We recently connected with Breeze Marcus and have shared our conversation below.
Breeze, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I began the path to a full time career as a visual artist in 2005. For the first 10 years I struggled hard to make ends meet. What i was aware of in the very beginning is was i didnt have the knowledge or lived experience of what it takes to be in business for myself. I definitely had to learn on the run. Over time i learned from a lot of failures, but also from examples and other individuals around me who were mentors and guides.
What it really takes is building your network, visibility, self discipline, hard work, professionalism, and being consistent in your practice of making artwork. Last but not least, do it because you love it. Make the work about something bigger than yourself.
Breeze, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a full time visual artist. I have a background in writing graffiti. I transitioned into creating public murals as well as a full time fine art and studio practice. I come from the Phoenix area by way of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa reservation just outside of town. Our ancestral roots run deep in the Phoenix area. We are the original inhabitants with a history dating back 10,000 years.
The fine art on canvas and murals on walls that i make are a contemporary voice of the ancestral past. It’s a voice that bridges past, present and future. The work is created to give the people from my reservation communities a sense of identity in a large city where we are almost always invisible. The work reflects the long standing history and resilience of the Akimel O’odham and Tohono O’odham tribes of the area.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Being brown. Being Native/Indigenous. Being a reflective voice for the under represented.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When we were young, we ran in the streets of Phoenix painting and writing graffiti. In the sub culture of graffiti it is all about going against the grain and rebellion. It’s taking huge risks to channel the creative fire that we inherently carry as human beings.
So many times we encountered troubles with not only law enforcement, but other dangerous situations where we risked life and limb.
Those difficult moments created a tough skin for a lot of us. It molded us into fearless and self determined individuals with a calculated sense of how to navigate tough situations in life.
For that, i am grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.breeze1phx.com
- Instagram: breeze1phx
Image Credits
Photos by Breeze