Life & Work with Anderson Miller

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anderson Miller. 

Hi Anderson, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The early years of my creative journey are a tad blurry, but I remember the moments that had the most impact on shaping my life and how I ended up here today. My earliest memory of drawing is at about 8 years old, waiting to play the new Michael Jackson Moonwalker video game at my cousin’s house and as I waited, I grabbed the Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge and drew the artwork on the front. Everyone was amazed! This is the kind of praise and excitement that can fuel a child’s dreams and passions for life. That was the spark and from there, I’d go on to draw Looney Tune characters, and throughout elementary and middle school, I’d draw Dragon Ball Z characters for $1 for friends. I’d come home with so much money for my age that my mom grew concern. She thought that my classmates weren’t eating because they were giving me their lunch money. My love for streetwear stemmed from this era as well. In middle school, I submitted a design for the Inkster T-Shirt and won. I didn’t expect to win but again this is the kind of praise that changes a child’s life and this time, it was from the City of Inkster. Shortly after, I stopped drawing. I stopped because I couldn’t create what was in my head. I couldn’t do complex work. I couldn’t do portraits. I couldn’t do realism. So, I was very hard on myself. I stopped because I didn’t think I was good enough. I only drew for school projects and quick doodles when I was bored. It wasn’t until I joined the Navy and started a clothing brand to where I began drawing again but only to convey my ideas to graphic designers. 

I ran a streetwear brand for about 8 years but unfortunately, it never took off and I had to make a decision to move on. During those 8 years, I learned a lot and developed skills and an eye/taste for art. I even came back home and hosted an art show, Rise Art Show, in 2014 with one of my favorite artist to this day, Jimbo, from Detroit. Rise was also a pivotal moment. It was my first attempt at giving back to upcoming artist and I myself didn’t even consider myself an artist at the time. 

Fast forward to 2021, I found myself in Japan, deployed and looking for something that was missing in my life. I stumbled upon some amazing artist on Twitter, and I got lost in one of the best art rabbit holes of all time. I was so inspired that I thought to myself, “I can do this.” I researched what equipment I needed, and I spent my last $600 on an older model iPad and Apple Pencil. Now that I had the equipment, I had to find my style. This is where things take a turn. While trying to find my style and learn how to use the different digital drawing programs, I saw on Twitter that someone made 100k with an NFT. I thought, “WTF is an NFT?!?” I looked it up, and it was just a colorful squiggly line. This caught my attention because again I thought, “I can do that.” I went to the drawing board, whipped up my first NFT, and well… It’s still sitting there today! haha 

Slightly discouraged, I went back to the drawing board and saw that there was more to it than just providing the art. I spent the next 8 months meeting new people, artist, and collectors and developing my characters and brand in the background. I still felt as if my work was too simple. On September 10, 2021, this would change after a visit to LACMA with my girlfriend. I was inspired during our visit by the work of Yoshitomo Nara. They seemed simple at first glance but they were very impactful and were filled with emotion. That night, I went home and draw what would be the most free I had ever drawn since I was a child. That was also the birth of my first release, “Walking Easier”, which is my highest-selling piece of digital art for 1.2k, and replicas by multiple world renown artist worth over 20k. 

Things really picked up after that! 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but I’m grateful for the journey. I understand that I could’ve started in a much worst place than I did. I’m more than grateful. My struggles are mostly getting awareness for what I’m doing/ creating and financial struggles. I only use money from my art and merchandise releases to grow, so it’s been pretty slow. I also use investors for small projects if needed. I’ve built up a good following on my socials through my work, but it’s still just the beginning for me. As awareness increases, I’m certain things will pick up. That brings me to my next struggle… trying to get better opportunities. Since I use a character, it’s a little harder to get opportunities because I have to get people to see my character as a muse and another avenue to communicate with their customers. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Everything I create is founded on my quote, “Creating freely with love.” I’m known for using vibrant colors and my characters, Rarie Panther, Saki Love Blossom, and Keep, the Peace Sign, to convey my messages, advocate, and spread positivity and love. I’m one of the first black NFT project founders with my Rare Panthers NFTs, and I’m most proud of the community that we’ve built because it went from an NFT Community to a family of artist, creatives, athletes, parents, etc. There is so much love, and we’re just getting started. What sets me apart from others is that I operate using a character as my muse and that makes things a little harder, but it also shows how dedicated I am to my craft. There’s Mickey Mouse, Donal Duck, Felix the Cat, Pink Panther, Atom Ant, and now Rarie Panther, created by RareBandy, a black artist. 

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a child, I was very imaginative, very intelligent, and an introvert for sure. I spent a lot of time in my room, playing with toys, watching cartoons, and playing video games alone. As I got older, I’d venture out and hang out in the neighborhood, but I spent most of my adolescent years riding my bike as far as I could within a day, doing odd jobs like spray painting curbs, shoveling snow, and mowing lawns until I was old enough to get a job. In high school, I worked at White Castle, and I really enjoyed my time there. If I was able to make a livable wage, I would’ve stayed there haha I learned customer service, marketing, and other skills I still use today from working there. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rarebandy.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/rarebandy
• Facebook: Facebook.com/rarebandy
• Linkedin:www.linkedin.com/in/rarebandy/
• Twitter: twitter.com/rarebandy
• Other: https://opensea.io/collection/rare-panthers

 
Image Credits
Ezra Ledbetter