andy Warhol’s old studio, and how he juggles teaching with showcasing his art. “To be an artist, you’ve got to have it in one seat. You’ve got to have a big ego … But myself, like most artists I know, have very fragile egos.”
During his 31 years at USC, Mullen created a hands-on course called The Artist Experience. This class lets students dive into practical learning by visiting studios, firing pottery, and getting up close with Degas sculptures.
Even though he faced some early doubts, especially from his own family, Mullen built a career based on passion rather than prestige. “In a way, to me, the success has to do with putting together a life in which I could spend a lot of time making paintings,” he explains. In this heartfelt conversation, he reflects on the joy of being creative, the need to keep that creativity going over time, and why Columbia, South Carolina, is such a big part of his artistic journey.
“The importance of learning the craft, learning the principles and elements of art and design and really understanding how to apply them, cannot be overstated. Design theory ends up being the currency of whether or not you can develop a particular visual way of expressing yourself, whether it’s sculpture, ceramics, architecture or another field.”
Jim Craft, who lives in Greenville, was a studio artist for ten years and then transitioned to academia. He was a professor of art at North Greenville University for 16 years and then moved to West Palm Beach, Fla., teaching at Palm Beach Atlantic University for 10 years. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from Bob Jones University and his MFA at Clemson University.
Interview
Transcript
Jim Craft
I’m Jim Craft, and I was a studio artist for 10 years self-supporting. And then I had three kids and a wife. And you know, I think the statistic is less than half a percent of people who actually get degrees in visual art actually ended up being artists; I think it might even be less than that by now. It’s a pretty narrow field, actually. But, you end up doing a lot of other things, you know, you can go into Applied Arts, graphic design, and stage design, and you know.
Haley Hansen
What did your path look like? What did you go into?
Jim Craft
Well, I had my degrees in painting and ceramics, and… but I also had education, degrees in education. So, which was fortunate, I guess, because then I, I got a job as a professor. Well, as an instructor, and then worked my way. And then, when I retired just a few years ago, five years ago, I was a full professor and was granted Professor Emeritus, which just means I can come back and teach if ever I want to. So that’s, that’s what I’ve, what I’ve done. I’ve actually spent most of my life in academia. When you teach, it demands all your time, way too much of your time, and your energy and resources. And…
Haley Hansen
Where were you a professor at?
Jim Craft
Well, I started out, well, first, I started out in public schools and taught two years of Elementary, two years of middle school, and two years of high school, and then I got a job at a little Baptist College in Upstate South Carolina. I just turned…
Haley Hansen
Which kind of Baptist College, I’m guessing Bob Jones.
Jim Craft
Now, actually, I got my undergraduate degree from Bob Jones and a Master’s, an M.A., from Bob Jones. And then I finished my graduate work at Clemson, but I got my first job as a professor at North Greenville University and taught there for 16 years. And then, I took a position down in West Palm Beach, Florida, for 10 years a little longer, actually, at Palm Beach Atlantic University, and sort of headed up the visual art program down there, department down there. And it was kind of a blast, you know, being down in Florida in mind that at all, but it was really fun having a studio and being an artist, you know, getting up every day and making stuff and doing exhibitions, shows, and things like that.
Haley Hansen
Was there ever one specific moment that made you realize you wanted to be a professional studio artist?
Jim Craft
Well, that was always, you know, the goal to be an artist, but it’s just not a realistic goal. I mean, even my friends who were wildly successful had to actually supplement their income with other things. And it’s good to have those kinds of things in your pocket. So, I wouldn’t ever discourage anybody from, you know, getting a degree in, you know, graphic design or advertising or any of the design areas, just because, well, you know, Andy Warhol was a graphic designer and musicians and composers actually did other things. But, it was always the goal to be just an artist. And that was kind of a blast. But it didn’t really take care of everything. Kids were getting bigger. And you know, everybody knows three kids and my wife. So, it was really four against, well, not against, but it was four votes against one vote. And so, I had to go get a job teaching. It’s not terrible. I didn’t mind teaching. It actually turned out, I was okay at it. All of my evaluations were good. It was always in the top percentile and got a number of awards and so on for teaching, because I didn’t mind teaching. I liked people. I like students, and interacting with them, and telling them the truth. And they didn’t always like me, but that’s okay. I guess my evaluations were…. had a big gap in the middle. There were those who really liked me and said I was the best professor they ever had. And there was a big gap in the middle. And then there were those that said, I was awful, and don’t ever take any courses from this man, because he’ll, he’ll make you work.
Haley Hansen
I had a couple of professors like that. Yeah.
Jim Craft
Yeah. Yeah, that’s actually a pretty good, you know, way too, like, let your evaluations fall. You don’t want a bunch in the middle, that just isn’t so great. That way, you kind of, like, you get students that maybe are a little more serious. Are you an art student?
Haley Hansen
I’m an English major.
