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

Hi Michael, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I found myself drawing and playing music at a very young age. With the support of my family (especially my talented oil-painting great-grandmother Opal), I expanded my repertoire from machines to organic material.
I kept drawing and played guitar at church during high school in Oxnard. I next played jazz at UCSD and began producing hip hop and electronica.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets me apart is not technique itself; it is creativity and vision. What I am most proud of is when someone gives me a weird compliment like, “I love it…but you know you’re crazy right?” or “Bro, how did you even do that?” Mystery and storytelling are going to be remembered more than exact detail. I’ve overcome challenges by switching up my strategy when it’s appropriate. You can’t keep banging your head against a wall. There are alternative strategies to achieving an ULTIMATE goal.
The main lesson I’ve learned is talent is not enough. Hard work is also not enough. You have to develop your talent and expand your knowledge whilst simultaneously working hard and maintaining discipline.

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.
In Tulare County there are many, many options for fun. We would take off East from Visalia to grab Super Taco in Woodlake and head around Lake Kaweah. Going up through Three Rivers you encounter dozens of charming restaurants and businesses: Next, you wind up to majestic Sequoia National Park. Any view you get from here going up is breathtaking. You could visit landmarks and hike up here for years so it’s too much to mention here. One caveat: definitely see the big sequoias.
When you head back down past the lake, tour the historic murals and have lunch at on of the classy restaurants in downtown Exeter. Like the prodigal son, head west back to Maine Street Visalia to
get some country,hip hop, folk, punk and club music.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
One book that really changed my life was Ken Wilber’s A Brief History of Everything. His writing is a true representation of integrated scientific, biological, spiritual and social theory. My favorite author is Cormac McCarthy, the author of All the Pretty Horses, Blood Meridan, No Country for Old Men and many more.

Instagram: @michael_henry_art

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