Meet Mike Gustafson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Gustafson. 

Mike, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I moved to Nashville from Boston in 2016 with a 20+ year career in advertising and marketing, expecting to pick up where I’d left off and join a local agency. Nothing seemed like a great match so I decided to start my own branding & design studio, and Wicked Awesome was born. In an attempt to boost my social media numbers, I started posting my extracurricular drawings and doodles on Instagram and quickly found an audience for my more psychedelic work. As it turns out now, only a small fraction of my work is corporate branding and I’ve embraced doing merch, illustration, and logo projects for the music industry and small-to-mid-sized businesses who share my vision and values. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In retrospect it’s been pretty smooth but, in each moment, I’ve struggled with second-guessing where I want to take this thing. Do I take the large, big-budget project that pays the bills but keeps me tied up from other work I find more enjoyable and would increase exposure? Do I turn away smaller projects for great people just because they don’t have the budget to make it worthwhile? In the end, I’ve just learned to go with my gut and take the ride without much expectation. It seems to be working! 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I divide my work into two buckets: commissioned art and personal art. The largest chunk of my work is commissioned promotional illustrations (gig posters, merch graphics, band logos, etc…) for bands and events of all sizes. I’ve recently done shirt designs for the Hulaween festival in Suwannee, the announcement illustration for Jerry Garcia’s 80th Birthday Symphonic Celebration at Red Rocks, logo and tour poster for local jammy bluegrass band Sicard Hollow, merch graphics and album art for banjo mercenary Kyle Tuttle, and more. 

My personal art is usually a little more psychedelic-inspired, often with references to the Grateful Dead’s lyrics and/or iconography. These “doodles” I’ll usually post on my @WickedAwesomeTN social accounts and if there’s interest, I’ll produce stickers and/or art prints for sale in my online shop. I still can’t believe people will spend their hard-earned money on the silly things that come out of my head. 🙂 

I’d like to think my works has an element of “surprise & delight” that sets me apart from other artists/designers. My art usually includes references to lyrics or obscure stories that not everyone will understand. If the viewer can make the connection, they get a greater sense of reward and emotional attachment to the work. I’m happy to turn away that handful of casual fans for the one who will really treasure it. 

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m completely awful at self-promotion. All my work comes from people stumbling across my social media accounts or from word-of-mouth, and I’m so profoundly grateful. 

Pricing:

• Ordinarily, projects start at $500 and increase depending on any number of variables.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.wickedawesome.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedawesometn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedAwesomeTN/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wickedawesometn