Jim Craft
Well, and of course, I would always tell people, students, that you know, minor in education or English, because English is good. Because writing is always a valuable skill, it’s always a valuable skill no matter what you do, if you can write, and put together good, you know, sentences and presentations, and if you can read if you can know how to do research, if you actually understand what real research looks like, that will help you it really well, I taught a lot of art history. And a lot of our pre; I had to teach a lot of sections or at a pre all the time, but you know, I don’t miss grading all the, all the research papers, oh, my goodness. When they’d come in, I would have, I’d be gone for a week and a half. I just have to go through them all. And I can never give a student a bad grade, or even a good grade without telling them why, you know, I wanted them to know why they’re getting what they’re getting. Yeah, English is a good, a good minor. And I suppose there’s a number of other areas where you could minor and and that would be well advised. I think it’s probably healthy for students to know that being, being a learning the craft learning the, you know, the principles and elements of art and design. And really understanding how to apply them and not be understated design theory was always something that I think that it can’t really be undervalued. Because, that really ends up being the currency of, of whether or not you can develop a particular visual way of expressing yourself, whether it’s in, you know, sculpture, ceramics or architecture, whatever. They all, they all apply. All those principles and elements. They apply to every one of the arts. Whether, even if, you go into dance or theater, or any of that, it really doesn’t matter. They’re all very similar.
Jim Craft
In fact, I taught a number of courses on the integration of the principles and elements in… and it was teamed up with a dance and theater major, music professor and myself. And it’s all the same language. So all those, I think that’s really valuable because then I’ve had students that have ended up because they heard me, they ended up in, you know, retail and, and um, you know, selling in galleries or auction houses. Traveling internationally, even if you don’t necessarily have to end up in the studio to stay in the arts; I even had a student who ended up being a buyer internationally of fine rugs, and all over the Europe and North Africa, and the Middle East. And she was a painting person she was I mean, she learned the principles and now, so they all fit, it’s all still the same, whether you’re looking at a Persian rug, or if you’re looking at a really nice ceramic vessel, it’s all the same. And I never could quite figure that out. You know, people will say, Oh, this Van Gogh is, real art. But, this Song Dynasty bowl is just a craft? Well, if it’s if it’s well made, well designed, and has beautiful line and balance and unity, and you know, all that, to me, it’s just as breathtaking. And, of course, that’s… that would that always would make for a good discussion. It’s good to be able to tell why each is good. And, I’ve had students end up in stage design, and you know, theater design, and even going into product design. And it’s very much all kind of related.
Haley Hansen
Very, broadly applicable skill set.
Jim Craft
Sure. It really…
Haley Hansen
Sort of like English.
Jim Craft
Yeah, like English. And the the kind of core I would say in English is hopefully that you can read well, and understand what good research and a real you know what a good sentence is, and good paper is, and good presentations, all those kinds of things are incredibly widely applicable.
Haley Hansen
Are there any specific programs or organizations around the state that you would recommend for someone interested in pursuing a career in the arts?
Jim Craft
Well, there’s certainly, you know, you can become members of, you know, artists and crafts societies or artists.
Haley Hansen
I think I’ve seen a couple of galleries run by like artists and guilds and stuff like that.
Jim Craft
Yeah. And then members of both, like um, Co-ops and just commercial galleries, and there’s upsides to both, you know, they, it’s nice to be able to keep, you know, 75-80% of your sales prices. It’s also nice not to have to worry about advertising and promotion, not having to coordinate an exhibition, it’s all done for you. But then they, you know, they keep 50 or 60 or 70 present in a gallery, but that’s what they do. Of course, galleries are gone now. I mean, galleries are not completely gone, but just about it’s, it’s just a completely changed situation because you have online galleries and, you know digital media and promotion, all that kind of thing. And that’s a completely different kind of thing, now.
Haley Hansen
At least in Greenville, there’s still plenty of physical ones to wander into.
Jim Craft
Oh, yeah, it’s true. It’s it, you know, I just, I just, I’ve done I’ve done those. And I’ve done I’ve made production type runs and things like that, for commercial entities, design houses that make accessories and things like that, that would be called Object art, you know. And I’ve produced for them, and then I’ve also done sub wholesaling for houses that, you know, they like I have sold to the furniture market, in High Point North Planet, and selling to especially tabletop accessories, and lamp companies and things like that. It’s all very fashion-oriented, and you go, you know, you submit a bunch of pieces to put in a furniture market twice a year. And then you might get $20,000 of orders selling your stuff suppose sale, but with minimum quantity. And that was that I felt like, Whoa, I might be able to make it doing this. But everything is always changing; it was always very fashion-oriented. And then, as soon as you would start selling something successfully, they would, you know, find another supplier, usually out of Asia, and then all of a sudden they discontinue that item. And that’s that’s kind of brutal. But that’s, that was that. I didn’t mind being a teacher, though. It was okay. It’s not a; it’s not a… I mean, it’s an honorable profession.
