We recently connected with Joseph Marinick and have shared our conversation below.
Joseph, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am 32 years old and have done art shows for the past 10 years. I worked as an actor getting small gigs, extra work and some commercials. I also performed hip-hop music and I tried that Avenue as well. I, during this time I have, I was dealing with depression and anxiety, I was also drinking to help self soothe. Seven years ago, I tried taking my life four years ago I quit alcohol three years ago. My best friend was murdered two years ago I put myself in the detox program to get off benzodiazepine which I was on for 12 years And that same year I got certified to teach medical students the 12 cranial nerves physical examination. For the past two years, I have worked as a Uber driver in the morning which helps pay my bills and I work as a contract physical exam training associate at both Texas A&M and University of Houston medical school . I plan on going back to school part time until I get my degree. I don’t know exactly what I want to do but I want to focus in communication in a path of psychology. I say all that to say this at times it seems impossible for an artist dream to happen, but it does happen. Normally, it’s not overnight, though there are going to be ups and downs and rounds and rounds but during all of that, we should be growing , into the better version of our self that will be presented at the right time given the right opportunity. I feel like I am behind some times or are used to feel like I am behind sometimes but nowadays I know I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. Recently I submitted to art alliance Houston for a proposed grant idea , I’m waiting for word on that but in the meantime, I am still focused on helping people and of course paying my bills. It takes time to learn the balance, but just because you have a job doesn’t mean you can’t be creative anymore and sometimes that job is what is going to catapult us to our next destination.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I love working one on one with clients. This allows me to understand them fully. I am an intuitive person and I think this helps me generate multiple ideas quickly I am efficient and the tools that I use and I always think of the clients vision. I have worked on CD cases, tattoo, designs, clothing designs for other people I have been commissioned to do different types of paintings and now I’m looking forward to doing big murals in the city of Houston Texas. I am a self-taught artist at 17 years old. I got a felony for graffiti and after that, I told myself I will always try to do things the legal way. I once had a clothing line being made in the Philippines I love working on paintings, but I also enjoy design works illustration works with pen and pencil, I have practice in many different mediums and I am a quick learner
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
After 10 years of unsuccessful, breakthroughs in my artistic career, and after quitting alcohol, trying to commit suicide having to death, death of my best friend, I put myself in a detox program, two years ago to get off benzodiazepines, which I was on for 12 years constantly walked around with labels and shame The same year I got out of the hospital I was able to get certified to teach first year medical students I found out I was good at medicine and learning and memorizing my uncle who lives in Boston is Arthur. He commission me to sketch up a book cover idea for a book he was working on for the past three years. I knew this was my chance to slowly get back into the arts , after completing that a year and a half two years went by I got inspired by 24 x 36“ canvas that was at Walmart for $12 and I came up with this idea called the purple series including old-school cartoons. I finished for paintings. I learned a lot about the skills that I have refined, and with that I submitted those paintings to art alliance Houston for a grant proposal. During this time I was working with students, refining my knowledge and clinical skills in neurobiology anatomy, understanding the pathology‘s And at the same time taking care of some people in fifth Ward Texas life is about balance it’s about working hard and being honest and having self-awareness and understand what what motivates has a balance of empathy, social skills and emotional regulation are used to think I was so far behind and if I compare myself to others, it’s true, but if I compare myself to who I was five years ago, I am completely a new person that’s my story of resilience
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding aspect is being able to get in that flow state and create some things that I feel was already there from the beginning I didn’t come up with it it’s something I look forward to during a stressful week and even though no one knows about what I work on I know and I’m proud of it and it’s exciting to learn new things about myself and to try new things. Being a creative allows me to think outside the box with my divergent, thinking into slowly or hopefully converge onto idea that’s a deemed worthy of being a creative idea looking through my old series. I would always see if my depression in my subconscious or unconscious aspects of myself things I was ashamed of for the way that I was feeling.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://voyagehouston.com/interview/check-joseph-marinicks-artwork/
- Instagram: Josephmarinick
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ArtTherapyFromeHome