Meet Wilfredo “bio” Feliciano

We were lucky to catch up with Wilfredo “bio” Feliciano recently and have shared our conversation below.

Wilfredo “Bio”, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I found my purpose or rather my purpose found me in one of those life changing moments. It was about 30 years ago I have always love to draw, paint and create since I was young. As I got older I was working a full time job for a nonprofit organization and doing small art jobs on the side after work more like a hobby. I was splitting my time between what I needed to survive a job and my passion which was making art. Then out of nowhere I lost my job and at the same time I had found out I was going to be a father. Scary times so here I was without a job with a kid on the way. I had a very difficult decision to make do I find another job or do I dive full in to my passion and make it my job. I decided to persue my life as an artist. It was a leap of faith without any guarantees of a paycheck or success. I remember praying to God saying “God I don’t want you to give me anything. I just need opportunities to present themselves. I will take it from there. I will put in the hard work.” I was basically in the middle of the ocean without a paddle or a life vest it was sink or swim. I decided to risk it and swim it wasn’t the easiest or guaranteed way to go but I did it anyway. I have to say it was probably the best decision I ever made to forge out into the unknown. I have no regrets. This is how I found my purpose had I not taken the chance I probably would of always wondered what if?

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 58 year artist of Puerto Rican descent who lives and works in New York City.
I started my art career painting on NYC subways in the early 80s with a group called the TAT Cru which later became known as Tats Cru The Mural Kings once we decided to create a business. The founders of Tats Cru the business are Nicer, Bg183 and myself. For the last 30 years we have painted murals for various corporations, local mom and pop stores, schools, movies, music videos, etc. I have been fortunate to be able to continue my career painting murals for a living while also painting canvases and murals as an individual artist. I have been able to travel the world and exhibit my work in various countries with outdoor murals and gallery exhibitions of my paintings. I have been able to do some collaborations with different companies using my artwork on products. I am looking forward to the new year where I will be releasing new prints of my work and painting some exciting new mural projects.

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?

I believe the most important qualities are one being reliable. Don’t say you can do something if you don’t have the ability or time never over promise. Example say a client wants something done in an unrealistic time frame it is better to say no than not come through on time. One more example let’s say the client wants a style that is not your strength it is ok to challenge yourself but if you know that it will not be your best work it is best to say no. Another important thing to remember always treat everyone you meet with respect. You never know who a person will turn out to be in the future and they remember you being nice or kind to them. They may be just an intern or an assistant when you meet them but years down the line they are in a position of power that can make the difference in your career. Lastly always do your best. Quality is free when you do a job/painting. No one is going to know whether you made a million dollars or ten dollars all they will see is your work. What they see is how you represented yourself. Reputation is everything. Always show the best you can of yourself.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal client is one that has respect for what I do. One that allows you the freedom to express yourself. They have to trust the process I mean if they commission you then they should know your work. An informed client is the best. The client who doesn’t know what they want can be ok also because you can guide them. The client that is too involved in the process trying to make changes midway does not always get the best results. Trust the person you hired.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Tatscru.biz
• Instagram: Biotatscru
• Other: Thread
  Biotatscru

  Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

All photos by Bio Tats Cru