Meet Miles Redman

We recently connected with Miles Redman and have shared our conversation below.

Miles, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

Mental health is something we all take care of and deal with, and I have especially had my battles. Even though I haven’t even been alive two decades, I feel as if I have fought internal fights for years and years. I remember being in middle school, and noticing I was different. I had low energy, I was pessimistic, and my anger was described as “passion”. I learned of the depression and anxiety that plagued me. I got myself into bad situations with people that didn’t care about me because I didn’t value myself that much. And after years of not knowing myself or what to do with my issues, I broke. Everything seemed to collapse one day, but I was not affected; if anything, I was happier. I was elated.
I learned of manic depression, and bipolar disorder. At the time, I couldn’t understand anything. I was just confused and stressed about everything in my life that it broke me. I had weeks of not eating or sleeping, losing weight, urgent care visits, and long therapy sessions. And although mania doesn’t last forever, the regret of it all does. And never knowing when you will crash, or when you’ll fly. My life since then has been trying to stay in the middle of it all. I have been enjoying connecting to nature, the arts, and my loved ones. Therapy is awesome, but sometimes you just need your friends and some way to express yourself.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I focus primarily on human and animal portraits and handmade collages in my artwork, but if I’m not doing that, I’m working on a comic with characters I have had since 2020. I have a degree in Fine Arts, and absolutely love traditional media, but lately I have been getting back into the digital world of artmaking. I do offer commissions, and my favorite things to draw for people have been couple’s pictures and pets. There is something so wholesome about commissioning an artist to draw your loved ones.
When I am not drawing, I’m either playing with my cats or watching cute cats online. I do love animals in general, but cats have this chokehold on me. I am a huge advocate to stop the torture of cats internationally. It is common in some countries to not have animal abuse laws that are strict, or even legislation that encourages killing stray animals. My goal is to educate people on how animal abuse leads to domestic violence, and that cats aren’t evil or unlucky animals. I also would love to educate people on the huge myth of toxoplasmosis, an excuse to hate cats around the world.
I currently have commission slots open! You can check me out at art.per.hour on Instagram.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The first skill that has helped me the most in my journey is learning to start over sometimes. One of my favorite art teachers always preached of first drafts, sketches, and how important the first mark you make is. If something isn’t working, I start over completely or try a new angle or color scheme. Art is so vast that you can make literally anything, so why not try everything?
The second skill I have learned is just knowing that, no matter how bad the day is, I am going to go home, lay in bed, and fall asleep. Even when things are overwhelming, life goes on, and so will you.
The third skill is simply having some kind of structure or routine in the day. I do have a full-time job so I have some kind of outline for my week, but on off days I have to figure it out myself.

All in all, don’t give up, and try new things! The worst that can happen is that you stay in the same spot you’re at.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

My biggest challenge as of late is finding time to focus on art. I have a job, pets to take of, and a general life outside of my work. It can be hard to find time to draw or paint or make a collage after a long shift at work, or a trip with friends. Keeping a clean work space and organizing my materials to make them accessible has really helped me with finding time, and even motivation. If a blank pad of paper is on my desk, I’m going to be tempted to doodle instead of if there is nothing and I have to find the paper and pencils, etc. It can be discouraging to see fellow artists post so often on social media when you yourself have nothing to post, so I have been taking time off social media as well, focusing on what I can do, instead of what I am not doing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art.per.hour/
• Other: Reach out to me via email: mredman0103@gmail.com