Haley Hansen
You have a very big impact in a lot of people’s lives that way.
Jim Craft
Well, some would say, you know, some, some, some, some would say that. The best thing about teaching is it gets easier. I mean, I don’t know if anybody’s told you that. But it’s it’s when you teach it gets easier. Because you learn your stuff. You always have to keep up and stay abreast of important improvements and changes in contributions. But it does get easier. I mean, toward the end there, I wasn’t using my notes hardly at all; I would just go into lecture and just go for a couple of hours at a time and not… and it just gets easier, which is which was nice.
Haley Hansen
As we’re wrapping up. Do you have any final advice for students who are pursuing a creative career?
Jim Craft
I would say keep your alternatives lined up and be realistic about a career in the arts. Don’t fall in love with the idea that you must be just a studio person only. But you know, you can focus on that and keep that. It’s not like you lose that, but, you know, keep keep a number. A number of alternatives in your pocket just to be more widely marketable.
“I’ve always had a passion for welding… I’ve always been the kind of person who likes to work with his hands. The more you do, the more you try, the better you get.”
Daniel Dorriety is a welder by trade and works at General Electric building gas turbines. He is part of a special process team for repair engineering, focusing on joining development, handling the welding on every part of the gas turbines that get fixed.
Interview
Transcript
Daniel Dorriety
My name is Daniel Dorriety. I am a fabricator slash welder by trade. I worked for General Electric. I’ve been there for 24 years. Prior to that, I worked in some other Welding Fab [Fabrication] shops. But G.E. has been the most of my career.
Haley Hansen
You said you’d been working there for 24 years?
Daniel Dorriety
Yes, ma’am.
Haley Hansen
Can you walk me through like a typical workday?
Daniel Dorriety
Sure. So, we build gas turbines. At Greenville, I work for the repair engineering side. I am part of the special process team for repair engineering. So I focused on the joining development, which means all the parts on the gas turbine that get fixed; I handled the development of the welding, the braising, and the laser cladding repair of these parts. I have, typically, a dozen projects at a time that I work intermittently between each other. Today was more admin, catching up on documentation, more than anything. I kind of plan that out, because I’m on vacation in the next two weeks. Typically, my role specifically now is for laser repair. So, I run a C.N.C.[Computer Numerical Control] laser clatter; I do 3D Adaptive repair of gas turbine components that are by definition, unweldable. Hence why we’re using a laser. This is a fairly new change for me; that’s something I picked up about two… two years ago. The 22 years prior was all welding and brazing, and then, welding on gas turbine parts my entire stance; we did new mate manufacturing the first few years I was there, and then I switched to repair. So, I’ve been repairing and refurbishing gas turbine parts for nearly 20 years now.
Haley Hansen
For someone who doesn’t know anything about the industry, can you elaborate on the difference between welding and laser repair?
Daniel Dorriety
Sure. So, welding is it’s a manual process, and you’re using just a welding machine, and has a lot of human interface. So it’s, it’s a lot of variability between operators, not all welders are the same, right? So, it’s hard to establish control critical guidelines, you know, if you have to have a very stable process, it’s hard to control that when you have the human factor involved. And gas turbines are made of components that are very difficult to weld. By nature, they are super strong, and they hold up the very high temperatures in the engine. And that equates to alloys that don’t like to be welded. So they’re in a nutshell, very brittle and a crack. So, the difference between manual welding and laser is that laser is a more controlled process. It’s a C.N.C.[Computer Numerical Control] process that has a program driving it, right? So, you can control your heat input, your travel speed, the amount of filler that’s added, you can control all those precisely, and the density of a laser is so much more precise that your heat affected zone is smaller, which just means that you’re not going to introduce stress and cracking into the base metal nearly as much as you would with a manual welding process. Plus, it’s faster. And it’s an automated process, right? So, you can control it. You can’t weld everything with a laser, but we try to focus on the parts that are the most critical. Everything else, is pretty much a manual repair from that point.
Haley Hansen
How did you end up in the field that you’re working in, right now?
Daniel Dorriety
I always had a passion for welding. I went to Career Center in high school, took some welding classes, and loved it. I’ve always been the kind of person who likes to work with his hands. So, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I like to build things. The fabrication side is not just welding, but it’s building structures. It’s, you know, whether you’re building a trailer or building a house. I’m building my second house now, and I’m doing all the work myself, right? I just liked that work with your hands and have something to see when you’re all done. Welding was something that I was good at it. I was always kind of into art. When I was young, I did a lot of drawing. And I think that helps me with welding.
Daniel Dorriety
You know, it’s a lot of hand-eye coordination, just fell in love with it. I stuck with it. And this is where I’ve ended up.
Haley Hansen
Being able to like to visualize the finished product I imagined helps a lot.
Daniel Dorriety
Especially on the artistic side. Yes. You know, typically, in my field, they give you a drawing, and you have to make it, right? So, there’s not a lot of visualization in that. But outside of G.E., I know I do gifts for people. I do fire pits. I built fire pits and that’s where the vision comes in, right? You have to have an idea in your head and then create it.
