Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobby Delaney.
Hi Bobby, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been drawing and creating art for as long as I can remember, probably since I was about four years old.
One of my earliest memories is of my father drawing Mickey Mouse for my sister and me, doing his best impression of Mickey’s iconic “Ah-ha! Oh boy!” voice as he went. To this day, he’ll insist he can’t even draw a stick figure, but I can still vividly remember him drawing Mickey’s face and bringing that character to life right before my eyes. If I had to pinpoint the moment that first made me want to draw, I think that would be it. From there, I was rarely without a pencil, crayon, or sketchbook. I took art classes through our local park district, signed up for just about every art course I could throughout middle school and high school, and spent most of my free time drawing whatever captured my imagination. It didn’t take long for teachers and classmates to recognize me as “the art kid.” By senior year, I’d even been voted “Most Creative” by my graduating class, which was a pretty cool bit of validation for something I’d always just loved doing.
During my junior and senior years of high school, I enrolled in summer courses at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. By then, I’d decided I wanted to make a career out of creating art, which eventually led me to the American Academy of Art in Chicago, where I earned my BFA in Illustration in 2009. Though in 2008, before graduating, I landed an internship in Walgreens’ package design department. That experience introduced me to the commercial side of art and design and ultimately helped shape the direction of my career. Unfortunately, the financial crisis hit around that same time, and despite my supervisor’s best efforts, the company wasn’t able to bring me on full-time. Not exactly the ideal way to kick off a career! Haha.
The next several years were a bit of an adventure, filled with freelance projects, odd jobs, small victories, and plenty of uncertainty. I had opportunities to illustrate dot-to-dot and coloring books, and even created graphics for a celebration honoring Stan Lee at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. But my first major professional breakthrough came in 2017, when I joined Grunt Style, a patriotic apparel company. I started out developing social media graphics and marketing materials, eventually expanding into apparel design, illustration, and broader creative projects. The company relocated me to San Antonio, Texas, where I continued developing my skills and discovering just how much I enjoyed creating artwork that people could connect with and make part of their everyday lives.
All the while, I continued drawing and developing my personal artwork outside of work. During the pandemic in 2020, I began sharing more of that work on TikTok, building my first little audience of over a thousand followers. In 2021, another opportunity came along with a different apparel company, We The People Holsters. I took a leap of faith, joining as their creative lead and head designer. During my time there, I helped grow the company’s apparel business significantly, generating over $250,000 in sales during my first six months, followed by another $250,000 over the next six months. That opportunity also brought me to Phoenix, Arizona, a place I’d dreamed of calling home for nearly 20 years. Getting to finally make that happen was an accomplishment in itself.
Today, I’m working as a Creative Director for Retro Rifle, another apparel company, where I get to combine my background in illustration, design, storytelling, and product development. But outside of my professional career, I’ve been working toward something a little more personal. For most of my adult life, I’ve made a living helping other people bring their ideas, stories, and visions into the world. And while I genuinely love that work, I’ve started asking myself what might happen if I gave my own imagination that same level of attention, energy, and commitment.
That’s what I’m exploring now through BD3 Illustrations, creating original artwork, telling stories, following my curiosity, and finding ways to share those discoveries with others. One of those endeavors is my Elsewheres Mail Club, a monthly collection of art, stories, and curiosities delivered through the mail. It’s become a wonderful excuse to explore whatever strange, fascinating, or inspiring subject happens to catch my attention, and invite other people along for the journey. I suppose, in a lot of ways, I’m still that four-year-old kid watching his dad draw Mickey Mouse, completely fascinated by the idea that you can take a blank piece of paper and bring something wonderful into existence. The only difference is that now I’m hoping to share a little of that magic with somebody else.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! Haha. But then again, I don’t think the most interesting journeys ever are.
Growing up, I was a pretty awkward, imaginative kid who didn’t always feel like he fit in. I was bullied quite a bit, and for a long time, drawing became my escape. It was something I could disappear into, a place where praise came, instead of ridicule or criticism, and I could explore whatever fascinated me without worrying about whether I belonged, much less if I was doing it ‘right’, or ‘correctly’ or ‘good enough’. Eventually, that passion became a career, but making a living as an artist came with an entirely different set of challenges.
I graduated from art school right around the 2008 financial crisis, which was a pretty brutal time to be entering the workforce, especially in a creative field. Opportunities disappeared, plans fell apart, and I found myself having to rethink what I thought my future was going to look like before it had even really begun. There were periods of uncertainty, rejection, financial struggles, and plenty of moments when I questioned whether I was pursuing the right path. At one point, while living in Los Angeles, I came dangerously close to walking away from art altogether.
