We were lucky to catch up with Scotty Roller recently and have shared our conversation below.
Scotty, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I fought imposter syndrome for years. Decades even. Every once in awhile I still see small traces of it surface at random times kind of like when you see a sugar ant in the kitchen after you’ve had the exterminator out. It’s bad. It’s a cancer that almost every artistic person gets at some point.
I found myself suffering from it bad from around 2010-2018. I felt like all of my peers were doing something so much better than I was. Their end-creations were polished and seemed to be just what everyone wanted. They seemed to get all of the opportunities I wanted but couldn’t get. I felt like everyone looked at their work and even them as artists in a much more glowing light than they looked at me for whatever reason. All of these thoughts made me want to stop. Not make art anymore. Not try to put it out in the world. Just basically, find something else to do.
I had a couple things happen that jarred me awake and drove me straight out of that mindset. The first was, reading an Andy Warhol quote that I had seen many times before but never thought about it. “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” Read that out loud a few times and let it sink in. Picture the negativity Warhol got during the times when he was screen printing 8 foot tall car accidents in the early 60’s in a hyper-conservative America. Just let that soak in.
The second thing that resonated with me was hearing Wayne White tell an audience that he had heard people constantly telling him that he needed to be one thing. He needed to be the puppet guy, or the word painter, or the cartoonist or pick a category and be that. His response was essentially “No, I don’t want to. I like making all of these different things.” Wayne still makes what he wants to and does what drives him creatively and isn’t concerned with the audience or the buyer. It always works out. This is a guy who has a CV that reads like gold-plated fantasy career.
The third thing that resonated with me was something I heard an acquaintance of mine and client, Jack Grisham say. He said something to the effect of “Why should I value the opinions and criticisms of people whom I have never aspired to be like?” Jack is no stranger to criticism and pushing boundaries. He is the frontman for T.S.O.L., an author, photographer, film maker and does not care how rough or hard to swallow the subject matter of his art is, he is going to make it. His comment is more directed to people in general as opposed to other artists and ultimately I have found that it’s those very people who help water the weeds of imposter syndrome inside a creative mind until they take over the entire damned garden.
The last thing that sort of made me change my outlook and kick the IS disease was an afternoon where I had stumbled across the Buddy Holly Story on television. I’m a huge Buddy Holly fan from childhood and as bad as that movie is, I still found it amusing to watch for a few minutes. When I turned it on it was at a particular scene where Buddy is in the studio recording and the exchange between he and the producer was:
Producer: What’s the trouble Buddy?
Buddy: The trouble is you want us to play hillbilly and that’s just not what we play.
Producer: I guess this kid just don’t like Elvis Presley
Buddy: I like Elvis fine, but I’m Buddy Holly
This was on television the day after I got back from an art show where I felt defeated and sub-par next to my peers and their work. I had realized that “I like Elvis fine, but I’m Buddy Holly” is exactly how I needed to internalize what I was feeling. I can’t do or be what these other artists are. I can’t or won’t do what these other artists are doing. I can ONLY do and ONLY be Scotty Roller and that’s it. For better or worse that’s all I can be. So…what does Scotty Roller do? What kind of art does Scotty Roller make? What opportunities and things does Scotty Roller get that maybe these other artists aren’t getting? These are all questions that just steered my new mindset.
It’s not a comparative situation or a contest to win. The only thing to pay attention to is what you’re doing, not someone else. I now look at other artists not as competitors but as inspiration. I look and see what they do and it drives me to want to be better at what I do. Not change what I do, but refine the quality of what I do to be as good as it can be. Once you get out of your own head, and realize that you have something to contribute and that you’re making art for yourself, not for someone else and DEFINITELY not for the sake of what will sell, then you are freed mentally and creatively to make the best art of your life and enjoy the process of it.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am most well-known for art I’ve done for bands. Whether for the album covers I’ve done for bands like X and Junkyard or the hundreds of screen printed gig posters I’ve done for concerts or maybe one of the many hand drawn illustrations I’ve done for t-shirts or other merchandise sold at concerts. I’ve done countless portrait paintings of musicians and pop art pieces and all of those things people know me for depending on who you’re asking.
I own 714 Creative which is the brand that houses all of my artistic endeavors from hand pulled screen prints, illustray.tions and paintings. The process of which I do things under that business is all hand-done and that’s ultimately the sweet ingredient that keeps folks coming back and keeps me busy.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First and foremost, you have to ditch that ego. Stay humble, grateful and be the easiest person to work with. That will keep you the first call on the list with everyone. No one likes an arrogant artist who thinks they’re a big deal.
Second skill you need to hold if you want any sort of success is to establish and stick to your set of boundaries, integrity and value. If you don’t, people will walk all over you and won’t value what you do. There is no such thing as a design or art emergency. There just isn’t. Heart attacks and strokes, those are emergencies. My logo isn’t bigger on the poster is not an emergency and no one is able to call or text you expecting you to address that at 11pm at night.
Third and lastly, if you don’t want to deal with a job or project that you hate, resent and feel like is a nightmare, then don’t take it. That easy. Would you rather spend your days working on something you hate that makes you miserable or spend that same time finding a good project that you enjoy doing? They both will pay you money but only one will make you bitter and rob you of time you can’t get back. If you don’t want a shitty job, then don’t work at shitty jobs. Plain and simple.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I grew up without much. We had what we needed and not much else. That was certainly not a desired scenario for my parents but it was how it was. Because of growing up like this I’ve never been fearful of going without. I’ve never been afraid of not having. I’ve never been stressed out over how am I going to get out of this financially? In business, especially when you work for yourself, there are lean times and bountiful times too. When there’s plenty of money and work you’re set, but you can bet on being tight and short of money and work too. It’s going to happen. The worst thing that you can be during those times is fearful. The minute fear and stress takes over, you aren’t focused or thinking clearly and creatively of how you’re going to pivot and dig yourself out of that situation. I owe my ability to do that solely on my circumstances growing up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.714creative.net
- Instagram: @714creative
- Facebook: /714creative
Image Credits
All photos by me. Scotty Roller.
