Conversations with Matt Benyo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Benyo. 

Hi Matt, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My story is not your typical story—but in some ways, it may seem familiar to you, with the twists and turns of uncertainty when choosing a career path. Let’s do things a little different and start at the present and then explain how I got here. Currently, I am a freelance illustrator that focuses on pop culture portraiture, injected with a dose of seventies groove and the nostalgic feel of vintage illustrations and worn comics. 

I’ve never had a singular focused interest—I’ve always dipped my toes into everything that I could. Hours were spent during my adolescent years creating graphics on photoshop, performing in drama productions, playing defense on my State-Championship-winning hockey team, and reading and learning as much as I could. I ultimately graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. I’ve always loved science and psychology, so the combined neuroscience path seemed the ideal route for me. During summer breaks, I worked at an art camp, beginning as an office administrator before working my way up to assistant director. Being surrounded by great artists every day during the summers had me tapping back into my creativity. It was also at this camp where I met Chelsea Kirchoff and my life changed. She encouraged me to rediscover my inner artist. During my last semester at U of M, I decided to take a figure drawing class as a fun, less-stressful class to round out my credit hours. It was during this course that I realized creating art wasn’t just stress relieving—it was what I wanted to focus on. I felt a passion ignite that made me excited to continue creating and forging a path in that direction. 

A key moment that was significant in cementing my quest toward where I am today started as a break-in at a college campus concert. Neon Hitch, a gypsy-pop singer from the UK, was announced to be playing a concert at Albion College with Mike Posner in April 2014. As a huge fan of someone that didn’t come around often, I knew I had to get into the show—but the hurdle was that you had to be a student at Albion College to purchase tickets for the event. Chelsea and I went to the Albion College’s Facebook page and began compulsively messaging any and all students that liked or commented on the event post of the concert. Most people either didn’t respond or didn’t feel comfortable meeting with complete strangers to get them into the show until fate answered our pleas and a superb guy named Wally replied saying he’d get us into the show. We ended up on the barricade for the show and sang our hearts out. Chelsea and I made our way over to the merch booth after her set hoping to get the chance to meet Neon, but Neon’s manager told us that Neon was planning to come out after Mike Posner’s set. We explained how we were only there for Neon and explained the story of how we essentially snuck our way onto the campus and into the show. She then led us backstage where we stood in a hallway for a while until a door swung open and Neon was standing there with a huge smile on her face. What we expected to be a quick photo turned into hours of stories and whiskey pours. Neon was in the process of leaving an unsupportive label and was beginning to release her music independently and when she found out that we were artists, she asked if we’d be interested in working with her. Over the next few weeks, we created a new logo and illustrations for Neon and were working on illustrating a lyric video when she called us one night telling us that she just booked a spot-on VH1 where she was going to debut a song about her leaving her former label and asked if we could create album art for the song. Not only did we create the artwork mere hours, but we got into my car and drove overnight to be in NYC for the debut performance. This whirlwind of art and creativity pushed me into the world of art—a place I’ve never left. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I think that a major thing that so many artists face, and so many people in general, is imposter syndrome. I have dealt with this so often and intensely. I am always surrounded by and meeting such amazing artists, so there is always a pang of insecurity because I am self-taught and am worried that I don’t belong. A majority of friends that I have met in the art world went to great art schools, were taught by incredible artists and teachers, and have trained in their craft for years, so it always made me stop and question—who exactly do I think I am? Why do I think that I am worthy of having my work seen alongside theirs? It always had me questioning my qualifications and if I deserved any accolades. It’s been a constant journey—one that I am still on—to get out of my head. Over time, I have learned to accept praise that I’m given and that the only one making any negative comparisons is me. So often we overlook great things that we are doing because of that negative voice in our head, and it wasn’t until I learned to ignore that negative voice and began posting my art regularly (for myself) that I was able to recognize that I am worthy and I do belong. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Starting as an artist after spending so many years away from creating, it took a while for me to find my voice and style. Working with Chelsea on projects helped me hone my skills because I was able to learn from working with her. Every Halloween season, there is an amazing art movement and community on Instagram that follows daily spooky prompts called “Drawlloween.” Creating art daily pushed me and allowed me to refine my style in an expedited manner. I have always loved the look of American and Neo-traditional tattoo flash, so for two years, I themed my Drawlloween creations integrating the spooky with traditional lady heads. More ideas and aesthetics that I have always loved are nostalgia and retro designs, specifically from the 60s and 70s. Ben Cooper’s plastic Halloween masks, which were popular from the 50s to the 70s, served as inspiration for a line of masks that I illustrated. I started my Etsy Shop in December of 2019, where pop culture inspires my listings which vary from prints of the Ben Coopers Masks I illustrated and pop-culture icons to stickers of the masked cowboy, Orville Peck. I hope that when people see my art, they feel a sense of nostalgia and that the artwork looks “lived-in” and tactilely visual. When illustrating portraits, I love to capture a moment or emotion in the piece, so that it provokes a feeling when it’s viewed. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I think the best thing for an artist is to surround themselves with other working artists. It helps keep you motivated to create and it is always helpful to have inspiration all around you. One way that I do this is via Instagram. It has been such an amazing tool to meet artists all over the country and from around the world. It gives you a chance to see art created by so many people, and to be able to meet and talk with the artists themselves. I have met incredibly kind people that have evolved into true friends from the Instagram art scene. I spoke about Drawlloween in a previous part of this interview, but apart from encouraging daily creations, it created an amazingly supportive community and showed the possibilities of a network of artists. Unfortunately, Drawlloween ends with October. To expand on this idea of a consistent virtual community, my friends Chelsea Kirchoff and Micaela Ruiz suggested resurrecting The Hallway Show. The Hallway Show began in the halls of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, where a weekly prompt would be posted and anyone and everyone could create art of the subject and tape it up, creating an ever-changing and evolving art show. Now, The Hallway Show lives on as @thehallwayshow on Instagram, where weekly prompts are posted and anyone can submit art that they create of the prompt. I have met the most genuinely kind, supportive, and passionate people from this constantly growing community and it has resulted in amazing friendships. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mattbenyoshop
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattbenyo/

Image Credits:
Matt Benyo
Chelsea Kirchoff