Meet Mikael Sharafyan

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mikael Sharafyan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Mikael with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
For almost 8 years I have worked as a cutter/pattern digitizer at Silvia’s Costumes in Hollywood. This is where I met some of the legendary costume designers like Ret Turner, Ray Aghayan, Pete Menefee, Colleen Atwood. It was a great experience working in this environment, it created a work ethic that was challenging sometimes. Silvia’s a tough business woman and I took that professional approach to my business as a costume designer. Work hard and stay passionate.

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?
I have always been passionate about looking at period costumes on paintings, movies, and theatre. I grew up in a family of artists: my father is an actor and my mother is an pianist-accompanist of ballet. I spend lot of time at the Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre, which truly inspired me. I knew then that I want to be a costume designer. I always tried to replicated the characters I saw on stage in my drawings. I went to art school in Armenia. In 2001 we immigrated to the States when I was 15. After graduating high school, I got accepted to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles to study fashion and costume design. My debut as a costume designer was in 2008 with the stage production of “Can-Can”, which later performed at the inaugural ball of Barack Obama. Meanwhile I was working as a cutter and digitizer at Silvia’s Costumes in Hollywood, where I met some of the great designers including Ret Turner, Pete Menefee, Ray Aghayan, Colleen Atwood. I did my first film in 2009, which launched my career as a film costume designer. Now I have over 40 movies under my belt. My latest movie is called “Here’s Yianni” starring Joe Cortese, Julia Ormond, and Rosanna Arquette will be released in 2024.

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 three most important skills are the following: stay inspired, keep the stress in control, and be genuine. You can stay inspired with your career even when you are not working. As simple as reading a book, doing a research, or even going to a museum or a theatre can keep you inspired. You build your knowledge, your inner library, which may eventually be used on future projects. Be prepared what may come in a future, but live with your present time. Stress is another feature that is important to keep it under control. We already live in stressful times and it’s not worth adding fuel to the fire, instead take a deep breath and enjoy your ride. I always give as an example, the story of Charles Joughin, the chief baker of RMS Titanic. He knew that he is doomed, he grabbed a bourbon, he was helping other passengers get onto boats, he was hanging off the railing when the ship was going down, after spending two hours in the icy cold water, he was rescued, and he lived another 44 years. The moral of the story – don’t be the musician of the Titanic, who premeditated themselves to die, but be the baker and enjoy your ride. There’s always a silver lining.
The last important skill is to be genuine. Being genuine means being authentic, real, and since in your thoughts, actions, and interactions with others. It involves being true to yourself, expressing your true feelings and beliefs, and not pretending to be someone you’re not. Genuine people are honest, trust worthy, and transparent in their relationships, And they don’t try to deceive or manipulate others. Not only in your work, but also as a person, be kind to people you know and work with. Create your own team of people with similars interests, share your knowledge, build a community.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was when we immigrated to the States. They left their combined 60 year careers, so I can have a better future. It was not an easy decision for them . My farther was performing in over 15 plays and my mother was the head pianist-accompanist of Yerevan Opera and Ballet. I am grateful to my parents for their sacrifice.

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