Meet Mike Racanelli | Multimedia Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Racanelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Continuing on and giving up is a forever evolving cycle. I’ve definitely soldiered on through every possible rejection and also completely collapsed and given up. I originally began my creative career in music, and more than a decade in, quit in a very abrupt fashion. That led me into film, and ultimately it was the pandemic that shifted my life once again. I think that happened for a lot of people. It put me into a spiral of existential thought, which led me into painting, one of the things I was always afraid to tackle.

I’m at a point where I’ve learned a lot about myself, have spent a lot of time in therapy, and have started becoming the real version of myself. A lot of those twists and turns, false starts, and fiery ends were the result of me doing things for the wrong reasons. I’m not saying I wasn’t passionate about what I was doing, but rather I let outside forces and trauma guide me to make the wrong decisions for myself. Creating for me is an absolute compulsion. It’s taken me a long time to admit that and be okay with the fact that I don’t have to fit into any sort of idea of what my family or friends thought I “should” be.

How do you know whether to keep going or give up? Just listen to yourself. Saying “no” and setting a boundary with yourself is the greatest thing I’ve ever learned. Don’t do things you don’t want to do, and if you want to give up, give up. Failure is not a bad thing, it just leads you closer to success. Ultimately there’s not really anything as “failure” anyway, we made all of this shit up.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My most recent journey has been on the canvas. After many years in music and then film, it was a logical progression for me. I used painting as a way to deal with anxiety, because the physical act and process of interacting with brushes, tools, and a canvas helped to shift my focus away from that anxiety. I originally majored in graphic design in college, and had a lot of drawing classes, but ultimately shifted into film and didn’t really go down that road right away.

In late 2021, I started with some markers on Yupo paper to get my brain back in that mode, but then quickly progressed to acrylic on canvas. Oddly, I went to the art store at least three times before actually buying anything, and the idea of physically putting a medium on canvas was extremely intimidating at the time. Friends really gravitated towards what I was doing and pushed me to keep pursuing it. I sold some of the pieces, and another friend talked me into having an exhibition. On October 2nd of 2022, I had my first show in Los Angeles and it turned out really well. I’m hoping to do another next year and create some larger installation pieces.

Around the same time I’d also gotten back into digital art and graphic design. A particular design of a skull that I drew on a whim, ended up turning into a lifestyle and skateboard company –– ALIVE Los Angeles. It’s a project that is out in the wild, but I’m building on and rolling out very slowly. Alongside that, I also do creative direction and branding. Really I’m just allowing my brain to run wild. I have a lot of interests and I spin a lot of plates.

None of this has ever been easy. Any creative project is really just a landslide of rejection, struggle, and self doubt. I do it because I have a compulsion, I have to create. I’m happy when I can put it out in the world and someone feels understood, or connects on a deeper level with something I’ve done. If it makes someone feel just a little less alone or provokes a thought, that’s my success. I’m not a darling with my work, I don’t suffocate it, I’m not going to be upset if someone doesn’t like it. Art is a historical record. It is your interpretation of the world and your feelings. No one can define what that is for you. The only thing I can do is work on being the truest version of myself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Los Angeles has a lot of incredible people, places, and things to do. I grew up in Chicago, the third biggest city in the states, and LA, as the second biggest city, is even more incredibly diverse and niche. I have friends who come to visit a few times a year, and what we do will change over time, but you can do anything you can imagine in Los Angeles County.

If you like the beach, head up into Malibu. Most people enjoy Zuma or El Matador beaches. I have a beach that I go to, but I don’t like to talk about it because it’s not very crowded and I want to keep it that way.

LACMA, the Hammer Museum, the Broad, all incredible art museums. Recommend visiting them all.

The Ahmanson for theatre, seeing the LA Philharmonic if they’re in session at Walt Disney Concert Hall, catching an improv performance in Hollywood, the Santa Monica Pier, it goes on forever.

If you’re into the outdoors, head into the Angeles National Forest, hike Mount Baldy, or Topanga State Park. The possibilities are endless.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would be nowhere without my mom. She’s always been encouraging and supportive of anything I’ve wanted to do without judgment. She raised three kids, sometimes having two to three jobs at the same time. All of my work ethic comes from her. Thanks mom.

Website: www.mikeracanelli.com

Instagram: instagram.com/mikeracanelliart

Facebook: facebook.com/mikeracanelliart

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikeracanelliart

Other: www.alive-la.com

Image Credits
Chris Mullins