Finding an Identity Through Art; Milenko Mladjenovic
“That Goofy Foreign Kid”
Born in former Yugoslavia, raised in Serbia until the age of 9 when he came to the United States, Milenko Mladjenovic says he found his true identity through his art.
Milenko said that one thing that surprises people to find out about him is that he is foreign because he comes across as so Americanized but that has not always been the case.
Milenko says, “As a kid I was foreign, had long hair, was goofy, and always have been kinda smiley, people picked on me for it.”
Finding and Expressing Yourself Through Art
“I struggled to find an identity or a group of people, but I always knew I could draw, I didn’t know much but I knew I could draw. I identified myself as a creative person, which lead into giving me confidence.”
He also told me that, “Having the ability to show off my art to people helped them understand me better.”
Embracing Your Culture
Milenko says as a kid he grew up in a home very traditional to his culture. He says as a kid he tried to push it away to try and fit in which he regrets.
He says it’s weird to him how different it is now because as an adult he could not appreciate his culture more and fully embraces it.
Hold on to Your Individuality
He says to any kids out there who can relate to him who may be the new kid, the foreign kid or who simply don’t feel as though they fit in:
“Hold onto your individualism, in the moment it might feel like conforming is the right choice…
Later on you’ll realize that it’s not and that being an individual holding onto what makes you, you is important.”
Stippling? Dotting? Pointillism?
Milenko says his work reflects him in that it is very detail oriented and neat; just like him.
I can attest to him being detailed oriented in that he was the only person I have interviewed to this day, that came prepared with notes he had written specifically for the interview.
I asked Milenko if he could describe his work in a few words to which he said:
“There is no word that describes my style. It’s very meticulous, fine line drawing, closer to pointillism. I use dots sometimes to show contrast, very graphic, line oriented, detailed work.”
Reflection of Genetics
With an architect for a mother and a structured business man as a father Milenko says:
“I grew up with two hard working parents, always on the grind, that work ethic, I believe that reflects a lot in my art. I feel like I try to present that in my art, a lot of creativity but a lot of structure and neatness.”
Inspired by the Things Around Us
That structure was also brought up again when I asked him what inspires him to create:
“Sometimes I’ll start a small piece out of inspiration from other artists, logos, tattoos, symbols, and it grows but it’s mostly a lot of work and discipline. I got three hours let’s sit down and put something to paper and see where it goes, it’s like a job for me.”
Milenko talks about finding balance in life, how he has found success as an artist, and more in the second half of this article released later this week.
