Matt Mcdole talks Skating, Simple Living, and Making Sense of the Times.
Tags: Artist, Graphic Design, Interviews, Images, Matt Mcdole

In Conversation with Graphic Design Artist Matthew Mcdole

Artist: Matthew Mcdole

Matthew Mcdole is an in-demand graphic artist that is probably skating when not managing his many clients. His work ranges from murals to logos for big breweries. Even with Mcdole’s busy schedule, he remains present, cherrishing sentimental items from family and childhood, items that help him capture the simplistic beauty of life represented in his work. I got a chance to talk with him recently about time, life, and his creative process.

Ai: Hey, Matt, How are you?

Matt: Good, no complaints at all. You seem busy.

Ai: Yeah, but so do you.

Matt: Yeah. Well, it's weird because I do so much stuff for people. Like, I’ll do something for someone, but it’s for two months from now. It almost feels like I’m not [busy] because I’m not putting stuff out. But that's such a strange feeling in the internet era…the idea that you're not doing anything if you're not putting stuff out…which is insane.

Ai: Right. We’ve thought about the same things at Artinformation. I think we’ve concluded that posting online isn’t necessary if it takes away from the attention we want to give to our subject material and the people involved with our research. Like a good meal, quality takes time.

Matt: I think about that all the time. If I haven’t seen someone post, I just imagine they're doing what I'm doing. They're probably working or paying for something that they just don’t feel like sharing.

Ai: Yeah, or they’re going through family stuff. Just living life.

Matt: Right. I’m moving this week. And so, I haven’t skated or made anything since last weekend. And even though I've been insanely productive, I feel like I haven’t been doing as much.

Art and skating are the things that I think about when I go to bed. At the end of the day, those are the things that I think about. It's good to have those things to think about at the end of your day. Moving isn’t like that.

Ai: When you feel like you’re behind. How do you get yourself back in the head-space to work?

Matt: I’m always thinking about what I’m doing to do next. Usually, it starts with a drawing, and depending on what it is, I get it on the computer, mess with it a little, and send it off. The next thing is a shirt for a brewing company.

I already know what i’m more or less doing. It’s like second nature. It’s like if you haven’t swam for a bit, you just need to get back into the pool. Its not hard to get back into it.

Ai: Do you get time to do stuff for yourself?

Matt: Yeah. If I have a thing to do for clients, then I want to do that. I usually work on client work. And I’m making notes in the meantime of stuff I want to do whenever I get the time. If there's something I want to do, then I find the time. If there's something I’m really excited about, then I find the time to do that in the middle.

Ai: Do you find yourself spending more time in the past, present, or future? How would you describe your relationship with time?

Matt: Personally, it’s good to enjoy and live in the moment. Not doing spontaneous and crazy things but just taking the day as it comes. Like plan for the future, but be present before you plan.

Writing things down helps. If you try to keep a mental list of what you have to do, you’ll always be stressed and forgetting things. It’s good to just write it down and come back to it. I have like 5 or 6 projects I have to do but i’m really only thinking about 1 or 2. I will think of those other projects when the time comes.

Ai: Right. Your sanity is most important. Prioritizing projects in time is the real work.

Matt: Yeah, and figuring out how much mental energy to put into things. Sometimes your time is better put into spending time with friends and family.

Ai: What are some of the objects in your life that have had a special impact on you?

Matt: There are so many things that I’ve had for many years that I continue to keep. I have so many records; I have some books, I have a couple of bins of keepsake clothes: old band shirts, old skate shirts, shirts I made for people. I keep a lot of stuff. Any knick-knacks that I’ve gotten from certain people, I’ll keep to remember that person.

My dad has cancer, we just found out at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s not something that's going to totally get better. He’s going through chemo right now, and he’s not really worried about it as much as I am. He’s like, “I’ll be fine” or “This won't kill me”…now, the things related to him I’m more likely to keep.

In my studio, I have all these random things. So some stuff my dad had when he was a kid. Or old photos of me with old friends. It’s all very sentimental.

Ai: What about the rest of 2020? It seems like you’ve had a lot going on. How do you deal with all the new changes?

Matt: Masks and everything like that. When it first started, it felt insane. But I’m not the most social person. I usually just do the things I need to do, skate and make art. Those things haven’t been affected. Obviously, I can’t have an art show…. But I felt more affected by the George Floyd situation. Around that time, I felt like sharing stuff. “Does this matter?” you know? Are there not more important things to share or say? — [or] “Maybe this isn’t the best time to promote yourself.”

Ai: Was that hard to get used to since the platforms online are kind of built for promotion?

Matt: Yeah, and I slowly got back into it, but I thought much more about helping other people, and I took some time off to do stuff for other people. Giving people discounts on my work and encouraging people to donate to charities. A friend and I made a big skate fundraising campaign. We took all that money and donated it. We got everyone together, and we skated down to Breonna Square as apart of the campaign. Bringing posters for everyone.

Ai: What are you looking forward to in the future?

Matt: I enjoy now. Now is pretty cool. It's really easy to look back on time and think, “Oh, those were the good times.” “I should have appreciated that while it lasted.” I think from a young age, I caught onto that, so I’ve always been really good at appreciating things while it happens. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the future or what I want. I just think, “This is really cool right now,” my girlfriend and I are more or less just focusing on our art. This is a sweet time right now. If you’re always looking at the future…you’ll never be happy.