Haley Hansen
Did you, go straight into professional welding right out of the career center and like high school?
Daniel Dorriety
Pretty much. Yeah, I started in a [work] Co-oping in my senior year of high school. That would be my second year at the Career Center. So, instead of going to class my senior year, I went straight to work, Co-op, and then, when I graduated, I was hired full-time into the company I was working for welding, and then I continued on at Tech[Horry Georgetown Technical College] and got my associate’s degree. Then, eventually, I switched over to General Electric and have been there ever since.
Haley Hansen
What was your associate’s degree in?
Daniel Dorriety
Industrial Technology, with a major in Welding.
Haley Hansen
Do you have, like, a defining moment in your career or your creative journey where you realized, like, that was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?
Daniel Dorriety
I guess the only thing I can really remember, is that my uncle had a fabrication shop. He built trailers. I found that fascinating when I was young; pretty young. I was probably in middle school, and I would go over to his shop and see what he was building and see all his tools. I just thought that was fascinating. And I wanted that for myself. And I think that’s how I kind of went down this road. 30 years later, I now have my own shop, and I’m starting to do stuff freelance on the side with a goal of eventually being self-employed, but G.E. is a pretty good job. So, I’m gonna stay there for a while.
Haley Hansen
I’m sure they’re glad to hear it. [Dorriety laughs] What would you say was the biggest adjustment or challenge you faced when you started your current role?
Daniel Dorriety
Maybe working with people? You know, all the different kinds of personalities.
Haley Hansen
That would do it.
Daniel Dorriety
You know, being a welder, especially the first place I worked at, you kind of got a rough crowd. I worked with a lot of field hands, guys that are used to working on the road and a lot of different personalities. And then, switching over to GE, a much more professional environment. So, that was definitely better. And then migrating into working for repair engineering, where I’m working with all very professional people, you know, that are engineers, and PhDs, and again, very different personalities, right? So, it’s learning how to fit in the world from one extreme to the other.
Daniel Dorriety
So, one of my primary jobs is, developing a repair but also transferring that repair to the shop so that they can do the repair. And then I have to train the operators, right? So, I’m the interface between the operator on the floor doing the work, the engineering staff that controls the process, and then our engineering staff that owns the process, right? So, it’s working with a vast difference in personalities is probably the biggest challenge. And we’re global too. So, we work with people in Singapore; we work with pink people in Saudi Arabia, shops all over the place, language barriers, and cultural differences. So, I’d say people. People are the biggest challenge.
Haley Hansen
Kind of related to that, can you recommend any specific skills that someone aspiring to your profession should develop?
Daniel Dorriety
Practice. It goes just along with everything, you know, if playing a guitar, for instance, I can’t play but I imagined that the more you do, the more you try, the better you get. And the same things for welding; I mean, you’re not going to grow and have better opportunities. If you don’t try be the best you can at it, right? You’ve got to put in the time, and you got to put the effort in; it takes a lot of practice to get good at welding; it’s not something you can just learn in three weeks; it literally takes months to years to get proficient, much less expertise. If somebody chooses to be a welder, I’d say that patience and practice. And a lot of it.
Haley Hansen
Are there any organizations or programs, or maybe, like, annual events that you would recommend for folks who are interested in your field, in South Carolina?
Daniel Dorriety
Well, the tech centers are bringing back trade schools. I went to Greenville Tech, their program was pretty decent. There is a private organization called ArtLabs that has a more intense and faster program that’s more specific to getting people employed and getting into work faster, versus going to Tech[Horry Georgetown Technical College], that kind of, kind of drags things out because they want to add extra classes to your workload and things that don’t get you into a job shop faster, right? So, I would probably lean towards art labs, they come with a very good reputation for their program. You know, other than that, working with people, making connections with experienced people, I’ve had a lot of people come up to my place that wants me to do things for them, and that are fascinated, and they want to watch and they want to learn and then they come back and I help them. Not necessarily a school, but this kind of gets them started just enough, where, they can do things at their house, and they can practice.
Haley Hansen
Do you have any advice for current students or young adults who are pursuing a creative career in welding?
Daniel Dorriety
Just don’t be afraid to try. Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back, I think I would have probably been freelance much earlier. If while, one, I had a family, so I had to have a steady income and benefits. So, that kind of helped me where I was. Still, the fear of the unknown kind of holds me back because I do have a stable good job. And I hate to walk away from that and struggle, right? So, I’ve been trying to build my own thing on the side.
Daniel Dorriety
In addition to keeping my stable pay slash benefits, who knew the day I enjoy making things? I do a lot of retirement gifts for people at G.E. I’ve probably made 30, 40, 50 of them over the years. Some of them have turned out really good, very artistic. Some of them are okay, but in the day, it’s fun. But I’m afraid if I get in a position to where it’s a consignment job, or I have to do it to make a living, that the fun will disappear.
