Fast 15: Matt Miller
by January 1, 2012 12:00 am 120 views
Upon graduation from the University of Arkansas in May 2007, Matt Miller had a choice to make — put the finance degree he just earned to use, or indulge his creative side.
“My friends knew that I painted, but it was more of a secretive, hobby-type thing,” he said. “My idea was to make a bunch of money as an investment banker and then become an artist, and that was totally backwards.”
Miller made a wise choice. The Jonesboro native has a growing list of accomplishments and his studio is now in a 3,200-SF, two-story space near Fayetteville’s downtown square.
The affable Miller said he chose the career for the freedom to do what he wants, when he wants — like taking off for a week to El Salvador for a surfing trip, which he did earlier this month.
“I’m using the money to live the lifestyle that I want,” he said. “If I need to go rock climbing at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, I need to do that. I need to get that energy out and then come back to [work].”
Miller said the studio’s revenue growth “is there,” but that’s not how he gauges success.
“It’s not about growing, growing, growing,” he said. “The bottom line is being able to live the life you want.”
Miller has worked on commissions for art collectors throughout the country, and his work can be found in several state and local businesses.
He is active with several organizations and committees, but is most excited about working with the Fayetteville Mural Committee, founded in 2011 to lead a citywide mural project.
Miller’s mural work can be found beneath the Town Center Plaza and the Fayetteville A&P Commission awarded him a $5,000 grant to continue the development.
“We’ve got a lot to say here in Fayetteville and I would like to try and express that through visual art,” he said.
Miller, who regularly donates art as well as his studio to help local charities raise money, called Fayetteville a “mecca” for creative minds.
“That’s been a fun way to get involved and meet a lot of good people,” he said. “I feel good about where Fayetteville is headed.”
— Paul Gatling