Meet Gary Traczyk | Firefighter and Sculptor

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

Hi Gary, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born on Homestead Air Force Base. I grew up on a military base until the age of 7. We then moved to Italy and I spent 5 years living in a small town outside of Venice. During this time, our family spent a lot of time visiting museums and traveling throughout Italy and Europe. I was exposed to all of this beautiful art at such a young age and it impacted me in many ways. I also was involved with martial arts. This was the first year I moved to Italy. I was part of a dojo during my 5 years in Italy. This played an important part in many ways which helped give me discipline and motivation to succeed. I attended the New World School of Arts for theater. My background in martial arts helped me in different roles I played during school. The unique thing about my past is that I was studying theater and performing arts but became a sculptor later in life. Martial arts also played a major role during my college years since I always had the desire to become a sensei and teach. During my four years at FSU, I received two bachelor degrees (Finance and Multi National Business Marketing) and also my black belt in Cuong Nhu, a Vietnamese martial art form. Studying martial arts has made me a better person. We had the philosophy of “Open Heart, Open Mind and Open Arms.” I carry this today when I mentor kids in art and also becoming firefighters. Physically, martial arts helped me stay in shape while I became a professional firefighter.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I create stainless steel kinetic sculpture. It’s mirror polished and brushed. The movement is created with a slight touch and the sculpture moves for several minutes. I started about 25 years ago. I learned some of my form from a friends father and I spent many years studying different sculptors. Alexander Calder, Jose De Rivera, George Rickey to name a few. I spent over five years working on my sculptures before displaying it at an art show. The ride to where I am at today is what shaped me. There were many times where I failed but picked up the pieces and learned from my mistakes. There were times when I worked a 24 hour shift then drove straight to NY without sleeping. Only to do a show and not sell anything and then drive back to Miami after the weekend! There is nothing easy about becoming a professional artist. While creating, you can say that is the easy part. But that isn’t the tip of the iceberg! Where are you going to get your supplies? When you finish a piece, can you display it or show it at a gallery or art show? Who is going to represent you? Are you going to represent yourself? If you represent yourself, what art shows should you do? Should you do outdoor shows? Should you do indoor shows with galleries? How are you going to market your work? Who will book all of your travel and who will do your expenses? Who will manage your costs associated with creating and traveling to shows? Should you go back to school and get a BFA or MFA? That is just to name a few questions you have to ask yourself. It goes on and on! You have to have a burning desire and hunger along with drive to succeed in the art world. When I mentor younger artists I cannot teach grit and drive. That has to come from within. I really love the art world and I have a deep integrity to it. I am very disciplined and cognizant about how I price my work and who will show it. There are going to be some tough times and great times throughout your creative growth. Embrace the failures and learn from them. Never be negative on your path. For example, I have done shows and didn’t sell anything. The way I look at it is that I give out hundreds of cards and I was marketing and talking to people about my creations. We create to share! I love to tell people that “I’m an overnight success! After 20 years and one night!” I also love joking with my friends and telling them “You know how to make a million dollars in the art world? Start with 2 million!” One of my favorite sayings is “If you don’t like the way something looks, change the way you look at it.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love taking friends out on the boat and showing them Miami from a different perspective. I also like taking people to local restaurants in my neighborhood. That would be APizza Brooklyn in Pinecrest and Salumeria in Coral Gables. I also enjoy going to Coconut Grove and Wynwood. There are many places to eat such as Mister 01, Sushi Garage, Uchi in Wynwood, Kyu and Le Chick. That is just to name a few. There are about 100 more places that are great and I can’t even name them! A new place that opened recently is Bayshore Club in Coconut Grove. That is on the water and used to be called Scotty’s. The list is endless. Miami is a great city and very dynamic. I love everything about this city! There is something to do every night of the week!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been impacted in many ways by many people. My mother has been the driving force and has shaped me into the man I am today. Also, my wife and son understand the discipline I need to succeed in the art world and give me so much support and love. All of my family and friends have supported me and continue to do so. It’s all about family and friends!

Website: kineticsteel.com

Instagram: @kineticsteel

Facebook: Gary Traczyk Kineticsteel Sculpture

Image Credits
Personally shot images. The one of the booth was shot by Shanin Photography