Something different

POWELL - Michael Seib had lost his job, his car and was losing control. The musician and artist was in a free fall.

After a sterling high school experience, he was accepted to a prestigious university in Southern California. That's when he lost control.

"It was almost off the rails, you know. I was drinking a lot and just partying and gambling," he said. "I wasn't living up to my potential."

He descended into addiction, eventually falling in with a group of musicians who felt inebriation sparked creative juices.

"I self medicated - a lot of times we don't know that's what we're doing," he said, adding it was a time when drugs and alcohol made him feel "normal" due to deep-seeded anxieties.

"You're in that tunnel for a long time, but you don't even realize [it]," he said.

Then he saw two of his musician friends drink themselves to death. He knew he needed a change. He entered a rehabilitation treatment facility, desperate to free himself from the grips of drugs and alcohol.

"It was like taking a deep breath when I went into detox. It was like, I really needed to make this mental switch big time," he said. "It was like a whole new world."

More than two years later, he found himself in Cody; moving closer to his mother and stepfather who had built a home and life in the cowboy town. He was sober and excited about creating art.

Clients challenged him to paint wildlife-themed pieces, but he had something different in mind.

"I want to have freedom to create," he said.

A multimedia artist, Seib began to mix drawings and paintings with computer graphics to create a portfolio revealing his unique vision. It's a mix of abstract and representational work that's not typical of northwest Wyoming.

Each piece has a story to tell, he said. He calls his new portfolio Visions of Freedom - about 50 pieces that he has made while sober.

He is putting his art out there, which takes guts, but he is handling the anxiety (that comes with going public with your vision) with hard work and spending time outdoors with his hobbies.

"Art is subjective. You don't know how good it is. You don't know if you're expressing what you want to express," he said.

He is receiving encouragement as folks are finally seeing his artwork.

He began selling prints at area farmers' markets and joined the Cody Country Art League. He worked in collaboration with Billings artist Brian Timmer on a mural for the Billings Industrial Revitalization District, Inc., a nonprofit that administers the East Billings Urban Renewal District.

His hard work and sobriety have paid dividends as he receives more exposure.

Currently Seib's art is the October featured gallery at the Powell branch of First Bank of Wyoming, free to view through the end of the month.

"The show is great for the bank and the community," said Samantha Gullickson, branch support specialist at First Bank of Wyoming and organizer of the monthly art shows. "It's something you don't see often around here."

However, art wasn't paying the bills for Seib, so he eventually landed a job in the meat department at the local Albertsons. He's learning a new trade while supporting his art and saving for a studio where he can make a mess and a lot of noise without disturbing the neighbors.

At 39, his life is once again on track to live up to his full potential. His search for freedom is ongoing - he runs into triggers to challenge his sobriety often. Yet, the new version of Michael Seib is in control and he is seeking his inspiration without alcohol.