How I Became an Art Collector

Growing up, most of us participate in some type of art, whether visual art, theatre, or dance. We all have some type of connection to creativity, even if we don’t think of ourselves as artists.

What’s more, we often work hard every week at a job that pays us our wages, so that we can spend our leisure time enjoying some type of art or music. However, few of us would call ourselves an art collector. Why? 

For me, concerts have always been one of the best ways to spend a few bucks. They’re such a shot of adrenaline, such an awesome way to tap in to people making things from scratch. Concerts have long-since been promoted through flyers or posters, which over the years have only become more and more elaborate.

Since the time of Bill Graham, who supported public access to live music in San Francisco in the 60’s, concert posters have become an incredible way for young art enthusiasts to connect with the visual artists that create the imagery for the bands they love.

That’s exactly what happened to me. I started reading OMGPosters.com a ton, which became a huge inspiration for IPaintMyMind, and I discovered artists who were making gigposters and art prints from A to Z. They’d draw it, pull the screens, and sell the prints on their own websites, a model that is only accelerating as the internet continues to facilitate the intersection between creativity and entrepreneurship.

I started collecting work by artists like Jermaine Rogers, Mexican Chocolate Design, Dan Grzeca, Emek, Jay Ryan, and Justin Santora, among others. When you can purchase a limited edition piece of art for as low as $20, being an art collector opens up to even the most humble enthusiast.

I have always taken a populist or grassroots approach to life and work, so it makes sense that I would be activated by artists whose work wasn’t being shown in museums or appearing on advertising for major brands.

Although some of those lines have blurred over the last 10 years, bringing more and more relevant and accessible work into respected galleries in New York and Los Angeles, being able to buy art directly from the artists who made it is a major development in the world of art.

We take online purchases for granted these days, but it has ushered in a new era of sustainable small businesses that focus entirely on making art that is super affordable.

The question is, what artists made the gigposter for the last concert you went to?

Pull on that thread and I bet you’ll find a wealth of awesome visual art, just like I did.