Adrian Ramirez: From Political War Room to EDM Art Studio
Adrian Ramirez Stands In Front of His Latest Canvas Design
Graduation
Adrian graduated from Arizona State University in 2017 and quickly landed a job with the local Phoenix government soon after. However, after a few years, he knew he was destined for far more than just working 60 hours of grueling political & marketing work for someone else. Instead, Adrian would opt for a job with no set hours and no boss overseeing him but with endless opportunities. So he became self-employed, turning to murals and commissioned work to pay the mortgage on his house and feed himself.
I had known Adrian as a classmate and saw his meteoric rise into the creative space over the five years I’ve known him. What started out as stylized “Graduation Bears” from Kanye West’s album “Graduation” quickly grew into much more as he found his groove in the world of everything spray paint. He took things slowly and let his talent and work ethic carry his name and brand; it didn’t take long for the commissions to come rolling in.
Adrian Applies His Base Layer For His Newest Commissioned Mural
For a city like Phoenix, where houses and buildings are notorious for their shades of brown, it is hard to stand out without redoing the whole installation. This is where Adrian capitalizes and offers mural services. These can range from simple and straightforward to large, complex, and highly-detailed images that change entire city blocks.
Today was just a small one; an AirBnB host requested a Scottsdale-themed mural before they listed the rental for peak Phoenix tourist season.
As we got to catching up and chatting, it became evident how much he truly has a passion for what he does but recognizes what a small business means. We talked about spray nozzles (or, as he called them, “caps”) and other similar hobbies, including photography. He would adjust what he was doing, take a step back, change caps, and then get back to spraying the base coat. From conversations about wall texture and what it means for the paint to catching up about the past year, he was in the zone, and I was just a witness to it.
In fact, for the entire day we spent, I thought he had done a photoshoot before and was well-versed in posing and framing. In actuality, he was pretty hyper-fixated on the task at hand and perfecting his craft, never mind any camera that may be trying to get a shot. This turned out to be great for not only himself, as he got his job done in the usual amount of time, but also for the pictures, as I truly captured the passion in doing a tan and black mural that says “Scottsdale.” I watched a future master at work, and he was comfortable doing so.
Adrian Ensures His Line Will Be Straight With A Recycled Box
We talked about what it meant to have your own business and the adjustments required to go from hobbyist to professional. He spoke about how he has mostly ditched the art stores, opting for Home Depot and other similar stores to ensure he meets his profit margin. His latest trick? Using the copious amounts of cardboard boxes he has from ordering Amazon packages as straight edges or, frankly, any other tool he needs to help his process.
Along with professional practices comes discussing the hobby snobs. Those who, no matter what, will critique something for the sake of critiquing. There are certain realities in owning your own business that some just choose to ignore. This can include time-saving practices, efficiency decisions, and setting prices.
For Adrian, running the business aspect of his hobby came naturally to him due to his marketing background. He figured that since he spent so much time at his marketing job, why not do it for something he truly cared about? Adrian said it was more about the time spent at the job and how he could make a week’s paycheck in one commission. Still, after spending the day with him, he spends more time with his business than I imagine he did with his “government” job. These are the harsh realities that most hobbyists-turn-pro must face, but for Adrian, that was a perk of the job.
A Bright And Sunny Day For His Latest Mural
Managing a business is difficult, but when it’s your business and your livelihood, it can be a liberating feeling to know that your destiny is in your hands.
He finished up the base layer at the rental property and loaded his Ryobi crates, which he was very proud of. Then, finally, he loaded up his old Tundra, and we headed to his home, but it wasn’t just a home.
Adrian’s Design Under Some Fun Lighting
The Studio
As I entered his Phoenix home, I felt the rush of creative energy greet me at the door and smack my hat off. His designs were everywhere but very, very neatly arranged. His own home was acting as an exhibition for his own work.
He had me prepare my camera for an image with three colorful canvases. His vision was to have something like stained glass windows with his iconic “trippy” look. Under the blue and orange lighting, the effect was pleasing to the eye. I could easily see them being focal pieces in a low-key microbrewery.
However, Adrian was only partially happy with them.
He had a better idea, and these canvases represented a brainstorming session for him. Adrian was sad to see them go but knew his skill would create something more than the three beautiful pieces hung up on his living room wall.
