Meet Andy RAREBANDY” Miller | Artist & Designer”

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andy “RAREBANDY” Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andy “RAREBANDY”, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I needed to do something that I loved, never got old, and never feels like work. Something I don’t have to think about retiring from. Call me lazy but I never want to work a day in my life ever again. 🙂

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Although it’s a little difficult to talk about my career right now, I am enjoying where I am currently. I’m on the tail end of my military to civilian transition and what’s transpiring within my mind and heart will likely produce the work that will take my career to the next level. I’m fairly new to painting so my current focus is just exploring different paint mediums like acrylic, oil, etc., and finding my techniques to produce a recognizable style. My art is timeless and ever evolving; I believe that is what sets me apart from others. I work seamlessly with so many different mediums to include digital, traditional, clothing, accessories, decor and toys, but everyone can agree that it’s all art. Even the clothing items I create, people purchase multiple because they just want one to wear and to keep forever. There’s great beauty in that and it’s intentional. I create today for the thrifters and art collectors 50 years from now. It wasn’t easy developing this mindset and finding a process that supports it because there’s so much noise clouding every move artists make these days. It’s a blessing to live above it and that’s what I want the world to know about Bandyland and everything that comes from it; it was CREATED FREELY WITH LOVE. I enjoy every moment of this.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I just recently came back to Detroit and I am probably not the best tour guide as of right now BUT I recently had a few meetings and dinners that opened my eyes up to how amazing the city and surrounding areas are. I would recommend Adachi, a sushi restaurant in Birmingham; great expresso martinis and amazing sushi to accompany some inspiring conversation. I also had a meeting at the Shingle Hotel lobby/meeting area, where they have the best grilled cheese and tomato soup I’ve ever had! But Detroit has a lot of gems and worth exploring. I hope we have a follow up interview in a year and I’ll provide some more places to visit! Go Lions!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Although driven and pursuing my own vision, I could never say that I’m self made. There are so many people that have contributed to my current success. I first would like to give a shoutout to God for continuing to give me grand vision and the strength to see it through. Second, I have to shoutout those who encouraged me early on to draw and be creative; my Mother, Karen, my aunts Charlene and Lynn, and my elementary school teach Mrs. Mozdzen. My childhood homie, D.V. Davis, now author of the first book I illustrated titled, “If I Was My Dad!” for pushing me back in the day to draw and trusting me to bring his vision to life now. I would to shout out to the Rare Panthers NFT Community and everyone in Web3 who has given me a chance. My first manager, Jeremy Hodges, for believing in me and helping me navigate my career at the time where I needed it most. All of my collectors! To a big light of mine, my phenomenal ITANISE, thank you for everything you do for me. I would like to shout out my collectors! They mean the world to me and little do they know every single piece collected has contributed financially to my growth. Lastly, my children, Peyton and Ali for inspiring me to stay brave, curious, and creative and their amazing mothers.

Website: www.rarebandy.com

Instagram: instagram.com/rarebandy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rarebandy/

Twitter: twitter.com/rarebandy

Facebook: Facebook.com/rarebandy

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@RAREBANDY

Image Credits
DariusYouDidThis