Haley Hansen
Oh, I know that feeling.
Daniel Dorriety
Yeah. So, I don’t want to get in that position to where I don’t enjoy it, right? So, I don’t know. It’s the fear of the unknown that still gets me. I don’t know how to compress that yet. Small doses I guess.
Haley Hansen
Before we end, is there anything else you think is important that you say here?
Daniel Dorriety
Just, I always told my daughter that if you can find something that you enjoy… that you can make money at it. Then you never really have to work for a living. I never quite figured that out for myself, but I hope she does. So, just try to follow your passion and make some money at the same time.
“Take your work seriously, and your client will as well.”
Matteo Miles, from Greenville, South Carolina is a self-employed and full-time traveling artist and painter. Specializing in painting murals, he travels around the region creating artwork.
Interview
Transcript
Matteo Miles
My name is Matteo Miles. I’m 28, I live in Greenville, South Carolina, and I’m a full time artist, painter, specifically in murals. So it helps you do murals and kind of travel to other areas of the region and the country as well.
Haley Hansen
Are you self-employed?
Matteo Miles
Yes, I am.
Haley Hansen
Can you say, like, what your typical workday is?
Matteo Miles
So typically, what I’ll do is kind of start off by either answering emails or DMs of, like, inquiries, and just get those out of the way. And probably just, most of the time, it’s answering questions, especially for people who haven’t had any mural work done specifically, is what the business is that I’m doing right now. So I’ll respond to those, and either get people scheduled or, you know, kind of giving the information. And then after that, I’ll go in and work on some proposals that may be required for people that have moved forward in getting a mural done, whether that be getting together a vision board full of ideas, taking measurements, or doing the designs and drawings, and kind of going back and forth. And I call that pretty much the whole like planning process of it. And then if I have anything going on that day, any projects to start, then I’ll probably go on-site to wherever I’m working on, whether that be a restaurant or a hotel, and then kind of mapping out and prepping the space, if it isn’t day one for a project. But I typically like to at least try to work on at least two or three murals a month, and sometimes they will overlap. But that can get kind of chaotic, depending on the project, and what it could require. But on a typical day, during the week, if, if I’m not actively on-site at a project, it’ll just be kind of the administration stuff with planning and drawing. Takes up a lot of that time.
Matteo Miles
How did you get started painting murals?
Matteo Miles
So I got started painting murals, pretty much a transition from doing canvas work. So I’m assuming this is just like another part of the question, another question kind of talking about how I got into it. But I always started doing murals was I worked at a hotel over here in Greenville, South Carolina, and I was bartending and they had this big chalk wall in their lobby space that someone else had initially done when the hotel opened. And that person, you know, wasn’t able to come back. So I was like, oh, well, I, you know, was already doing chalk signage for Starbucks and stuff like that. So I was like, why not give it a go. So since then, I was able to change it out and rotate the themes, and along with the seasons with the artwork. So with that in mind, it became public art. So I was able to present that, you know, pretty much for free, and then you know, I would get paid to just change it out. But through that, I was able to get other people reading my name, and then kind of looking me up and asking me to come to their space, or, you know, if they said they had chalk murals and whatnot, or a permanent mural, and that’s kind of how it got started with kind of, you know, networking and getting other opportunity for larger walls and not just on canvas.
Haley Hansen
Did you have any education in visual arts, or were you self taught?
Speaker 1
I was self taught for the majority of the time. Of course, throughout grade school or high school, I would take the art classes required, or like AP, any kind of advanced, you know, exercise that I could get with it, because I just, I loved it. I was always drawing since the second grade and, just, any reason to not do other homework. And just to, and just focus on like, whatever required any kind of art, whether that be like science class and stuff like that. And then through high school, there was a institution called the Fine Arts Center. That was for high schoolers, kind of like a magnet trade school to get people started into college as well, but this one just focused on arts and liberal and music and stuff like that. And so after that, I did a couple years at Greenville Technical School over here, and that focused on, that had an incredible art program.
Speaker 1
But I did that for a couple of years, and that really helped me get a better gauge on the community, and like my mentors, including professors, and, you know, people who are really trying to take it more seriously and engage, you know, their own work into real life and into career aspect. So, that definitely helped me take it more seriously. Of course, it got a little bit heavy with trying to regulate, you know, I was living on my own already and then I had two jobs and stuff like that. So it was a lot to carry. But it really was manageable. You know, it was just you learn a lot about discipline and, you know, what art school or whatever you’re focusing on in creative work requires. But it really did help having like my mentors and the professors there kind of guiding me. I did have to take a break for about a year just to focus on work, but I was still selling my own personal freelance canvas stuff, and I eventually returned back to finish up my studies. And then after that, went to mortuary school for a few years, worked in a funeral home, and decided that my passion took even further a backseat. And I wasn’t really making art anymore. And then after that is when I found that hotel opportunity to do public art. And I’m like, “Well, let me just jump on this and see where that goes.” And over a span of maybe about three years, where I’m at now, I was able to kind of kickstart you know, going full time and, but learning every day about everything, and then everyone else in that community. Yeah.
