We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mark Wilson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

I’ve always wanted to be an artist and I always wondered how I’d ever be able to make a living doing it because my work was never going to be as professional as what I saw out there. Creatively, I had the mindset but technically I was miles from being at that level. The only commission job I ever had prior to my first real job was for my brothers best friend who wanted a logo for his burger-joint idea that he had called “moose burgers” when I was 13.

I was excited to finally have someone with some kind of interest in my work. It might’ve been charity because. respectfully it was my brother’s best friend. I illustrated a burger with moose antlers on it. Technically, I don’t think it counts because he paid me with ice cream from 31 flavors rather than any kind of currency. My brother gave me a hard time about it and said, “You’re never gonna make it in this industry if you short sell yourself.” Fast-forward to 1998, i was 27 and had just discovered the magical world of Photoshop and digital technology. I got my first job through a friend for a company called 411 digital in which I illustrated chapter headings for each chapter of the magazine. I had free range to get as creative as I wanted and through this project, I learned Photoshop on my own. But I didn’t expect l the daunting task of how long it would take each graphic to do. I spent the entire day making sure that I got it right, out there and on time for the client. I didn’t want to miss any opportunities that might follow. That led me to go to college and learn all about Technology to sharpen my skills and get that professional look that I was always looking for. The pay was low but the work was everything to a kid who had no experience WHATSOEVER other than earning and ice cream cone.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up in Burbank with my twin. He was the analytical one. I was the creative one and I knew all I really wanted to do was draw even when I didn’t even know that it was a choice to make a living doing so. I just enjoyed it, and I was inspired immensely by Mad magazine and the peanuts, I wanted to create my own world of characters. Materials were my biggest struggle. I’ve heard horror stories of me using my dirty diapers to make art on the walls. Eventually, my mom would buy me some real materials like crayons, pencils, and some paper completely forgetting the idea that doody could be a medium to work in. And the drawing hasn’t stopped. But it was never easy for me growing up as I had to overcome dyslexia and ADHD. My twin was very smart and athletic- he had everything going on and he was my idol, but I knew I wasn’t anything like him. I had to make my own way and I did it through my art. I struggled through school due to my disabilities, and instead of focusing on the task at hand, english, math, history- whatever it might be, I chose to take a detour in class and draw the period away. If drawing didn’t suit me, I would write short stories. If that didn’t suit me I would come up with “Lists”. Memorizing all the Super Bowls, memorizing all the best pictures, memorizing all the presidents. None of this was on the curriculum, but it was my own way of learning something in a methodical way. Maybe it was my way of dealing with my ADHD but not having the pressure to learn ALL they wanted me to in a single day. I literally would break out in a cold sweat when Math stared me in the face. I know I had the capabilities of getting really good grades it was just too much information in one day. I didn’t have the confidence or focus to balance all of that. So I was behind always and had to go to summer school to catch up. Oh yes, in summer school I was an A+ number one student. Why? because I had two periods to deal with and I could focus. Then, it was back to the daunting task of regular school in which they throw seven periods at you that became an avalanche of information overload. I just wanted to read my mad magazines draw my cartoons and come up with cool stories. It wasn’t till my senior year in high school when I met one of the greatest people I ever knew, and who would become my best friend, Dana Anderson. He was brilliant at acting writing, and just being one of those guys who everybody loved, and he treated everybody with mutual respect. Nobody was above him. Nobody was below him. He was everybody’s person and he took me under his wing when I met him in 1989 as the choreographer of our high school production of ‘Grease’. That year changed my life forever. He gave me the confidence to believe in myself and kept reiterating the brilliance in the work that he saw me create. When he saw all the cartoons littered all over the walls and hanging from the ceilings -everything that I created from scratch, he knew I was different from all of his other friends and that there might be a potential talent that he never seen before. And from then on his goal was to build my confidence as a person and illustrator.

I created books for him once a month for a good 10 straight years. Always pushing the envelope to get better and better. More creative and more original. Every book I created him had a twist of something unique. Something he pushed me to do. Pop-up books, Super pop-up books with multiple layers like the old Disney animation panes. Glow in the dark books, Game-board books where you spin the wheel and it tells you where to go next in the story. a book made about a woman fighting hunger and loneliness, where she made her friend out of food because she was lonely, yet. Kept eating her friend because she was hungry. I was still rough around the edges, but I had the clear path to become a professional illustrator and make unique art and stories. I just had to keep creating something that wasn’t written or illustrated. To this day, I think my detail work and facial expressions in my characters has a lot to do with my development through those books back in the 1990s. I created roughly 50 unpublished, undigitized, home-made books. He went as far as even coming up with award shows after every 10 books called the Willy awards (slang for Wilson) just like the Oscars.
We had Best book, Best cover, best cameo appearance, best lead characters, funniest page…so on and so forth, he made a big production out of my silly books that I made him once a month- but man, what an important path that took me to get where I am today. earning to make books on a whole concept to print level. Not just illustrating, but writing, compositing, preflighting for print. the whole kitten-kabootle! And I still do today.

