Create! Magazine is pleased to share an exclusive interview with Greg Mike, a contemporary artist known for his signature characters, bold street art, mural paintings, and Loudmouf icon that blends colorful designs with pop culture. His iconic characters exude energy and movement and inspire viewers to feel a sense of nostalgia and happiness.

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He has painted murals in Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and the Swiss Alps. His studio work is on view in galleries and museums around the world. Selected notable clients include Nike, Coca-Cola, Facebook, Google, Spotify, BMW, and the Atlanta Braves, and collaborators include DeadMau5, NGHTMRE, and Big Gigantic. Additionally, Greg Mike’s work has been collected by Justin Bieber, Diplo, Scooter Braun, Swizz Beats, and Nina Dobrev.

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Tell us more about your mantra “Live Life Loud” and how that plays into your artwork?

‍It’s a motto that’s not only in my work, but one that I live by. We are only on this planet for a small amount of time, you gotta live it to the fullest. Whatever that is that you love to do. For me it’s art, culture and music. I want to produce as much art, experience as much music and bring together as much culture and community as I can. My character, “LARRY LOUDMOUF” is a representation of this phrase and is constantly spreading this message around the globe.

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‍You’re currently in the process of renovating a 9,000 sq ft church into a multi-use creative space. Can you tell us about how this project came about and what you hope to achieve in opening up such a space?

‍15 years ago I started ABV Gallery and Agency in Atlanta, GA after traveling the globe painting murals. At that time there was nothing like it. We needed a place to showcase the art we were creating, the artists I was meeting while on the road and a company that could work in the intersection of artists and brand collaborations. About 5 years ago, I began acting on the dream of owning my own space to build out my “creative playground”.  I began touring buildings and came across a 1950’s church in the heart of East Atlanta Village in ATL. Right when I walked in my mind went wild! The endless possibilities of larger paintings, murals, installations, a place where anything is possible for both myself and the 500+ artists we work with.

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‍Speaking of, can you give us any insight into what’s in store when you open?

‍It will be taking what we’ve built over the past 15 years and elevating it. More space means more room for artistic activities, more room to inspire our community. With having a larger studio, work will grow in size and it will allow me to experiment more which will progress my work forward. We hope to bring more unique projects to life in the space with our artists, brands and city. It will be a space where we can create any type of environment we like. The possibilities are endless…

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‍Embarking on such an ambitious project in addition to running your agency and gallery as well as maintaining an art practice must necessitate almost superhuman time-management. What does a typical day look like for you? What does it take to balance these creative endeavors on a day to day basis?

‍Luckily I’ve built an incredible team around me at ABV over the past decade. From my studio team that helps move projects forward on my personal work to my team of project managers who are producing some insane collaborations and activations, to our gallery team who operates like a well-oiled machine, everyone is super talented. It takes an army to run all verticals while making sure they all coordinate with each other. There’s no way it would be possible to do it all without them. Most of the time they think my ideas are insane, but somehow, some way, we always make it happen!  

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‍How would you define creative success?

‍I think for some it is based off money, for others it’s praise. I think it comes down to happiness and if you feel fulfilled creating art. If so then it’s a success. Yes, I do understand you need to make money to operate and people need to like your work for it to sell but at the end of the day you have to truly enjoy it and if it’s your calling and you put in the work you will eventually find success. There’s no right or wrong way to be an artist.  Some artists are true painters, some seem to be more performance based artists. I respect anyone who puts their fears aside and displays their work out into the world. That’s the first taste of success, completing something creative you told yourself you would accomplish.

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‍What is most exciting to you in the studio at the moment? What kind of artwork have you been focused on?

‍Over the past few years I’ve been blending a lot of styles together in more of an abstracted collage format. I am interested and inspired by so many things, so I am really enjoying leaning into that aspect with my work. While I’ve been building out the new space I have also been working on a new body of artwork that will launch with the opening of the building. My last exhibition in ATL was 10 years ago, so it’s wild how it’s all coming full circle at the moment. It will incorporate all my practices and styles I’ve developed over the past 15 years from canvases, murals, sculptures, vinyl figures, merch and more. Keep an eye out for the date and more info which we will be announcing soon!

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Follow along with the artist on Instagram @gregmike.

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Alicia Puig has been a contributing writer for Create! Magazine since 2017. Find more of her work here: www.aliciapuig.com‍