We recently connected with Nicholas Marino and have shared our conversation below.
Nicholas, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I have been a self-taught artist since the earliest age I could remember, which was around four years old. I take influence from my father because he, too, was self-taught and later in life, took some art courses at his university. He would show me art work he completed in college using various techniques such as wood carving portraits, charcoal drawings of famous celebrities and we had two large drawings in the house that he hand drew of the town he grew up in and the Vatican City. Other influences became my maternal aunt who was an interior designer and allowed me to work summers for her, so I was exposed to various fabrics, textures and design work looking through magazines. As I grew older, my mother would take my brother and I to the Newark and Montclair Museums and I would often be fascinated by the paintings, Victorian-era staged rooms and different activities they had running at the time.
I am happy with the speed that I learned my art because I believe art should be a natural process and should not be rushed. It should be something where you (as the artist) are comfortable in your own space and at the same time, challenging yourself or taking risks to expand your skill set. I am a firm believer of the ‘Me versus Me’ concept and I am the largest obstacle that has maybe gotten in the way of my success early on. I did not open myself at the time to the idea that if an opportunity did not exist, I would pave my own path and make my own mark. On the flipside, the most essential skills I used was being resourceful enough to always have supply — whether it was acrylic paints, charcoal and lead pencil, clay erasers and sketch pads.
Nicholas, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a contemporary artist from Belleville, NJ specializing in 2D artwork and have experience in canvas work, community mural collaboration, character design and creating natural art using natural resources. My upbringing and roots of culture and tradition played a key role into who I became as a young man into a budding adult artist who had a deep-rooted passion for the arts and telling a story through each piece I created. I pride myself in using bright, vibrant colors that compliment one another and spread peace, love, kindness and inspiration to the viewers eyes. When working with a client to meet their needs, it is important to first understand what body of work they want, how they want the design or body to look, if there is any colors or subject they may not like and the size of the work one is commissioning for. With the world of social media, most of my jobs are earned through word-of-mouth or through messaging on my Instagram or Facebook account.
As I have grown and expanded over the years, I began to challenge myself by focusing on ink-based and lead-based portrait drawings. On my Instagram account (@the.mtv8r), you will find sketch and tribute series I have completed throughout the month. While I am not an artist full-time, I find every possible moment to create art –whether it is with a pencil, pen, paint, stones, tiles, leaves or water and dirt. My second Instagram account (@always.strive.to.elevate.life) showcases my photography of graffiti art throughout NJ; though I have shot bodies of work in Miami, FL, Providence, RI, Rime and Florence, Italy and NYC. To me, art is the gateway of expression and it is one of the greatest freedoms we have where the Earth is our canvas and our mind is the medium. When you choose me as your artist to commission a piece of your liking, you are receiving authenticity, creativity and you will be an active participant in the collaboration of the body of work you desire and want.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I got to college, I was dead-set on wanting to major in Biology and become a Physical Therapist who would work with a local professional sports team. The reason being was that I played soccer from the moment I came out my mother’s belly and I am pretty sure when they ran a blood test, I bunch of soccer balls and cleats were showing (haha). Well, I found out pretty early on in college, that Biology would not work out for me because I could not balance out playing collegiate soccer, carrying a full schedule and did not realize all the science classes required. I don’t say this often, but science is not my strength and I really was failing early on. I had a discussion with my soccer coach that I wanted to focus on academics and thankfully, he supported this decision to quit the one sport I loved and focus on my education. My mother had encouraged me to major in Social Work, but I knew that future would lead me to being overworked and underpaid, so I found a similar path and declared my major as Psychology with a minor in Health Education. I came to learn quickly that this was going to be the field of interest for me and I had a variety of career paths I could choose from when that time came. I am proud to say I graduated in three years and found myself in a position where I had no choice but to seek a higher degree.
My girlfriend (now wife of 12 years) encouraged me to apply for graduate school and I decided to take that leap of faith. I attended a Health Psychology program in Philadelphia which was supposed to be an 18 to 24-month program. The biggest challenge at the time was working my full-time day job, driving two hours south to Philly for two classes twice a week in the summer from 5p to 10p, then drive back home after class and do it again the next day. I met some nice teachers and classmates and got a wonderful experience; however I knew I had to be closer to home because the emotional and physical toll it took on me would require me to be closer to home. So that fall, I applied to my undergraduate university for their graduate program in Psychology and was accepted for the spring semester. Long story short, I really enjoyed my time in the program because I was pursuing a career that I believed would set me up for a lucrative and rewarding future. I found myself in challenging and many ‘first’ situations (i.e., facilitating groups and counseling college freshmen weekly, developing lesson plans, creating presentations, networking with others, etc.). All-in-all, when the challenge presented itself, despite all my anxiety and worries, despite whether I won or was defeated, I took every encounter and opportunity as a lesson that would shape me into the counselor I am today.
Whether you are a creative or not, you have a talent, you have a strength and it’s okay if you switch your life plan two, three or four times. Just be happy doing what you choose!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Support your local arts and small businesses! Art is shown to increase the value of communities, invoke conversations, foster collaborations with community members and stakeholders and creatives thrive off one another. Rather than shun artists and their message, within reason, embrace the love that an artist wants to bring to your home, your community, your place of business or nature around you. In past encounters, I have come across the challenge where towns don’t want to invest money into artists who wish to beautify there neighborhood and bring to life decrepit spaces that are becoming an eye sore to community members who have to live in these environments. We as artists are hungry to spread our talent and we are often seeking wall space where someone believes in who we are, what our mission is and our own personal growth.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: One account is @the.mtv8r. The second is @always.strive.to.elevate.life
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/N10Fit
- Other: I have a blog page that I run on my own and write blog articles. I will be updating the page with new articles; however feel free to explore and take a deep dive into my world as an artist, parent, fitness enthusiast, advocate and motivational human.
Please visit: https://n10fitnessblog.wordpress.com/
