Meet Dominic Palazzolo | Multi-Media Artist and Registered Behavior Technician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dominic Palazzolo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dominic, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I think about risk as crucial component of pursuing a artistic and creative career. When I take calculated risks, it is to learn and grow more. I had difficulty deciding on a question. It is my first written interview versus spoken on video. The risk I am taking is to include all the responses on this portion of the questions. and to ask if there is one answer you would chose over others, or any form of feedback.. I spent a meaingful and significant time thinking and responding to these questions with care and accuracy. As an Artist I have learned that people who buy or view out, often want to know the story behind the piece, and the story behind the Artist. I found all these questions to be crucial and relevant to creating and documonline enting my expereinces that create a story bridging viewers, closer to the feelings behind each piece.

1)What was your thought process before starting your own business?

My thought process behind starting my business was: I can use art and my social media platform to help me become safe and to be able to live independently.

2) Do you have a budget ? How do you think about your personal finances ? How do you make lifestyle and spending decisions?

I do and do not have a budget. I think carefully about my personal finances and my decisions for lifestyle and spending decisions. I prioritize my health and safety, including my financial wellness. The next is Art supplies, and then if I want extra, I have to make sure it is a resource that is needed and will last me. I work full-time in health care, and I am building income in Art to meet these needs. When it comes to lifestyle and spending, I prioritize my safety and security, my ability to make it to my day job, and my ability to participate in Art shows and events. I want to be in the position to not only provide for myself but to be able to provide for others.

3) Risk taking: how do you think about about risk? What role has taking risks played in your life and career ?

Risk taking is inherent when you are artistic and/or a creative. Allowing yourself to create and allowing yourself to express emotion through creativity is a form of armored protection as well as a deep vulnerability. I practiced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and what I loved about it is that, when you step on the mat, there is always a certain level of respect that others give you for stepping on the mat alone, as well as the credit you give yourself for being in a combat sport. When I walk into Art spaces, I might respect that I’m there, others might respect it as well, but it brings a certain level of self reflection that reminds me of ego death. But, like Jiu Jitsu, you take the risk, you make your next move, and if you miss, you adjust and make your next move based what you just learned. Both BJJ and Art are creative pursuits, and I apply that move and adjust whenever I decide to take the risk and put myself out there in Art Spaces where I feel both strong and vulnerable.

4) Where are you from and how did your background and upbringing impact who you are today ?

I am from Metro-Detroit. I spent time in South-West Detroit and in Spanish speaking households. Growing up until high-school in Dearborn sparked a deep interest and study into languages, history, and religious studies. I find inspiration in religious Architecture and Eastern Orthodox Icongraphy.

5) What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand ?

Community support, both online and locally. My candid Instagram stories, featuring my life journey, and my art gained me an online community, and creating Art at local coffee shops and libraries made me closer to my local community. Even the resturants I frequent remember and ask how painting is going. I enjoy what I do and stay authentic to what I actually want to and feel like drawing, and painting.

6) What value or principle matters to you the most?

Honesty, openness, and communication matters to me most.

7) Work life balance: How has your balance changed over time? How do you think about balance?

I do not have the privlege of work-life balance. Currently, there is overlap between working as a Registed Behavior Technician (RBT) in Pediatrics and my Art Career. However, I have always managed to find time for both, and even if I take time away from one for the other, I am supported by my mentors in both ABA and in the Art Field. I prioritize my sleep and health above all else to ensure I can meaningfully be active in both fields.

Work-life balance is a privlege and carefully established. All of my responsibilities require significant attention and attentive care and often overlap one another causing a discrepancy in time. Additionally, one cannot be fully prioritized over the other. My solution was to be open, honest, and communicative with both responsibilities, and I was met with respect and encouragement. To meet the needs of both responsibilities I created and established a very dense but flexible schedule. As I become more established in both fields, I am gaining more of an ability to adjust and align these these schedules to better fit. Thus, I am able to make these non-fitting puzzle pieces work. Although I may not have access to the same level of time as others in the Art Field, I am still making it. I am still getting mentorship. I am still developing connections, growing, and most importantly, learning.

I admire others who get more time and ability to pursue more events, and have more time then me to paint. Yet I know, no matter how much time off I may take, as an Artist, Art will always find me. I am patient with my time, and thats how I make my dense schedule feel like it has work and life balance. When I am at ABA, I am growing as Technician. Any time I am not at work, I am patiently and hungrily pursuing Art. With each year becoming more and more fine tuned, I will gain a true work life balance. I am blessed. I enjoy and love everything I do. In a way both being in Health Care and the Art Field is not a work life balance; rather, it is a way of life.

8) What’s the end goal ? Where do you want to be professionally by the end of your career ?

Ultimately, I want to be happy, and I want to be able to still love and enjoy making Art. I would not mind being rememebered as the Artist who shares my my 11-15 birthday, Georgia Okeefe.

9) Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career ?

I did not pursue an artistic-creative career. An artistic-creative career found me. In a tubrelent time in my life art became the solution. It brought in funding and community support online and locally. I started with the Wyandotte Street Art Fair, at the end of this time, leading me down a new path for safety and prosperity. Local Artists and Art Spaces taught me from the start and throughout my time as an artist. It is like the Bibilical story, feed a man a fish he eats for one day, teach a man to fish he eats everyday. The art community has stepped up, taught me how to fish, and nurtures and mentors me to show up, and be the best me possible and to trust my process. Now, I chose to pursue Art any moment I am able.

