Meet Lanchen Mihalic | Cosmic Artist

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

Hi Lanchen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
To be totally honest I didn’t know it would even turn into a business, I was just doing it because it was something I enjoyed and was lucky enough the right people found my work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
From a young age I knew I wanted to create. Until age 18 I was dabbling in every creative hobby under the sun until I decided if I wanted to create forever, I would need a niche to guide me. That is how my space art was born. I already loved space, grew up watching the launches in Florida and dreamt of being an astronaut, so it just made sense. From there I chose to only paint impressionism space art because I didn’t want to create what was already discovered, I wanted to create what wasn’t. Not only was this an art form that resonated with my whole being but it also made my dream of being an astronaut feel real because through my art, I was able to explore the cosmos.

I wish I could say it happened fast, that I didn’t doubt myself and that it was easy, but that would be a lie. For 11 years now I have been painting space but it wasn’t until 2018 that my work started getting seen. It may seem like a long time but because I kept going I have become involved in science communication, have grown the space community and slowly but surely was able to share space with people in a new way. The one thing that the time has taught me is patience and persistence. Sometimes the right path isn’t the easy path.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely go to Zion National Park and camp because it consists of the most beautiful landscapes, best hiking and bortle 1, 2 skies for shooting astrophotography or star gazing. At 10am I would bike to the the Narrows for a nice calm hike, I would pack lunch to enjoy on the water and go swimming after. Around 3pm I would head into town, grab some food to cook over a fire for dinner, then head to set up camp. A couple hours before sunset I would hike up Angels Landing, this is one of my all-time favorite hikes I have ever done but it’s not for the faint of heart. Then after coming down I would head back to camp for some dinner, star gazing and astrophotography.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Big shout out to fellow space artist Cathrin Machin for talking me up at my lowest points and guiding me when I was lost. Without her, I would not be where I am today.

Website: lanchendesigns.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanchendesigns/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lanchen

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLepcl-iYtsfeJJLmj83dKg