Meet Joe Micacchione | Artist & Financier

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

Hi Joe, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
The single most important decision I made that contributed to and has continued to contribute to my success is that I am sure many business owners can relate to taking the first leap of faith and deciding to pursue my passion. During the pandemic, there was a lot of soul-searching and what I found was that for me to be happy, I needed to pursue a career that would allow me to work for myself, do what I love daily, and most of all, create something that people enjoy, and that will brighten up someone else’s day even if only for a moment. I believe the most crucial measure of success in anyone’s business is someone thoroughly enjoying my work… the most exhilarating idea is someone genuinely likes my artwork. That feeling is highly motivating.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me most apart from other artists/creators in my field is my lack of formal training or education in the area. Many artists go to school for years to learn the ins and outs of the art industry and learn technics that I am sure I use but have no idea what they’re called. Not saying that formal education or art institutes/colleges are not necessary…. because they absolutely are! I just took a non-traditional route to discover my ability to create. I have always been creative, always been high energy, and have always wanted to do something that makes others happy…. it just took me more than 30 years to figure out what that something was. This will probably sound cliche, but I let the materials and my creative side take over when it comes to painting. I love that because of my lack of formal training, I am quite literally learning something new about art and the process for creating it every day. Since I started this journey, I have learned so much, and I know I have just scratched the surface. The longer I pursue this passion, the more I know I will grow as an artist, and I hope others enjoy watching this play out as much as I do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Most of my experiences when showing someone around Atlanta center around two things: food and exploring. A few of my favorite places to frequent include O-Ku, Bulla Gastropub, The Lawrence or Wa Ga Ya. As for the exploring part… I love to do anything that is centered around being outside. I have a new puppy so any excuse to take him to the Piedmont dog park, or drive up to Merciers Apple Orchard is an opportunity I will jump on. Showing my friends the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is also one of my favorite things to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The biggest shout out for me goes to Nick Albano. Nick worked and continues to work countless hours with me on my website and SEO and helps teach me how to do a lot of this website design and coding stuff on my own so I can better spend my time on creating and painting new works of art. Without him I would not have a digital footprint to speak of.

Website: www.abstractbyjoe.com

Instagram: abstract_by_joe