We recently connected with Neal Hamilton and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Neal, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I do believe, with all my heart that our purposes find us. What I mean is that over the years, I’ve seen countless successful people just land on their purpose in the most unusual ways. Looking deeper into this earthly pattern, I’ve come to the conclusion that we are destined for our roles here. I’ve had conversations with many professionals on this topic. Some examples are children who, like Mozart, were playing concerts at the age of three, and others who can paint like Rembrandt. These prodigies are around us, especially on YouTube. People are amazed at children with these fully matured excellent abilities. My early experience, at three, was when I asked my grandmother to draw a dinosaur. She tried her best, but she said that I protested, “Oh no, Grandma, that’s not a dinosaur, I’ll draw it for you.” My grandmother was floored, surprised that I drew a really cool T-Rex. At the age of ten, she enrolled me in the prestigious Cleveland Museum of Art, which was the beginning for me. I’ve been on this ride ever since.
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?
A long career in design art and photography was followed by my out-of-the-blue dream job as the official photographer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The ten-year stint photographing some of the world’s biggest music stars ended and soon, a major shift happened in my life. One November evening a disaster struck that changed the course of my life forever. I’d gathered wood for the fireplace and built a fire to warm up the house for my family to cuddle in a warm and cozy evening. After my family went to bed, for some reason, I went out to the garage to work on my motorcycle, which was really unusual for me. I later realized that a Higher Power kept me up and awake to see smoke and fire oozing through the floorboards when I came back in the house. In a panic, we got everyone out of the house, safe and sound with relatives. But after we thought the firemen had put out the fire, a neighbor called and said that the fire had rekindled. All was lost, and I understood what it felt like to lose all my tools, photographs, records, cameras, etc. Thank God that we had a summer house left to me by my deceased parents. One evening, while pacing around trying to figure out what to do, a “voice” began to talk to me about painting again. So, I started where I left off. That’s when my brand, Paint Out Loud was born, starting with a series of portraits of some of the world’s greatest musical icons. But there was one problem. I had just lost all of my art supplies and tools that I’d had for years! What now? Again, the Voice said to just pick up anything you can get your hands on, and open those old cans of house paint in the garage. I found putty knives, sponges and soon I realized that this whole new way of painting, born from the ashes of despair, would speak to others. For the last fifteen years, I’ve had a successful career selling my art. I have a new website recently launched, that is doing very well. We’ll be adding merchandise and a whole new series soon. www.nealhamilton.com
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, I realize that I was once again guided to the right situation. At the time, I was very interested in sports illustration and I was plugging along trying to improve my technique, when I overheard a conversation in the barbershop. The subject was football, and I found that the man in the chair was a player with The Cleveland Browns. I introduced myself and told him of my affection for the sport, at which time he mentioned that his friend, Gary Thomas, was the best sports artist in the world. I contacted Gary Thomas, who was impressed by my ability and he became not only my mentor, but my long time friend. That friendship/mentorship was a keynote in my life’s journey. I would recommend any aspiring artist to find someone who has already traveled the path you’re attracted to. The knowledge that is gained from someone who has already been down that path, is worth its weight in gold!
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The biggest problem I was facing was the constant effort it takes to keep up with social media-lol! It took me some time to realize that I must take it more seriously to survive in the modern art market. At first, I thought social media was only for the younger generations, but now I realize everyone must know that social media is the future. So that being said, I’ve focused my attention to take the necessary steps to broaden my horizons and enhance my visibility. I’ve hired an in-house marketing plan called Art Storefronts Co-Pilot, that now handles all social media posts for me. I’m totally thrilled now that I can focus on creating again. One of the biggest challenges for an artist, is to find your audience. Social Media, including Reels, is providing never before ways and means that are game-changers to reach a vast audience—and I’m on it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nealhamilton.com
- Instagram: @paintoutloud
- Facebook: Paint out loud LLC The Art of Neal Hamilton
- Linkedin: Neal Hamilton , Paint Out Loud LLC