10) Tell us about a book you read, and why you like it, and what impact it had on you.

It is hard to pick only one book. Growing up, I read manga comics, which influenced and inspired me to create art. However, The Bodhicaryavatara by Santideva, and Art of War by Sun Tsu are the two most important books I utilize in navigating Art and life. The Bodhicaryavatara Santideva emphasizes nonattachment for everything is ever changing. Nonattachment to the end result is a central part of my painting process. Genuinely trusting the process gives me this unattached freedom of enjoying the feeling of creating art. I take this principle as far as being un-attached to what counts as a completed work. There rarely is a final result in my art, for I base the painting being complete, if it ready, and I submit it for an event. The Art of War gives me patience and methodical respect my current circumstances and how they can grow into having the result I want in the future: Being a full time Artist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a multimedia artist that works with alcohol and acrylic paint markers by cross-hatching to build saturation. Primary colors are chosen with yellow for illumination source for colorful portraits and buildings. I practice none-attachment to outcome, and chose my colors, as I go. I build up layers through cross-hatching like one may with a pencil. It is also like nail polish in that each layer is thin and must fully dry before the next, if you put the next layer on too soon the nail polish will crinkle, so I move from from surface area to surface area, and paint multiple paintings at one time in order to accomodate the need to be sure the color is dry, and that i can maximize my time.

I am the most proud of embracing that I am an Artist, and that I have a place in the Art World to learn and grow. I am proud of myself for being patient with myself as I see others I envy who are full-time artists without an additional Day-Job.
My time overlaps, an does not fit well. I have communicated this time discrepency to all my responsibilities, and have to at times be late, or have less time before a deadline than others may have. It is easy to compare, but at the end of the day I want to feel the hyper-focus of my art sessions watching the painting build up layer by layer and color upon color. Although, I may not have access to the same level of time as others in the Art Field, I am still making it there. I am still getting mentorship. I am still developing connections, growing, and most importantly learning.

I am a self-taught artist and am less familiar with the Art World and it’s termonology. I have been rejected from Galleries. I have faced homeless when waiting for my health-care job to come through after getting flu and covid after my first day back duing the pandemic

My community only grew and expanded at this time both online and in my local commmunities. I had already been a content creator on instagram for a few years, and the transition to posting Art and chasing it as a means of gaining financial security, and safety. I couch surfed, stayed at hotels, and had to let go of my savings. However, the opportunities, and connections that I have made as a result has given me the ability to fulfill my childhood dreams. In that way I am very priveleged. I may work full time, and have gone through rough situations, but I have gained mentor after mentor, and meaningful relationships with other Artists.

I began painting in coffee shops and my local Libraries frequently everyday for five hours a day. I got to know the local community, and I am blessed for it. I never realized how small and interconneced the world is until I began frequently local establishments.

Community support, both online and locally, as well as working in the healthfield, is how I overcame these challenges. My candid Instagram stories, featuring my life journey and my art gained me an online community, and creating Art at local coffee shops and libraries made me closer to my local community. Even the restaurants I frequent remember and ask how painting is going.

I have learned lessons along the way about myself, my art, my community, and what my future and reality could be in the future. There is a highlight on patience. Being honest, open, and communicative not just with others but, myself as well. Go with the flow, be mindful, and practice perseverence. As an Artist Art will always find you.

My story started with adversity and was met with community, lifting me up to achieve my childhood art dreams.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would go to Bishop Park and walk along the Detroit River at the start of the day as we begin exploring the small and mid-western friendly city of Wyandotte. We would stop for coffee at The Coffee Lounge, before continuing on to Downriver Council for the Arts to view their latest show, which includes a few of my pieces. After that, we would stop in at GlowFish, a novelty store with candles, stones, tarot cards, Michigan cups and coasters, and similar items. After that, it would be a perfect time to stop at The Pierogi Shoppe and get pierogi and crepes for lunch. Once we had our fill, we would walk to Up N Down, which is a local print shop and gallery. It would give us a chance to look through and compare what images we were drawn to. Finally, to end the day, we would go to Bacon Memorial Library to enjoy the architecture both indoors and out.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Community support both online, and locally. My candid Instagram stories, featuring my life journey, and my art gained me an online community, and creating Art at local coffee shops and libraries made me closer to my local community. Even the resturants I frequent remember and ask how painting is going. This shout out I am saving Downriver Council For The Arts mentyors, my mentor Nicole Mckay who helped made this opportunity a reality for me, as well as my friend Krystal McNeal for helping me edit my responses, and my soul-bestie Hugo Hallgren Berg, who supports me everyday.

Website: https://www.theguild.org/artist/dominic-palazzolo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dominictheinsomniac/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-palazzolo-ba6089201/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561458909381

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3nOLms3Zq0

Other: https://www.downriverarts.org/
https://wyandotte.net/arts_and_culture/street_art_fair/index.php
https://www.facebook.com/upndownwyandotte/
www.theguild.org
https://www.bearsdengrapplingcenter.com/

Image Credits
I go to Image works in Dearborn, where Chris and Gabby take great care of me. Chris is able to create color accurate high quality digital images, for online purposes like applying to Art Fairs, and provide a varity of choices for prints to sell at Art Fairs.