Gregg Palazzolo: Creative Titan
According to Gregg Palazzolo, texture is the most important principle in design. Whereas many would assume that texture means pattern or repetition, Gregg feels otherwise. True texture comes when you draw from a rich and diverse pool of inspiration. Like his grandparents who left Italy and embarked on a journey to a new land, Gregg has learned to enhance new endeavors by drawing on the texture that exists around him.
“The art of listening has become a secret weapon. That’s number one. Number two? Look at everything.”
Gregg’s talent was obvious at a young age. He recalls being entered in a specialty arts program at the age of three. His story, however, is not one of fate or immaculate genius; it’s a story about grit. Gregg is not one to presume that natural ability (though significant in his case) is enough to make one great. It’s grit (not just talent) that caused him to open his own commercial art business while still in art school. It’s grit that jumpstarted his success as a designer. It was grit that allowed Gregg to become great.
“Fail, flail, do all of the above. It adds texture to everything. That’s the forgotten design element. It’s not just a pattern. It’s the grit– the nuance that gets at you. It’s the human element.”
One might ask if grit is distributed fairly to everyone, and that’s a fair question. The immense value Gregg Palazzolo finds and extracts from his own heritage is undeniable. The stories passed down from his Italian father and Polish mother are rich with detail and fit for creative inspiration. The tales of winemakers, cheese producers, and goat shepherds who emigrated in search of a better life serve as the most marvelous food for thought. Nevertheless, it requires a certain strength of spirit to take the texture you’ve been handed and apply it to something productive. That’s what Gregg has done.
“I hire people who are kind, good, and interesting. And interesting tops the list.”
Above and beyond being the owner and founder of Palazzolo Design, Gregg has managed to find endeavors that are worthy of the texture he applies to them. He produced a book containing tens of thousands of photographic portraits for ArtPrize, he helped found a distillery, and he launched a food magazine, but not one of these things is really his end goal. Some people might be satisfied with reaching a level of success, but Gregg is in it for the texture. And texture is not just motivational. It’s not just the fuel that helps you accomplish a task. For Gregg, the texture itself is the reward. Like pages in a book, experiences in life are not simply a means to an end; they are an end unto themselves. Let’s do whatever we can to be like Gregg, and embrace the texture around us.
“Too many are missing out on the experience by finding the answer too quickly.”
Gregg Palazzolo is a revered creative citizen and the founder of Palazzolo Design in Ada, Michigan.
Joshua Best 