The Courier Catch Up: Creativity & Art
We are catching up with Good Foot Delivery’s Michael Greco, to discuss art and creativity!
Michael is an artist/illustrator and has worked at Good Foot Delivery as a Courier since 2011. Born and raised in Toronto, he was bitten by the art bug young; one of Michael’s earliest memories is doodling on the large sheet paper that his parents kept close by once they caught onto his creative habits. His love of exploring colour and shapes, grew into researching his favourite artists in his teen years and attending the University of Toronto for Fine Art History in his twenties. His passion has only grown, as Michael continues to experiment with mediums, perspective and how he wants to express his artistic voice.
We sat down with Michael to learn about his creative beginnings, his artistic inspirations and how he handles being in a creative rut.
Q: When did your passion for art & creativity begin?
A: I’ve been drawing since I was a toddler, it’s always been a passion of mine. My earliest memory is drawing with crayons on a long sheet of newsprint on my playroom windowsill. My parents started buying rolls of newsprint when they saw how absorbed I got with the drawing process. I still have some drawings saved, and some of them my mother was impressed by. There’s one where I was drawing my impression of a motor home and somehow- even at that age, I had the perspective of the wheels correct, which is amazing that I picked that up at that age. It was just something I knew in my mind, but I don’t know how I figured it out. Maybe I saw something on Sesame Street, who knows!
Q: What helps you out of a creative rut?
A: When I’m at some kind of creative impasse, I might go out for a walk or an errand and come up with a solution while daydreaming. Sometimes when I’m riding the bus during work, I daydream and I come up with a solution for later. Other times I concentrate on another creative endeavor and come back to the previous one when inspiration comes. I’ve always been great at procrastinating so I know eventually a solution will come. I just trust the process.
Q: Who or what is a creative inspiration for you?
A: I’ve had several favourite artists and illustrators through different phases of my life. My first favourite artist was probably Leonardo Divinci. As a child, I was fascinated by the way the “Mona Lisa” was mass produced-I was grasping this post-modern concept, even though I didn’t have the world for it yet. Then I got more into surrealism and optical illusions, with M.C. Escher and René Magritte. The idea of creating things that don’t exist and the open possibilities of changing perception creatively is inspiring. Then I became more interested in the art of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. I guess growing environmental concerns made me think about how art needs to be more in tune with nature and explore organic forms and moving away from the artifice of straight lines.
Q: Do you prefer to work during the day or at night?
A: I’m a night owl, so a lot of my creative output happens at night by default. For some reason, great ideas come to me before bedtime. It’s just this pathology, dating back to childhood, of this fear of missing out-not wanting to quit-that made me want to stay up late as a child. Just FOMO! laughs
Q: How do you find the courage to share your work?
A: I’ve just never had a problem with it. I’ve had my share of insecurities but somehow I’ve never been insecure about my talent. I believe in my talent, more so than I believe in me! Laughs While I’m aware of the vulnerability you have to face when putting yourself out there, I’ve always had confidence in my artistic talents and I see my work as a process that is always improving.
Q: Is there a project or creation you’ve been dreaming of creating that you want to do one day?
A: I’ve had several past goals including conceptual books, a gallery show, but those don’t seem to be interesting me now. Right now I want to concentrate on designing illustrations for merchandise for a print on demand website. Also, the idea of doing a mural, I’ve never done a mural before. I see bare walls, and think, “a mural would be great there”.
Q: What advice would you give to anyone who wants to be more creative or get into drawing?
A: The instructional book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” has some great exercises that help you let go of your preconceived ideas of visual representation and concentrate on what you see in front of you.
View Samples of Michael’s work below & shop his site here.
