I visited Mike Sherman at his home and workspace just before the National lockdown, to swing a few cigs, chat about working for clients, and dig into the life his talent emerges from.
If you don’t get this from the interview, Mike is a born and bred – and still residing in – Cape Town. He is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator. His pretty garden and the easy vibe had me staying for more beers than I planned.
Although you studied Graphic Design, you quite quickly found yourself focused on illustration. Was that a difficult transition to make and trust so early on?
To be honest I never thought becoming an illustrator was an option. When I started I always doubted my ability and never thought I would ever be able to make it work as a viable source of income. It has been a slow evolution but I am only now just starting to feel comfortable with my style. The fact that I am so in love with it was the thing that pushed me to pursue it.
Do you have a specific process or routine you follow as a freelancer who works from home?
Not at all. I love the flexibility of working for myself. It’s also not always as easy as sitting down and producing “my best” work. These things can either take no time at all and everything will just flow and come together, or some projects take me weeks to get to a place where I am happy with them. I have realized how important it can be to take a step away and recharge the creative side of my mind. I am incredibly fortunate to be able to take a few hours or a day here and there to clear my mind and pursue what I love outside of the studio.
I have realized how important it can be to take a step away and recharge the creative side of my mind.
Most of your work seems to be around branding. Have any projects have taken you outside of this?
I am lucky in the sense that the needs of my clients have all been fairly different but most of my client work has been leaning towards some type of Corporate Identity or Branding work. One of my favourite projects outside of that world was working with Maak Surfboards. I got to step away from the computer and hand paint a board. It was the first time I had painted in years and I was so far out of my comfort zone but it was so much fun.
As ‘Mike Sherman Creative’ you are working from the ideas of, and under the guidelines of, clients. How do you keep your creative voice going and growing? What influences keep are you wanting to play further outside of the day to day work?
Sometimes at the end of a full day of designing or illustrating for a client, It can be tough to have the motivation to put time into my work. But I have always got a few projects for myself on the go that I can turn to. I try and push myself and sharpen my skills on these personal projects and that keeps things exciting and motivates me to want to create better work.
Tell us more about the activities you enjoy outside of illustration. Do they have any influence on your illustration work or your approach to work?
Although I am completely in love with my work, I have been able to find a healthy balance in terms of stepping away from my screen. And that generally involves getting outside of the city and into nature and the ocean as often as possible. I try to leave work at home as much as possible so when I’m out of the studio it’s my time and I try not to think about work.
What areas or subject matters are you hoping to explore more in your work?
To be honest I am always trying to get into the darker side of things in terms of subject matter and imagery. A lot of the music I listen to lends itself to a more sinister aesthetic and it has always appealed to me. I just haven’t been able to manifest that in my work just yet for whatever reason.
Your personal Instagram features beautiful surf and travel photography – is this something you can see crossing over into your professional work? Or are there other creative disciplines you want to explore?
I certainly do not consider myself a photographer. I guess its just a by-product of getting out of Cape Town as much as I can. If I can sell a print here or there, stoked. If not I’m just happy to be having fun with it and documenting my movements as I go.
You show great love for Cape Town as the city you grew up in and currently live in. What is it that keeps you here despite your equally great love for travel?
There is something about Cape Town and its surrounding areas that I find is often taken for granted. The natural beauty that we can experience just by jumping in the car and driving in any direction is unbelievable. Waves for days, good beer, and fairly easy to find yourself in the middle of nowhere. What more could you ask for?
Any names you follow locally that we should have on our radar?
South Africa has so many young, talented creatives in all types of spaces and there is a lot of really unique work that has stood out to me. Wonder Meyer, Marti Lund, Hugh Fletcher Cox and Pamela Potgieter are just a few that are worth checking out but the list could go on and on.
What can we expect from you in the coming months?
Well in terms of personal projects I am in the process of creating an online store mostly for prints and apparel. Something that will hopefully allow me to create work for myself as well as start to generate a bit of extra income.
Mike Sherman
Mike is multidisciplinary young creative from Cape Town offering a focused yet versatile skills set. With a great love for the outdoors, travel and heavy metal. Survivor of natural disasters, and tight deadlines.
