Meet Hank Mattson

We recently connected with Hank Mattson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hank, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.

I started skateboarding when I was nine years old. Initially, I was terrified of landing on my board. The desire to learn new things and keep up with my friends drove me to eventually overcome that fear. About half way through my twenties, I was still skateboarding weekly, although mostly alone. I realized that for many years, I had gotten really good at the tricks I knew but that I hadn’t really progressed. The tricks I knew were tricks of habit, and I wanted again to take a leap forward. I knew how to progress, my childhood had taught me: do what scares you. So I made a conscious decision one day that every time I skateboard I must do at least one trick that scares me to even try. For years I’ve practiced this, so that now when a trick comes to mind, and my body hesitates, I know that it’s the next trick I need to try.

This habit of risk-taking has gone far beyond skateboarding for me. Since implementing it, whenever I have internal feelings of hesitation and fear, I know they are a means to progression. If a task feels daunting, I know it’s a hill worth climbing. Because of this mindset, my art practice has developed more quickly and fully than I believe it would have without it. I encourage myself to investigate new ideas and play on the edge of what feels comfortable. If I’m frightened of a drastic decision to be made within an artwork, I know it’s worth taking the risk.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Originally from Orange County, California, I moved to Michigan to do a printmaking residency at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, where I am now faculty for the drawing and painting department. I earned my BFA in Studio Arts from Northern Arizona University. It was there that I began my studies in sculpture, oil painting, and printmaking. Since that time, I have oscillated between these disciplines, allowing each season of making to inform the next. My current body of work revolves around block printing, woodcuts and linocuts. Art, for me, is a means of reinterpretation through personal imagination. I observe the world closely, but find my best work emerges from memory, where observations are transformed through drawing and personal association. I bend colors and shapes to fit my imagination, creating artworks that are rich with movement.

I spend the summers traveling regionally to art festivals, selling woodcuts and linocuts that I have designed, carved, and hand-printed at my home studio. Throughout the rest of the year, I teach drawing and painting at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. This is a community school where the students include serious artists developing their craft, as well as retirees looking for a new hobby. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to pass on my knowledge and enthusiasm for art to others. I think that everyone is capable of making art, and I try to be as encouraging an influence as possible to my students.

During all of this, I am constantly making and developing new projects and artworks. There is always something on the drying rack and the workbench is always in use.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Find satisfaction in the work itself, create diligently, and help others. The outward rewards for a career in the arts are low. Hopefully you got into this business because you enjoy the process. Never forget that! Making new artwork is the prize. Spending your day in wonderful creative play is the reward. No external recognition will surpass the satisfaction of enjoying the work that you do while you do it. Pursuing a career in the arts, you have to be willing to play a long game. There will be times when you have to grind to meet a deadline, but most often you will be chipping away steadily at a large project of which you are solely responsible. Don’t burn yourself out, let the projects take the time they need to develop, and get a little bit done each day. Art is better with community. Pass on your knowledge, collaborate rather than compete, and lend your skills when you can. If you want to be a part of something, be willing to help at any level. If someone is struggling where you once were, offer assistance.

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

When I’m overwhelmed with the logistical side of an art career, making lists is very helpful for me. I spend ten minutes thinking of what needs to get done and jotting it down. I’ll start with a few easy tasks, such as responding to emails, and that gets me into a groove of working. When I’m working in the studio, I’ll keep a list and pen near at hand, so that I can jot down tasks whenever they come to mind. That way I can forget about the task while I’m absorbed in the art making.

The most overwhelming part of making an artwork is starting each day. When it feels daunting, I try to ease into the flow of working by doing the busy work. In painting: is there an area that just needs to be filled in, where I can get the brush moving? In printmaking: can I find one area that needs carving, something I know how to carve that doesn’t require decision making? Once I ease into the work, the decision making becomes exciting and the next steps become apparent.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hankmattson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadyhank/