There’s a version of this story where Tony Knapton has all the answers.

He doesn’t. And that’s what makes it worth telling.

Tony is the founder of Radry Golf, a brand he describes as a never-ending art project disguised as a golf company. He makes apparel, figurines, and products, anything he can put his creative golf spin on. He started it seven years ago when he got serious about the game and couldn’t find a single brand in the space that felt remotely interesting. So he built one.

What he didn’t anticipate was the tug of war that comes with it.

Only about 10 percent of his time is actually spent creating. The rest is the business. The logistics, the decisions, the noise that comes with trying to turn a passion into something real. He’ll be the first to tell you it would probably be easier to keep art as a hobby. But that’s not the point. The point is waking up and doing the thing he thinks about.

“I’ve got this voice in my head that demands perfection,” he says. “I overthink things to the point of not doing them.”

Painting became the antidote. You can’t Command Z your way out of a mistake on canvas. You commit to the stroke and you live with it. He’s learning to embrace the imperfections. That lesson, he says, extends well beyond the studio.

One of his most personal pieces is a painting of classic lawn chairs. Colorful. Nostalgic. A reminder to lift his head up from the work. Because time moves fast when your head is down, and one day you look up and your daughter is getting braces and you can’t figure out where your little girl went. That part makes him emotional and he doesn’t try to hide it.

In January of 2023, Tony’s father-in-law was diagnosed with ALS. He and his family were living in Austin at the time. They moved back to Wisconsin immediately. Watching someone disappear from that disease does something to you. It makes mortality concrete. It reorders priorities. It makes you want to do the things you keep saying you’ll do someday, now, while you can.

“I try to honor him as best I can in the decisions I make and how I live my life,” Tony says. “My art reflects all of that.”

He’s now building a space in his hometown. A run club, golf simulators, co-working, a gallery for his work, a place for people to gather and build real relationships. Austin had a creative energy he misses. If that energy doesn’t exist where he is, he’ll create it himself. That’s the mentality.

He’s still in the middle of it. Trying to be the best dad while also showing his kids that passion can become a life if you’re willing to do the hard work. Trying to figure out what success actually means. Is it financial freedom? Is it making it to his kid’s kindergarten graduation at one in the afternoon? He’s not sure. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Maybe the beauty is in not having the answer yet.

“Some days are better than others,” he says. “And it’s all reflected in my art. I’m just trying to figure it out.”

So is the rest of us.

Watch Tony’s full story in our latest Go West film. Tell your friends.