We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allen Minecci a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Allen, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I do feel generally optimistic. I have spent quite a bit of my life being pessimistic, actually; which led to deep depression, poor health, isolation. The memory of being in such a low spot is enough for me to stay focused on positivity. I know it is really important to take care of myself, watch my thoughts and have discipline in my behavior because I know exactly what happens when i don’t care about anything. I’ve been there. and it was really awful. That also informs my world view because I see my beliefs as a choice. I would not consider myself a nihilist, but I did when I was in that low place in my life. I have since realized the importance of believing in things, anything really. I believe in the goodness of people, I believe in beauty I believe that people can heal, I believe that people can grow and transform themselves… Sometimes I think we can see the world as a subjective place where nothing is real, and that is kind of a scary thought. But If all things are true (and all things are not true, to a nihilist, maybe) and all truths are subjective, then we can pick and choose the beliefs we like… so why not choose the ones that feel good? That’s what I do, anyway. When I do things, or think thoughts that feel good, not like strictly pleasurable things but stuff that feels good deep in my soul, then it usually is a thread worth pulling, meaning there is something special about that thing and the fact that it makes me feel good, is worth exploring and developing, and after exploring it a while it feels better and its a deeper feeling of goodness. I guess a short answer is that I choose to be optimistic, but I will not say that is easy to do. If you aren’t feeling like you can choose that, what I would say to myself years ago is “you could start pulling those tiny threads of what feels a little better than how you feel now.” and see where that leads you.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a mixed media painter. I like to make surreal work that plays with abstraction and realistic imagery. I am not afraid to use a lot of color and texture. I enjoy working on large canvas. I try to make things that really feel good deep down, even if there i some darkness Its all positive I feel overall, I make things that feel true to me. I feel like I am tapping into something that is real, even though it is very surreal or abstract, To me it is real! I like to have shows in person at galleries or restaurants, I also have some prints available to order online and I am currently looking into NFTs and digital art markets. I don’t paint full time currently, so for now I try to make progress when I can. I have quite a few paintings that are in progress. I’m hoping to launch the “next generation” of my work by the end of this year. I’m very excited for that. so stay tuned! you can follow my work on instagram. @thereslifeonjupiter or look up my name Allen Minecci. links to my website are there as well.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Like I said earlier, the most impactful skill for me was to follow the good feeling. Painting always made me feel good. That was one of the things that saved me from depression. Just creating something felt productive and didn’t feel like a chore to me. It is always hard work to improve a skill and to push for growth, but If you have something that feels good to do and makes you happy it doesn’t feel like hard work, It feels like self care. I am always trying to improve my skills, I am motivated by seeing progress in my work, each painting is a practice in doing something a little better; a better rendering, or a better use of composition, or combining ideas from the 3 previous works and making them work together in a new way. Then, I’m halfway through one painting and something clicks about a technique or a motif and I have a vision for the next painting, to be just a little better than the current one.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed usually I need to take a step back. I find its better not to force things, but wait until it feels good to continue.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.allenminecci.com/portfolio-1
- Instagram: @thereslifeonjupiter
