We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Carini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
This is a battle I have faced my entire life. I do what I do because it is my calling. It is what I was put on this earth to do. Even at the deepest and darkest times in my life when I am completely lost, this still rings true. At my absolute lowest I have to remind myself that lost is always just a step away from found and that if I’m going to fall or fail, it will be going after everything I have ever dreamed of. I also have to remind myself that sometimes just holding on is progress. That doesn’t mean I don’t have days I want to give up, because I have a lot…far more than I would hope for anyone else to ever have. Those days have taught me what is important to me though, what really matters, and that is why I continue to fight. I learned that my calling isn’t about me. My calling is greater than me. In this grand process I have learned that the key component of my calling, the one I overlooked for so many years, is that I am here to remind people of this and help them find theirs. Times are tough for everyone right now. Some people have fought these battles before. Some have not. I was built for survival and walking through the darkness. That is the gift I can offer others on their journey out of that darkness and towards the light. Hold on. Keep fighting. Don’t ever give up.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Bio: Don’t be afraid to be different…Be afraid to be the same Michael Carini received his artistic training in Los Angeles, studying at Loyola Marymount University while simultaneously serving as an apprentice under respected artists Jane Brucker and Roland Reiss. Graduating at the top of his class with honors including the Scholar of Distinction Award in Painting, Carini returned to his hometown in San Diego, where he currently maintains his studio. With over 100 exhibitions nationally and internationally, he has received over a dozen major awards and was named Emerging Artist of the Year by Art Design Consultants. Carini’s work can be found all over the globe in the collections of celebrities, major businesses, and private collectors. Artist Statement: Michael Carini’s creative visions will play with your senses and illuminate the human condition as he delves into the uncensored depths of his mind and invites you to catch a glimpse of the other side. Transmuting his medium through what he describes as a poetically alchemical process based upon the principles of equivalent exchange (Acrylic Alchemy), it is Carini’s hope that you will completely lose yourself within these labyrinthine experiences, only to discover a new sense of self and emerge reborn. As every story has a past, present, and future, what may at first glimpse appear to be non-objective abstraction is in fact segmentations of energetic imagery interacting and breathing through the boundlessness of space and time. Welcome to the world of “The Boy In The Box”- About The Business: Carini Arts is owned and operated by myself, acrylic painter Michael Carini, also known as the Acrylic Alchemist. Based in San Diego, Carini Arts is 100% artist direct. As a small business run by the little guy, every investment you make puts paint back on my palette and allows this starving artist to continue sharing his dreams with the world. Without your support, none of this would be possible. Choose Carini Arts and feed a starving artist today!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Right now I would really have to question my choice in friends if they chose to visit in the middle of this pandemic. STAY-AT-HOME! LOL When this all ends, I’m all about the zoo and the gym and will likely be spending as much time at both as possible.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate this response to everyone fighting their own battles during this global pandemic that has so greatly affected us all.

Website: https://cariniarts.com
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