An Interview with Connor Mikita

Words by Sarah Morrison

All Artwork by Connor Mikita

Photo by CJ Harvey

Connor Mikita is best known as the drummer for The Nude Party. While actively touring and writing with his band, he also manages to design album artwork, poster artwork, and merchandise. You may recognize some of his work through Alexandra Savior, Arctic Monkeys, Boy Harsher, Glove, Pearl Charles, and many others.

Inspired by 60s and 70s artwork, Mikita has create a distinct brand for himself, combining collage and graphic design work together. To delve more into the mind behind the pieces, we had a chat with Mikita to talk about the importance of creativity, the effects of pandemic, and life in the Catskills.

When did you first start to explore graphic design/collage work? What first attracted you to that avenue? 

I’ve always been fascinated with old cigarette advertisements from magazines and newspapers because they’re such hilarious glimpses into a bygone era. I used to go to antique stores and cut the ads out of old magazines so I didn't have to buy the actual magazine and then would scan them and recreate them into my own messages with Photoshop. I realized that this could be a good way to advertise shows for The Nuder Party and thus I was promoted to head of marketing. 

Your style is very 70s infused, what were some factoring elements that played into your fascination around a vintage approach? 

In general art from the 60s and 70s has such a wide range of exciting ideas that reflect a time of extreme change and inspiration. There weren’t many rules and bright, flashy colors were often encouraged. Those are factors I like. 

How did your involvement with Rare Breed help further your confidence with pursuing this form of work?

It was a fun exercise in taking an idea and creating something physical. My contributions were pretty minimal but ultimately it gave us the sense that if you make something you personally think is interesting or funny chances are some other people might feel the same way about it. 

Did moving into the Catskills make any sort of impact on your style?

Living here has given me a lot more time and an added seriousness to working at design that I didn’t have before. But part of me thinks growth and inspiration can happen anywhere naturally.

Was there a specific piece of work that made the largest impact on your style? 

The art of Seymour Chwast, Terry Gilliam, and Rene Magritte are always reminders of how fun ideas can be and how little sense they really need to make as long as they are visually stimulating.

How do you go about starting a piece of work? What is your preferred process? How long does your creative process typically take?  

I generally start by procrastinating as long as possible, then slowly convince myself that there might be one decent design left in me. Sometimes I will have a clear idea of what I want but more often I just start by moving shapes around and digitally drawing all sorts of things. I imagine I work a lot slower than most people because I lack any sort of discipline or method and have a very rudimentary grasp of most of the software I use. But when an idea is clear, sometimes it happens in a couple hours and then I have to spend several days questioning and tweaking the idea. 

You balance performing as a musician with your graphic design work. Before COVID hit, how challenging was it to maintain both sides? 

Working in the design world is a nice meditation where I can be alone with some ideas and some music and get into a creative zone. It’s pretty much the complete opposite of being on tour which is mainly what I’ve been doing for the past 3 years. So when I come home, it’s something I look forward to. I’m going to try to learn how to work on the road if we can ever tour again though. 

Has the current lockdown situation affected your creativity and productivity?

Sadly it has. I think the complete decimation of the live music industry has killed some of the drive to make anything because a big part of creation is sharing and seeing reactions. I’ve also worked three different jobs in the last 9 months that have kept me occupied in their own unique ways. But every day I’m learning and trying to remain positive and grateful for what I have currently and for the experiences I’ve had in the past. 

Why is creativity important to you? 

Communication is what bonds us as humans and there’s no more genuine form of communication than art. It would also be very boring if no one created anything.  

On top of creating all the imagery for The Nude Party, you’ve had the chance to work on posters and merchandise for Alexandra Savior, Boy Harsher, Glove, Mini Mansions, Pearl Charles, Sadgirl, etc. Is there a piece that stands out to you as one of your favorite projects to have worked on?

I enjoyed getting to design a shirt for the Arctic Monkeys. The theme of their new album being based around a sleazy casino aligned with a lot of the imagery and history I was into at the time of making the design. I also got to infuse my obsession with matchbooks into the final look.

When working on a commissioned piece, do you get full reign on the direction or do you work together with the artist? 

Most people seem to want me to just do my thing but I’m always glad to accommodate someone’s vision. But part of my job is catering things to what I feel will work for a particular band or brand so it works both ways I guess. 

Last year Raissa Pardini asked you to contribute to the font collective called Group to help raise money for the World Health Organization. What was it like to join a collaborative effort to that extent?

That was a really cool project and pretty much every artist involved was someone I admired greatly. Designing a font is something I’ve always wanted to do so it was nice to start small with one letter.

Working as a freelance creative is a leap of faith. Have you ever suffered a relapse in judgement in the path that you’ve chosen for yourself? 

Every day I question why I didn’t pursue something that pays well. 

What projects are you currently working on that you can share? 

My main focus lately has been becoming a medium-good chef and human being.