Thankfully, I didn’t. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some incredible people and brands, build a successful career, and create things I’m genuinely proud of. But one of the biggest challenges I’ve recently found is that I’ve spent so much of my professional life helping other people tell their stories, develop their ideas, and believe in their visions that somewhere along the way, I became hesitant to give my own ideas that same attention and commitment. It’s a strange thing to have the confidence to create something for a major brand, knowing thousands of people might see it, yet second-guess yourself when it comes to sharing something that’s entirely your own. I think a lot of artists struggle with that. There’s a certain vulnerability in creating something simply because it matters to you, without a client brief, a marketing objective, or somebody else’s approval to hide behind.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of it, it’s that you don’t have to have everything figured out to keep moving forward. Sometimes you just have to follow that little spark of curiosity and see where it takes you. Looking back, I’m grateful for how far I’ve come, including the difficult chapters. They’ve given me perspective, empathy, and a greater appreciation for the people who encouraged me along the way. I certainly wouldn’t call it a smooth road, and I doubt it ever will be. But I’ve come to realize that the detours, setbacks, and unexpected discoveries often make for the best stories. And thankfully, mine’s still being written.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in detailed, comic-inspired illustrations that blend nostalgia, whimsy, and storytelling. My work is heavily influenced by cinema, pop culture, nature, and the strange and wonderful things that have fascinated me since childhood. I love creating artwork that gives people a reason to look a little closer. Whether it’s a hidden Easter egg, a subtle reference, or some small detail that hints at a much larger story, I want viewers to feel like there’s always something more to discover.
Professionally, my work spans illustration, brand design, product development, and creative direction. Through Ninth Paddock Creative, I help businesses tell their stories and connect with their audiences through thoughtful design. Through BD3 Illustrations, I get to explore my own imagination, creating original artwork inspired by whatever happens to capture my curiosity. I’ve been fortunate enough to contribute to some incredibly successful products and creative campaigns throughout my career. I’m proud of those accomplishments, but what means the most to me is seeing how people respond to my artwork.
There’s something special about watching someone discover a tiny detail in an illustration and excitedly point it out to somebody else. It’s almost like watching a kid show off their favorite new toy, eager to share all the little things that make it so cool. Those moments remind me why I love doing this. I think what sets me apart is that I approach illustration as more than just creating an attractive image. I want to give people something to explore, something that sparks their imagination, brings back a memory, or makes them curious about what lies beyond the edges of the artwork.
That’s also the spirit behind my Elsewheres Mail Club (elsewheresmail.club), where I turn my curiosity into monthly collections of original art, stories, and unusual discoveries to share with others. Ultimately, I want my work to encourage people to rediscover that childlike sense of wonder we sometimes lose as we get older. To look closer, ask questions, and remember that there’s still an extraordinary amount of magic to be found in the ordinary world. If I can make someone feel like an excited eight-year-old again, even for a moment, I’ve accomplished something worthwhile.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I think what makes me happiest is seeing someone else genuinely happy, especially when I get to share in their excitement over something they’ve discovered, experienced, or accomplished. There’s something incredibly rewarding about watching someone’s face light up when they figure something out, achieve something they’ve worked hard for, or experience something wonderful for the first time. It’s that pure, almost childlike excitement that’s impossible not to get caught up in.
I love those moments. Whether it’s celebrating a loved one’s accomplishment, watching someone discover a new passion, or seeing somebody excitedly point out a little detail in one of my illustrations, there’s something special about being there to witness it. Of course, I find plenty of happiness in my own experiences too. Spending time with the people I love, exploring new places, watching a great movie they haven’t seen yet, learning something fascinating, or getting completely lost in a drawing. I’m a naturally curious person, so it doesn’t take much to send me down a rabbit hole. But I think the reason sharing those moments with others means so much to me is that happiness has a way of multiplying when it’s shared.
There’s a certain magic in watching someone realize they’re capable of something they didn’t think they could do, or discover something that changes the way they see the world. Getting to be a small part of those moments, whether I helped make them happen or was simply fortunate enough to witness them, makes me incredibly happy. And I suppose that’s a big part of why I create art in the first place. I want to make things that give other people a reason to feel that same excitement, curiosity, and wonder.
Pricing:
- Join Elsewheres Mail Club for $19.99/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bd3illustrations.com and https://www.whatnot.com/user/bd3illustrations
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bd3illustrations
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/bd3illustrations
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertdelaney3
- Other: https://www.elsewheresmail.club
