Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Miranda.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Art has always been my passion. Ever since I can remember. Like most other artists story, there is almost always a link between what they do creatively and their childhood. I moved to Boston from California when I was around 10, Brookline to be specific. I started in a new school, new town, new people, everything was new, but I always had drawing. My mother got me into a cartooning class at DeCordova in Lincoln, MA. To this day its the only art class I have ever taken, but that really set a solid foundation to what I am doing today. The time in between then and about four years ago, I really did absolutely no art. I kind of went rogue in life and really made decisions that really had no long term benefits. It was all about the present and it was all about learning to live in the real world without a map. I always had the passion for art, but I just couldn’t connect with that part of my mind anymore. Fast forward 4 years ago, my mom purchased me a canvas, a paint brush, and like 4 colors. Black, white, pink and Teal. I had never painted before in my life, but really wanted to see what I could do.
So I started painting that canvas with the materials I had. And once I thought I finished painting it, I would paint over it. And after that, I would paint over it again and again and again. I had no money for any other colors or materials, so what I had is what I had. I know it seems a little depressing, which is was, but I soon began using social media to display this canvas in its many different stages of production, I began drawing pop art on pieces of cardboard, and in time I really started gaining a following, not enormous, but interested enough in my vision that I had a little extra money from sales through social media, that I was able to get better materials and do more things with my work. Its definitly not something that happened over night, but I guess that is the overall outline of my journey to today. I set goals for myself, I put in the time and the hard work, and now I have grown into a pop artist that sells my work in Boston to California to Ohio to Canada to the UK and other cool places. Its not my full time job, but I’m at a point in my life where anything is possible because I am not afraid of putting in the work for something that is a passion.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No not really. I think when you are doing something creative there is always a learning process that is very hard. I didn’t go to art school, so there were always things that I had to learn and seek out, because I didn’t have the knowledge that maybe an art graduate would have. Social Media is an amazing tool. I think anyone that does business or uses the internet as a form or exposure or promotion will tell you that. Since I use social media as the main platform for my work, no one really wants to see all of the production that goes behind the craft. Its kind of like when you watch a movie, and at the end of the movie the credits roll and there is that 5 minutes of black background with the names of everyone that worked on the film.
Have you ever sat through that and read every single name? I haven’t, but based on everything you saw before that, that is whats going to determine whether you like the movie or you hate. Art kind of takes a end credit feel sometimes, because people want to see the end product without really understanding what went into it. Social Media is supposed to be your own personal highlight reel and I think its very rare for people to want to expose the challenges. It takes away the authenticity as weird as that sounds. The biggest struggle is really just accepting that not everyone understands art. Its more accepted in todays society than it was when I was growing up, but there still are many people who might think its visually appealing but don’t understand it. They might want it, but will want it for free. So to answer the question, the biggest challenge is getting people to understand your mission and goals and learning how to deal with the rejection and questioning of how authentic your dreams are. A lot of people give up at that point. Understandably.
Please tell us about Johnny in Paris.
My business is my name. Its my brand. I create work with paint that samples characters and things that the everyday person is familiar with. Yound or old. Its pop art by definition. A lot of my work is very clean and organized and maybe some other work has more of a raw street art type of vibe, but at the end of the day you can identify that even though the characters are not mine, they are done in a style that is recognizable by others.
I am very proud of that. Its very hard to find an identity when you are referencing established subjects in a creative process. I guess thats the beauty of it though. I know that if I never sold a piece of artwork in my life, it would still be created. I do it because I love to do it, and I think that is whats pure about success. If you didn’t care about it existing, its not for you. If you think it should exist, you will make it happen. I think that shows in my work. Money is nice, but passion is priceless.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Shortest answer of the day . No My journey fits who I am. It was meant to happen this way.
Contact Info:
- Website: johnnyinparis.com
- Email: artofjohnnyinparis@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/johnnyinparis
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