Topic: Art, Entrepreneurship, Fandom Community, and the Magic of Elf Ears!
In this episode, Charles welcomes artist, writer, and elf-ear creator Mike Bielaczyc into the new studio space! They first met at Chattacon 2024 on a panel about self-promotion for creatives, and now Mike joins to share his amazing journey blending art, fantasy, and small business.
Highlights:
Mike’s Story: From being a laid-off computer guy to launching a creative business selling hand-painted elf ears at Renaissance festivals.
Building a Dream: How a single booth at the Tennessee Ren Fest led to a full-time family business (with retirement plans!) making thousands of elf ears a year.
Art + Business: Mike combined his skills in sculpture, painting, and website building to carve out a niche in the fandom world—selling handmade, color-matched elf ears and writing RPG campaigns.
Breaking Through: How DragonCon, GenCon, and working with legends like Larry Elmore (Dragonlance) helped him grow his career and confidence.
Community Matters: Mike shares why treating everyone with respect—from small cons to big shows—is crucial for long-term success.
Real Talk About Digital: He explains why real-world connections ("meat space") are more powerful today than ever, even in a digital-heavy world.
Giving Back: Mike donates art and time to inspire young creatives, encouraging them to value their art even when the world doesn't immediately see its worth.
Current Projects: Mike is running a Kickstarter for a new D100 dice design—making dice rolls more fun for RPG fans everywhere!
Fun Bits:
The famous ears have been worn by celebrities like Carson Daly and Martha Stewart.
His company name "Aridani" came from his old EverQuest guild.
Mike’s philosophy: "Find your people. Find where your madness fits. Build your own world if you need to."
Where to Find Mike:
🎲 Kickstarter: Search for "D100 Icosahedron Dice" on Kickstarter to support Mike’s project.
Be Awesome Together Reminder:
👉 Passion, persistence, and kindness are the keys to creative success.
👉 Help others be awesome, and we’ll all be awesome together!
