Roberto Granito has enjoyed a 30-year career as an artist, including working with Marvel Entertainment, LLC, where he was hired as an artist and designer in 2011. In this role, Robert Granito designed and laid out splash pages, book covers, and sketch card images. Some of his work involved creating collectible cards for The Hulk, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Iron Man 2 and 3.
Mr. Granito became an artist designer for Forte Specialty Construction in 2019. This role involved completing murals and assignments for large projects. He completed projects for Nickelodeon and DreamWorks. He also oversaw other artists to ensure the team met deadlines.
In 2021, Mr. Granito became a design artist and painter at Spaeth Design, Inc. This role involved meeting with clients who commissioned the firm to outline project goals, parameters, and financial considerations. His canvas this time was walls and other surfaces, where he used traditional and spray techniques to complete designs.
A year later, StoryBook Hollow hired Mr. Granito to be its production artist/designer. There, he developed concepts through various forms, including sculpting, painting, and staining.
Today, Mr. Granito is a morale, welfare, and recreation specialist for the Department of Defense. In this capacity, he coordinates and executes art programs and activities for military personnel and their families. His job involves a wide range of responsibilities, including assisting with teaching crafts, picture framing, design work, promoting programs, and ensuring participants have a safe, enjoyable experience.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I’m not sure if artists really have a typical day. I’m sure some do, but for me, a typical day—to be honest with you—isn’t always productive, and there is nothing typical about it. But to be productive, I’m a list maker. I make lists for everything; I even put on my list “remember to eat” because I get so caught up in my day I honestly forget to. So going down my list helps me be productive. Sometimes, I get sidetracked and taken away from a specific project. But it honestly all depends on what the Muse whispers in my ear. When the idea hits me, I’ve gone days without eating or sleeping, working on something, and weeks without being able to get something out of my head. I honestly try to just get lost in the work and then nothing else really matters.
How do you bring ideas to life?
How do I bring ideas to life? That is a very complex question. I guess the easiest way to answer it is one line at a time. Though it’s just a thought or a random idea that starts off with a quick sketch or just an idea or even a description scribbled on a napkin or placemat at a diner. I really do a great deal of dream scaping, thinking and working the piece over in my head before I truly sit down and put pen to paper. From there, it just grows until it’s finished. I don’t really have any set path to bringing it to life; it’s a bit more organic on how it develops.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I think one of the new trends that excites me is the wave of the old cartoons and shows from the ’70s and ’80s like “Thundarr the Barbarian,” “Gotcha Man,” and the likes. It seems that now they’re back in again, and they’re getting new life and new vitality. The stories are more in depth, and it gives us as adults the information and grit that I loved as a kid but didn’t have included in the originals. So, seeing them back again, not to mention being expanded, as an adult is even better.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
One habit that helps me be productive is definitely making lists—sitting down and banging out the quick things that no one really wants to do first. There is so much going on on a daily basis that it’s super easy to get off track or caught up in the wrong thing and with time sensitive deadlines, The List, well, that’s my Gutenberg’s Bible right there.
What advice would you give your younger self?
That in a field that’s so vast and has such a wide range, do what you love, follow what you like. Remember where you came from and how you got there and encourage those that encourage you. People are going to hate you, and people are going to love you and everything in between. Art is subjective and as long as you’re happy with your work, then do what you love and ignore the politics and drama that others want to get you in.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Though it’s not PC, I’m honest at times to a fault. If you ask me a question, I am going to tell you the honest truth. You may not like it, but if you don’t want honesty, then don’t ask me for my opinion. With that being said, I also am not looking to be mean, rude, or hurtful.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I think something that I would recommend people do, that I repeatedly do, is to breathe, stretch, and RELAX. You really have to take a few minutes out of the day and do it. If you want to call it meditation, that’s fine. But just think about your day. Think about your breathing. Life can get really complicated and breathing/relaxing is an important part of life. Most people take it for granted just to be quiet for a few minutes and hear the world around you.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
When I feel overwhelmed or unfocused, I just stop what I’m doing. Get a hug, cuddle my dog. Get out of your own head space and breathe. It’s like the old saying “Stop thinking about something and the answer will come to you,” but sometimes you just have to get out of what you’re doing and breathe it out. Now if I really need to get into the mindset of a project, then everything I am doing revolves around the subject matter. I had to do a few pieces from “Frozen” a while back. I have to tell you, even my daughters got tired of hearing those songs, but it kept me in the right frame of mind and the work came out great.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
It’s kind of a double-edged sword because in most fields, including art, there are kind of a lot of politics. You want to grow your business, talk to people. Network—that’s the best way to do it. Care about people that’ll help expand your career. However, a lot of times it is who you know and not what you can do, as well. So be yourself. If you’re a jerk, you’re a jerk—people will either accept you for that or they won’t. But let your work speak for yourself and let your personality speak for your work. Emotion creates motion. Just try to be a good person.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
So, I am not great with the computer by any means. I cannot do digital artwork for the most part, but ULead Photo Express is an old art program I got free with a digital camera I bought from a drug store a lifetime ago. It doesn’t have any layers, it doesn’t have spell check, and once you save it, it’s one image. But I’m telling you, I love the thing, and I’ve had so many people tell me to never lose the disc. It’s great for resizing images, adding my logo, and playing around with ideas.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
It’s a bit sad, but I make many donations through the year, and one recently I made was to the suicide awareness program. In the name of a brother of mine who took his own life. I really don’t have anything else to add to that.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” is something I read throughout the year, as well as the books by J.R.R. Tolken (“The Hobbit,” the “Lord of the Rings” books). What value have I gotten from it? That’s a hard answer because they are timeless pieces of wisdom that still hold up today. They are great sources of view that you can look at as an outsider, and both are filled with lessons in humanity. I honestly don’t know if I could put a value on the pleasure or insight/inspiration I’ve gotten from them over the years
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
This one is kind of tricky as, truthfully, I don’t watch a lot of TV or series, but I have gotten pulled into “Jekyll and Hyde,” which was a new release series on Netflix. Why do I enjoy it? I guess it would be because it is a compelling story that updates the original story by Stevenson. It’s got a nice twist to it, it still takes place in the old world, and it doesn’t move out of the realm that everyone does have that dark part of themselves that—like it or not—is just part of who we all are. It’s got a more supernatural feel, and I enjoy that twist. It’s nice not to follow down the exact same rabbit hole for the old story. But I have to be honest here, I’ve only been able to get to the fourth episode so far.
Key learnings
- Lists are the key to remaining productive, especially if you are prone to distraction or getting lost in your work.
- Follow your passions and pursue what you love.
- Networking and learning to balance authenticity and professional courtesy can help advance your career.
- When faced with adversity, remain true to yourself and give yourself the space needed to persevere and tune out the noise.