Haley Hansen
You said that you’ve pretty much been, like, artistic your whole life. But was there one defining moment where you realized that you could and you wanted to make a career out of that?
Matteo Miles
There was in, I’d say it started in about middle school, when I would do art, or participate in art shows, I just had more of a business mindset, like track on it. So that was all I was determined to do was to really make it into a business and say, “I want to make a living off of this, I can’t do it by you know, just appreciating my own work.” Of course, I appreciate my own work, but just to be realistic. And I tried to share that concept with other people, then, you know, our professors as well, just so people didn’t think that the super high privileged could be the only ones being able to make art today as an adult in our generation. So I think that’s something that we all work on in education at the moment just to make everyone aware about that.
Haley Hansen
What would you say the biggest adjustment or challenge you faced was when you started being self-employed, working as a mural painter?
Speaker 1
One of the biggest challenges that took me a while to learn was how much things cost, but also the like, kind of underestimating what actually was required to get a project done. And at the end of it, having that learning experience of being like, “Oh, well, this required so much more than I at first intended to,” with supplies or equipment. And at the end of it, you kind of just didn’t really gain much out of it other than having the job finished. But that was just learning scenario, that’s probably one of the things I share with other people who are trying to go into actual murals, is just make sure you have your, your estimate correct, and your numbers good for your client. Because it’s, you can’t go back and try to change the numbers just because you thought you needed a more expensive paint or needed a scissor lift that you didn’t initially put into your proposal or a number, you’re just gonna have to like eat it.
Matteo Miles
Also be just taking your work seriously so that your client does as well. And that equals your own value. Because you can do the work, you can do what I call portfolio building, which I think is really important, which is doing your mural work. But if you’re first getting started and you’re gaining that experience, you know, you kind of give some slack to your prices, just so, you know, you make it easier, you’re able to portfolio build, and I think that’s important. And later on, as soon as you’re getting more experience, you get more value, then you can kind of up those prices. But don’t feel discouraged that you’re not just doing your work for a penny, you know, on the dollar just, you know, kind of realize that these are stepping stones in every career and every type of creative work too. And they only get better.
Haley Hansen
Are there any specific skills that you would recommend to someone who’s trying to start a career in your field?
Matteo Miles
I think special skills, probably first, drawing and painting, getting good exercise. With large scale, for some reason for me, it feels easier to draw large scale, that idea seems really intimidating for people who are used to drawing within boundaries of you know, a smaller form, so just exercising with that. Also your body is super important, because you’re using your whole body. So exercise your body, stretch, make sure you’re able to have endurance, whether it’s inside or outside on ladders, scaffolding, scissor lifts, weather difficulties, whether it’s outside or inside, accessibility, not being afraid of heights, and not being afraid of strangers, not being afraid to perform in public, because that’s a big deal of it too. I had, it took me a while to kind of build up that, that shell of anxiety, like to reduce anxiety from being in public trying to draw or paint and not being able to focus because there’s people around you, people want to talk to you, people are interested in what you’re doing.
Matteo Miles
And sometimes that little like, “Oh, thank you” or “Yeah, I am drawing this” is fun, but, it’s exciting, but it’s so hard to like keep clicking back in that gear of like focusing on your drawing, because you’re not like in your studio, being able to do your own thing whenever you want. That’s, that’s one thing I’d say to definitely learn is that public, just awareness. Exercise your body, and your eye, your hand eye coordination, to think big, because when you’re up close, you spend 10 hours working on something super up close, and then you like stand back, it’ll look completely different. So sometimes you have to shift things up close on purpose, though, stand back, it looks different. So those are probably the three things that I would recommend for someone who’s wanting to go into mural paintings, and that’s just kind of the physical of it. And then business is a whole other ballgame. Yeah.
Haley Hansen
Are there any organizations or programs or events that you would recommend for people who are interested in, like locally or statewide?
Matteo Miles
There are mural festivals happening all over the country, they’re very easy to look up, there’s plenty of resources to find them. I’d say there’s about maybe well over 10 that happen every year all over the country. In my region, in South Carolina, we have our local art festivals, like Artisphere, or I think there’s one in Asheville, and then Charleston I believe, and Columbia, like Soda City. But those, they will incorporate sometimes some larger work or live performances by a mural artist or other people. So that’s for like the festival part and also going there to look at what other artists or muralists are doing. And you really learn a whole lot about that. I feel like I didn’t start doing that until maybe like last year. I was learning about Asheville’s big art, mural scene. And then also I went to Miami for the first time this year to look at Art Basel. I think Miami is a super huge mecca for murals within the United States, it’s probably one of the largest. And then there’s always, always local city of resources for RFQs, request for proposal that cities and people will post those goes for funding for grants and scholarships and opportunity for people interested in doing the mural work.