Adrian Contemplates A Harsh, But Liberating Decision
He called the decision to attack the canvas with a renewed vision “liberating.” Part of me winced at erasing such beautiful canvases. Still, the majority of me had such respect for a man so confident in his skills. He could have quickly sold these off to a company or affluent person for $1000. However, he didn’t want the bad tape out there like an NFL player, so he destroyed them.
And it was kind of awesome to watch…
Adrian Paints Over His Design, Scrapping It After Hours Of Work
As he started painting over them, he paused; I thought he had a change in heart, and mine dropped. Then, he looked over at me and said, “gotta get the creative mood going.” With that, he was off finding the perfect EDM DJ set on YouTube to blast over his sound bar while he continued painting over the canvases. As the beats dropped and the vocals sang, it started to dawn on me how he came up with his creative style. Music heavily influences Adrian, and with that realization, his artwork went from a random assortment to a carefully crafted amalgamation of his lifetime interests and personality influencers.
An Image That Captures His Interests: Creating, DJ’ing, and High Quality EDM Audio
DJ’ing, EDM, and creating art pieces. It all came together, and as we moved to his studio room within his house, the music only got louder. Dom Dolla dropped his beats as Adrian and I talked about the break he took from canvas work as his murals started to gain popularity in the area.
Mixing And Estimating The Amount of Black Paint For The Canvas
I must admit, there’s something raw about blasting music with high-quality 8-inch monitors while you work away at your passion. Like a Metallica guitar ripping away during a bench rep, having music fill your brain while you create boosts vigor. The desire to outperform your expectations rises like a good house riser right before the beat drops. Because that’s who you do all of this for, right? When you are your own boss, there are no performance reviews. Those are Google reviews. There are no pay raises. There is charging more per project as demand for your product grows. After all, who is the HR for your own brain?
Adrian Returns To Canvas Work After A Brief Hiatus
As Adrian continued painting the background of his project matte black, he realized just how good he was getting. First, I saw him mix various paints into a relatively tiny cup, assuming (naively) that he was just making a smaller amount to prevent overcommitting and wasting good paint. However, when Adrian got closer to filling the rest in, he said he would barely make it with the amount he initially poured. My brain broke at how he made such a small amount spread over an entire canvas, but then I remembered he was Adrian Ramirez.
Just Enjoying That This Is His Full Time Job
The music raged on, and the canvas started to take shape. Adrian’s inspiration was initially from his favorite movie of all time, Goodfellas.
Adrian Rightfully Proud Of Estimating The Correct Amount of Paint Needed
It was here that he finished painting the background matte black, and he realized that there was literally nothing left in the cup. A perfect estimation for a cup he filled with no scale to measure how much paint was going in. A true professional.
Adrian Back At Work Designing His Next Mural
Passion and Determination
I helped him clean and rearrange his workspace…ahem… living space, but the music never stopped. One would think that he was done for the day and would go punch out, right? But instead, he grabbed his iPad and showed me the macro keyboard he bought to help him with Procreate, an artist creator app.
This is the part of the day when I truly realized the passion he has for his work. One thing elegant about Procreate is that it has statistics for when he is working on one of the several projects he has stored in there. His first project clocked in at 29 hours and was something I would have never been able to do even if given 1000 years. His second project? 34 hours. Also, somehow way more impressive than the first. He then said that it was because he had barely learned how to use the app and that his latest creation only took 9 hours. A number that would qualify as overtime for California workers.
What started off as a day for me to learn about a friend going from amateur to pro ended with much more respect and appreciation for someone who bet on himself, but in a matter that I found more practical and reasonable than the Hollywood stories of people living on a friend’s couch while they pursued a dream of acting. He started in what could really be called “Corporate America” and let his skill, passion, and determination dictate whether he could be his own boss. Adrian started by testing if he could pay his bills with his then-side business. When that happened more often, he realized there was a future for him that was not just another commuting Phoenician.
Now, you can drive around Downtown Phoenix and see his murals lighting up a concrete jungle. With the Super Bowl coming, his eyes are set on getting new and fresh murals for the events leading up to the big game. For Adrian, what started off as doodling and sketching in Spanish for Native Speakers classes at ASU, ended with him being able to live off of his passion. Something that no person can deny as a feat of great magnitude.
Adrian Ramirez: Creative Extraordinaire
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