Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Michael Raiti of Sydney Australia

Michael Raiti shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Michael, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
The past year I started bringing in more activities into my life. I started Jui jitsu, joined a DND group, continued playing with my futsal team and started getting up away from my desk and going to the park to watch the weekend soccer or sit by the water and draw in my sketchbook.
Having these little communities and things I could break up my day or week with was really refreshing and I found was helpful to have a nice balanced mind instead of just focusing on one thing all the time.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a digital and fine artist, lately transition a bit more away from digital into the traditional media. If you look at my art I think you will see a lot of influences of the great illustrators and artists of the past, I try to keep that classic feel in the work I have done no matter the subject, I think that is less common these days. Currently I am working alot on my drawing trying to follow in the path of the great frazetta and trying to transition more into traditional works.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
I think I got a lot of influence from my first job as a teenager. I worked in a butchers shop helping out and doing a lot of the cleaning, it was very early mornings 5 am or something on a saturday and after school work where I would have to walk across town from my bus to the shop but my boss was a great guy I think it instilled in me the appreciation of hard work.
My boss always said to study hard so I didnt end up at the butcher shop with him when I am older he would rip into me and say it was good character building. I didnt earn much but I saved my money from this job and bought my first drumkit. I think this job probably moulded who I am in more ways than I know and I am glad to have had the experience growing up.
I still think back to my time there and can never really complain if I am doing any work sitting at a desk and I still keep in touch when I go back home for the summer.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
There is an Alan watts video called “A Chinese Farmer Story” ~ Alan Watts. I would recomend a listen.
It basically tells a story about a farmer where a series of seemingly unfortunate or fortunate events happen to him, when people see him to say that is a such a bad thing or a good thing to have happened he would always say “maybe”. The point of this story is to say that we never truly know the consequences of our misfortune or our fortune we can only really wait and see and continue to make choices regardless.

A year or so back I went through a pretty difficult time suffering from anxiety, I would say probably one of the hardest points of suffering I have endured I even stopped doing any art for quite a while, From that however came many of the good things I mentioned in question one here, I started Jui jitsu and my DND group, I went out into nature more I made more friends I pushed myself more socially I meditated more and created a more balanced life.
I think prior to that I really just focused on art and if I was doing good art and If I wasnt it would always feel like the end of the world now though I feel lucky to be doing it at all, its not to say I dont feel these things anymore but I have now found a space to be that is before these intense emotions, like when I make a big blunder in chess and lose my lead in the game, with that comes a surge of anger and shame and instead of reacting to that immediately you can just watch it.
In a similair way when good fortune or misfortune comes in life you can just watch that and continue on your way and if anyone says to you that thing is good or bad you can say “Maybe”

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I think I am devoted to the pursuit of my drawing ability, I have always looked to peolple like Frazetta or Loomis or Guptil and thought I can get there too. What you eventually find is that its a long and difficult road to get there and you really cant rely on motivation, it has to be something deeper. Even when I went through my year where I was not doing much art I think deep down I knew that I would come back to it, its somethign deeply engrained in me now and even if I never get to the level I want to be and I think perhaps nobody does, because that level always moves.
I think I will always try to move toward it. In the moment it never really feels like you have made progress, and if you dont do particularly well on a drawing it can feel like you havent progressed at all however looking back on the years or even months I can see so much progress sometimes its not always move straight up, sometimes it can appear sideways where you were doing good before but now you’re doing well in a different direction but ultimatley that sideways move can be a move towards a more personal direction for you away from the influences you have been looking at which can be a liberating thing.

I think I am probably slower than other as its taken years and years to even get here but the ability to sit down in a park and draw cool things out of your head I think is one of the best feelings there is, so yeah I guess no matter how long it takes.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I think when I am at the park with a sketchbook sitting by the water, I love hearing people walk by having their talks and the kids playing on the oval while the river waves lap in and the sun begins to set, nothing quite like it. I think anywhere near water I am happiest as I grew up on the water. I find similiar feelings when I am in a cinema watching a movie or even sometimes in transit like on a bus, something about being on a bus or in a cinema where there is no expectations and you have that inbetween moment to just be without having to make any decisions or work towards anything.

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Michael Raiti

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