Matteo Miles
Because the most common question that I get asked from artists who want to do murals is, “how do I get started? Who do I ask?” And I’ll say, “if you haven’t done one yet, if your neighbor or family member or friend hasn’t asked you to come into their home and paint their bedroom wall or something, if it’s not a rental, then that was to me, it’d be a good place to start.” And what I got started with was a great opportunity was in a hotel space. But if you don’t have the opportunity, I’d say start with residential, that includes the bedroom, kitchen, ceilings that are pretty cool, and also baby nurseries, as well, those are a great start to do. You can do them for $1,000 to $3,000 per project. That way for people to agree with, and then you could start going into like restaurants or, you know, hotels or sides of buildings, and you know what the professional people are doing.
Matteo Miles
So I would say that that’s a good start. Because eventually, honestly, how it goes is once you do one or two of, you know, give it your best shot, mostly, most of the time that person’s going to share it, or people are going to see it and they’d be like, “Wow, I would really like something like that.” And it’s all word of mouth honestly, as well. It’s a very short one just because it’s very taxing on your body. So that’s another challenge that I faced was like, I’m 28. So I think I could probably do murals for another, hopefully 10 years is the goal. And then hopefully more after that if I’m still good at that checkpoint. But yeah, that’s another thing too is what makes it a little bit more challenging. Do you have any more questions?
Haley Hansen
Do you have any final advice for current students who are interested in pursuing a career in the creative world?
Matteo Miles
I’d say, stay in school as long as you can. Because there, most of the time there will be a section in, if you’re doing specifically Visual Arts on outdoor art, sculpture or murals. And I remember vividly, when we got to that part of the course or the curriculum, I was like, “I don’t need to learn.” I was like, “I’m never going to be doing that.” I go “that sounds too complicated.” I go “I don’t want to do that.” But, and then I didn’t really listen, and, but that’s what I would say to people or to students. It’s to just pay attention to maybe that portion, just since we’re getting a little bit more education and actual muralists out there now that are younger and kind of starting that generation. So I would say to if you’re, if they’re interested in it, it does pay off. Just pay attention in school to that part. And then yeah, and just try your best to connect to other muralists online to because I’ve met, I’ve met a lot that really do, they do like to work with each other. And I’ve met a few that rather would not work with other artists. I think, I don’t know why that works, I just think artists are just like that. But there are a lot of resources and helpful tips that people could share with each other. Yeah.
“I actually got turned down twice when I applied to medical illustration school. I took time off, reassessed, and just drew and drew. When I finally got in, I was excited, and I have been doing this ever since.”
Rick Sargent is a professor of art at The Citadel, where he teaches drawing, painting, animation, and illustration. He is also a seasoned freelance medical illustrator specializing in medical-legal illustration. A native of Columbus, Georgia, now based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Sargent holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Georgia and a Master of Science in Medical Illustration from the Medical College of Georgia (now Augusta University).
About
Rick Sargent’s career is a seamless fusion of art, science, and education. With over two decades of experience in medical illustration and a decade of college-level teaching, Sargent brings a dual perspective to the classroom. His journey began with a high school art teacher’s advice to pursue medical illustration, a field that would allow him to combine his love for drawing with a deep interest in science.
After earning his master’s degree in medical Illustration, Sargent began working in the field, eventually specializing in medical-legal illustration, where he collaborates with attorneys to visually communicate complex medical scenarios through 2D, digital, and 3D illustrations. “They have to explain and communicate in layman’s terms what happened in an accident or medical procedure,” he said. “That’s where I come in.”
Sargent transitioned into teaching when a colleague suggested he consider the classroom. “I fell in love with teaching,” he recalls. Now a professor at The Citadel, he continues to practice freelance illustration while guiding students through the fundamentals of art and creative expression.
His advice to aspiring creatives is both disciplined and expansive: “Find your thing and do it really, well but don’t be afraid to explore. The creative paths you follow may connect in unexpected and meaningful ways.”
Sargent’s impact at The Citadel is evident in art has become the college’s largest minor, in part because students discover new ways of thinking visually through his classes. “There are many incredible artists at The Citadel who didn’t know they were artists,” he said. “For me, coming from a medical illustration background that’s something they can get their minds around.”
“The importance of learning the craft, learning the principles and elements of art and design and really understanding how to apply them, cannot be overstated. Design theory ends up being the currency of whether or not you can develop a particular visual way of expressing yourself, whether it’s sculpture, ceramics, architecture or another field.”
Jim Craft, who lives in Greenville, was a studio artist for ten years and then transitioned to academia. He was a professor of art at North Greenville University for 16 years and then moved to West Palm Beach, Fla., teaching at Palm Beach Atlantic University for 10 years. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from Bob Jones University and his MFA at Clemson University.
About
As a studio artist, Craft worked in nearly all traditional media, including drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, and printmaking. He marketed ceramics, sculpture, and art to galleries and designed and produced ceramics for the High Point, N.C., furniture market. Craft secured commissions for paintings, murals, and architectural installations, including one at Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville, S.C.
“It was really fun having a studio and being an artist, getting up every day and making stuff, showing my work at exhibitions,” said Craft. “But, it’s just not a realistic long-term goal. Even my friends who were wildly successful as artists had to supplement their income with other things, and it’s good to have those kinds of things in your pocket. So, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from getting a degree in graphic design or advertising or any of the design areas.”
Craft had also earned a degree in education, and making the move to academia was the best fit for him and his family. Teaching allowed him to mentor and guide aspiring artists, and the range of their career journeys was vast.
“I had students who have ended up in retail and selling in galleries or auction houses, traveling internationally even. Keep your alternatives lined up and be realistic about a career in the arts. You don’t have end up in a studio to stay in the arts. I had a student who ended up being an international buyer of fine rugs from all over Europe and North Africa and the Middle East. She was a painter, and she understood artistic principles and elements. You can focus on that and keep that, but keep a number of alternatives in your pocket just to be more widely marketable. It’s all the same – whether you’re looking at a Persian rug or a really nice ceramic vessel.”
“I’ve always had a passion for welding… I’ve always been the kind of person who likes to work with his hands. The more you do, the more you try, the better you get.”
Daniel Dorriety is a welder by trade and works at General Electric building gas turbines. He is part of a special process team for repair engineering, focusing on joining development, handling the welding on every part of the gas turbines that get fixed.
About
Daniel Dorriety is a seasoned welder at General Electric, repairing massive turbines with laser precision. His path began in high school, where he took welding at the Golden Strip Career Center and discovered the satisfaction of building something with his own two hands. That experience, paired with an associate’s degree from Greenville Tech, launched a lifelong career in the trades.
Today, Dorriety specializes in special process welding a technically demanding role that involves everything from torch repair to laser applications. Off the clock, he runs his own small welding shop and dreams of full-time self-employment. What drives him isn’t just the metal it’s learning. “The more you do, the better you get,” he says.
He encourages students interested in trades to explore short-term training programs like Arc labs, and to stay open-minded about alternative paths. Welding isn’t just about physical skill, he says it requires patience, communication, and constant adaptation. Whether it’s collaborating with engineers or mentoring newcomers, Dorriety takes pride in the craft and the community behind it.
Matteo Miles is a professional muralist based in Greenville, SC. Known for large-scale, hyper-realistic public art, he blends creative talent with a strong business sense. Miles believes in creating work that speaks for itself and builds community along the way.
About
Matteo Miles built a career from scratch literally by picking up a paintbrush and offering to finish a mural that had been abandoned at the hotel where he bartended. That spark ignited a career now filled with large-scale murals across the region for clients like Starbucks and local businesses.
A graduate of Greenville Tech and the Fine Arts Center, Miles knew from a young age that art was his calling. “I always wanted to do something creative,” he says. But the transition from sketchbook to scaffolding wasn’t easy. He learned to price his work fairly, navigate contracts, and build stamina for long painting days. His advice? “Take yourself seriously, and others will too.”
Miles now completes multiple mural projects a month and approaches each one with both artistic vision and professional discipline. His work is deeply tied to place celebrating community stories, local icons, and shared identity. “You’re creating something that lives in people’s everyday world,” he says.
For young artists, he recommends gaining both technical and physical readiness. “You’ll be on your knees, on ladders, in heat or cold,” he says with a laugh. But the results? They’re unforgettable.
“Stay true to your creative path—there are remarkable opportunities waiting for those who persevere.”
Kathy Phillips is the Chief Curator at Baxter Mill Archive. She holds an MFA in Theatre Design with a concentration in costumes.
About
Kathy Phillips is an accomplished Creative Director, Chief Curator, and textile expert with over 25 years of experience in the home, apparel, and quilting/craft industries. Currently serving as the Chief Curator at Springs Creative’s Baxter Mill Archives, Kathy leads the creative development of a vast collection of over 1 million antique documents, textiles, hand-painted artwork, and rare European textile books.
Throughout her career, Kathy has worked with esteemed home furnishing companies, curating artwork and inspiration that reflect evolving consumer trends and uphold brand integrity. She has successfully directed high-profile brand launches, including the Springmaid rebrand in collaboration with Target and Genevieve Gorder, and has expanded product lines at JLA Home, overseeing collections for prominent brands like Natori and Woolrich.
A passionate educator, Kathy has taught textile design at Winthrop University and the Art Institute of Charlotte and holds creative workshops for local fabric stores and quilt guilds. She holds an MFA in Theatre Design, with a concentration in costumes, from the University of Connecticut. With a keen eye for design and a commitment to preserving and advancing textile arts, Kathy continues to shape the industry through innovative brand strategies and creative vision.
