In this first episode of The Real World Exit, I interview long time friend A.J. Miller - an interdisciplinary artist who is based in Syracuse, New York. Backstory: Originally from Indiana, he graduated from an all-male institution, Wabash College, where he cultivated his curiosity about the world of art. Before honing in on his practice, he researched West African Contemporary Art and studied under world renowned painter & sculptor Kofi Setorji in Akuapim-Mampong, Ghana. Miller is currently an MFA candidate at Syracuse University, where he is developing his thesis and vision for his craft. His performance-based artworks are nostalgically off-beat and reminiscent of his vulnerable experiences and struggles in his childhood state of Indiana. Miller’s work explores the human experience through mature yet playful fascinations, a cathartic exercise in which he forms a new relationship with himself once his creation has been embodied. This morbid and experimental approach has defined A.J.’s artwork to be an unorthodox setting to discover one’s self, yet a condition that aims to heal inwardly inflicted wounds. Miller has been no stranger to criticism and judgment during his artistic path. In this episode, he touches on his experiences of judgment and how vulnerability is a power that we all possess yet fear.