I finally went to school at Platt College in Eagle rock, CA to learn about technology. Photoshop, illustrator, Quark and eventually indesign and lightwave. I graduated at the top of my class and became a substitute teacher for the same school I just graduated from. I found my niche and my confidence, and I was ready to make a living as a graphic designer. I was the art director for Life Alert, “Help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Company. I got to be part of that iconic brand. I worked side-by-side with the owner of the company, who told me if I’m ever gonna make real money in this industry, I should become an illustrator and not just a graphic designer. I took those words to heart and decided to go focus on just that. It wasn’t until I met Hayley Rose in 2011, the cousin of my girlfriend at the time who connected me to a publisher Inkwell productions. I couldn’t believe it. I actually worked for a publisher. Now I had a steady flow of illustration work. This was a dream come true. I’ve met a lot of clients through the publishing company and still work with them today. This was a valuable part of my life as well, learning deadlines, and focus on my work. I made early graphic designer mistakes, but I learned along the way. I used meditation to help me focus on the task at hand. Something I wish I had back in school. But everything happens for a reason and it happens at the right time. even today when I illustrate, I use the meditation music to put me into a focus mode. If I’m drawing something scary, I’m listening to scary music. If I’m drawing something funny it’s gonna be funny music. The music opens the feel of what I’m drawing. Eventually, I went entirely digital and did everything from my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. I learned Procreate before it ever blew up into the juggernaut it is today. It became so vital to know how to draw on tablets as any artist would agree. Time is money and digital art allows artist to flow freely without worrying about mistakes being made and erase marks ripping holes into your sheet from 30 revised additions of a facial expression. Thank you technology. We artist can now flow through layers and undo buttons. And with the iPad we have the freedom to work anywhere! with music we can focus, with social media we can connect. We now live In an amazing time to be artists. Even if the competition is greater and more exposed than ever. It’s also a time where anybody can make a living and a life through art. I moved to Westerville, OH in 2017 where I now live with my sole mate and wife, Jenn Rider who is equally as creative and off the wall weird as I am. Her two daughters (Kori & Macy) are artist as well. The creative environment flows well through my household and I wouldn’t want it any other way. My Mother, Nancy (we call her Mumzee) just turned 90 and also lives with us in a our big creative, home. She has been the sweetest and kindest sole you will ever meet.

I have been working on my own series of children’s books for 10 years and so close to its release. The Milky Way kids. A story about the planets of our solar system learned through story where the planets are the students that go to the Milky Way elementary school to learn about themselves. An idea I had way back in the 90s. I wanted to make sure the words, feel and look of the book was just right. Details and expressions for characters is the strength of my work. Apart from working on clients projects, the Milky Way kids were always in the wings being created along the way, which might’ve taken longer due to the fact that I always put clients works ahead of my own. I’ve always offered fair prices, especially for writers just starting out. I’ve been down the path of struggle. I understand the obstacles it takes to get your dream story to fruition. Relationships are everything in the crazy business of design and art. Relationships with your author, printers, editors, customers and even the haters all make a difference in one’s career moving forward. I choose to be open and fair on all accounts.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Being seen and staying relevant is the struggle most artist deal with. The field is abundantly fast and can be scary. Staying positive and focusing on your own work while appreciating others works of art can be a big help to all artists. It’s a community of minds that drives the big creative machine to flow abundantly for all of us. I have been guilty of the rabbit-hole-scroll. Scrolling mindlessly through reels at a mind numbing pace to the point where even the reels I laugh at are still being scrolled on without a share or like by me. So share, share, share. If not; then like like like. There is no end for the success of illustrators online as long as their work is getting eyes on them and being recognized.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Authenticity is my motto. What has yet to be created? And if it has, show a different point of view. The artist point of view is the best because it comes from a place of authenticity. We are driven and captivated by the human mind. So why wouldn’t our curiosity peek when we open our minds with complete vulnerability and show us who we are through art. I bring that to a lot of authors. Bringing their dreams to fruition and experiencing the joy when kids take in the story from a world you helped create. Feels amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Markerdoodle.com
• Instagram: @markerdoodles
• Facebook: @mark-sean
• Linkedin: @Mark Wilson
• Twitter: Markwil19283963
• Youtube: @markdesigns2011
• Other: IG: TheWeekkySpectacle

Image Credits

John and Jenny Janezic, Hayley Rose, Lisa Von Felden, Rodo Sofranac, William Smitherman Sr., Bryan Miller, Louie the Roach