Meet Tim Rogerson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tim Rogerson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tim, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

There was a moment very early in my career where I learned the difference between being lucky and earning my spot. I was 21 years old, first time in NYC, and debuting my paintings to the fine art world at ArtExpo. After talking to hundreds of galleries and collectors, I had a pep talk from my publisher that would change everything. What I didn’t realize at the time, when I was speaking to all these galleries and collectors, I kept mentioning how lucky I was to be there and to have this great opportunity. Which was truly how I felt back then and still how I feel today after 20 years as a successful fine artist. But these galleries and collectors were looking for artists to invest in, to find the next great talent, and hearing an artist thinks they’re lucky to be there doesn’t show much confidence. So my publisher pulled me to the side and gave me a pep talk, reminding me that I had been drawing all my life, graduated from one of the top art colleges in the country, hired at Disney at 18 years old, and then trained by a Disney legend. Luck had nothing to do with it, I had put in the work, and I earned my spot. I think of that pep talk often and have been confident ever since when presenting my work to world.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

For the last 20 years, I’ve been painting for Disney Fine Art, selling my works in galleries and theme parks around the world. It’s been an absolute dream job that has allowed me to travel all over and meet so many amazing people while painting what I love everyday. It all started when my father taught me at 4 years old how to draw my first Mickey. He had learned from a Disney artist he shared an office with when he worked at Walt Disney World as an entertainment director. As a kid, watching my father draw Mickey was like watching a magic trick, and so when I learned how to draw my first Mickey, I was hooked and have been drawing the mouse ever since. Disney has always been a major inspiration in my life and now, as a Disney Fine Artist, I feel like I’ve been passed the baton to help continue that magic and keep these incredible characters alive to inspire the next generation. Each and every painting I do, I always try to honor that past by keeping the characters accurate to their original designs but I also try to bring a fresh contemporary look to create something entirely new.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The famous saying is it takes about 10,000 bad drawings before you can draw your first good drawing and that’s absolutely true. There’s no secret button or special pencil that makes you a great artist. You have to put in the time, do the work, and develop your skill. I truly believe anyone can learn how to draw as long as they put in the crazy amount of time it takes to learn. I also think it’s important to keep learning. I will forever be a student of art, learning new techniques, experimenting with different approaches, constantly growing to be a better artist. The last insight I give aspiring artists is to create what you love. You’ll always paint your best painting when it’s of something you truly care about. It’ll keep you inspired to create more and enjoy what you’re creating.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

There’s been a couple times where I’ve been asked to create art for a major event and the immediate pressure to come up with a great idea and execute your best work is always terrifying. Toughest project had to be when I was the official artist for the first ever D23 Expo in 2009 which was the biggest Disney event ever and this one artwork was going to be everywhere. I remember the conference call I had with 19 Disney executives who all wanted something completely different and thinking there’s no way I can please all these requests in one painting. It seemed like an impossible task and the clock was ticking. In these moments, I turn to a technique I learned in art college to help come up with ideas and clear the mind by free association writing. You get a blank sheet of paper, find a pencil or pen, and then just start writing a list of words, phrases, anything that pops in your mind. Most of these words are useless and total crap, but every now and then, a pure golden nugget will reveal itself. Eventually you get several golden nuggets and before you know it, a big idea begins to form. For the D23 Expo artwork, when I wrote down a famous Walt Disney quote, “It all started with a mouse.” I knew that was the heart of an idea and led me to create one of my best paintings. That painting now hangs in the vault at Disney archives as a piece of history which is still surreal to me. So cool!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://timrogerson.com
• Instagram: @TDROGERSON

Image Credits

©DISNEY