Michael Shellis Talks About Life as a Professional Creative

A year ago, if you had asked Michael Shellis what he does for a living, he would have told you, "I'm an artist." If you ask him now, his answer is a little different.

"I'm professionally creative," he says. That means he devises creative ways to make projects stand out, including installations, paintings and any idea that get the mass public’s attention. Thus far, life as a professional creative has worked out well for the burgeoning artist.

In an exclusive interview on the Artist Uprising podcast, Shellis talks about how he has created a career as a go-to creative. Like many successful artists, his beginnings were humble and full of rejection.

"It was a lot of knocking on doors of galleries," he says of his first couple of years as a painter. "I got a lot of no's, but I learned the importance of confidence. Rejection is fuel."

Shellis dishes on everything from his penchant for immersive art to his collaboration with Sweet Tooth Hotel. Listen to the full interview on the Artist Uprising podcast.