Episode 257: Painting Big, Thinking Bigger with Amanda Danae Hilsabeck
This week on The Mike & Tony Show, we welcome Amanda Danae Hilsabeck — muralist, marketing advisor, and creative force behind Mighty Fine Artistry — who somehow also proves (once again) that Mike knows everyone and will randomly run into them in places that make no sense.
Amanda takes us through her journey from jaw-dropping, hyper-realistic pet portraits (seriously… they’re unfairly good) to large-scale murals and what she calls “mural activation” — where art meets branding and businesses actually learn how to use their murals instead of just… having them. From a massive American flag mural in a gym to an emotional family portrait of people who’d never all been together at once, her work is both impressive and meaningful.
She also brought her hetero lifemate Aubrey, who is quietly hilarious and jumps into the mix as we spiral into conversations about perfectionism (Tony feels very seen), why unfinished art and songs haunt your soul, and why Victor, Colorado suddenly sounds like somewhere we all need to move immediately.
Elsewhere in this episode:
Mike ties (and wears) his first-ever bow tie thanks to YouTube
We talk gyms, workouts, and health-tracking devices judging us silently
Sports talk hits all the majors: football, basketball, baseball
Chipotle and Starbucks are both adding protein menus… which raises questions
We debate whether the 1970s might be the greatest music decade ever (yes, Karen Carpenter enters the chat)
And we wrap it all up with our Top Five Christmas Songs, because why not?
Art, marketing, music, murals, muscle, and mild chaos — this one’s got range.
👉 Follow Amanda: @mightyfineartistry
🎨 Mighty Fine Artistry
🎙️ You know the deal — hit play.
Cheers!
m&t
