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

Alright, Daniel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

In Miami, there are giant highway signs covered with tarps. Those road signs are meant to be uncovered when new highways are completed. However, after a hurricane one year, some tarps blew off and drivers exited the highway on roads that were not yet paved. Cars got stuck in sand and rocks and emergency vehicles had to pull them out. It was an example of official signage telling the wrong message.
I connected that experience with words that defined me for many years. People whom I admired, and I considered an authority, told me I was limited and inferior in ways that eventually proved to be flat wrong. Limitations and fears from others were impressed on my young mind, generating incorrect thoughts that developed into bad behaviors. My identity became so distorted I eventually sought help from an excellent pastor friend and some great therapists.
My Signs of Life public art series is a personal response to messages that pull us onto the wrong path from perceived authority. The Signs are directional indicators with messages that speak to the heart. Phrases like “Forgive Yourself Today” and Keep All Your Promises” arranged in the form of road signs are placed throughout South Florida. The intention is for viewers to internalize the messages, contemplating them as true directives.

Daniel, 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?

My art practice includes studio projects as well as commercial projects. The Signs of Life series, mentioned above, along with exhibitions of paintings and public artworks are ventures that satisfy my desire for personal expression. The set designs I create for network television broadcasts are a special kind of skill I developed while working in the media. My two disciplines, studio and commercial art, are interrelated. I play with the perception of reality in each instance. A television studio set design is meant to look great on camera. It is constructed to appear permanent and solid, when in fact, much of the scenery is lightweight and built for temporary use. What we perceive on television is an illusion of reality composed within a screen. In my studio exhibition work, I flip that perception and question the reality of personal beliefs and corresponding behaviors.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I spend my early mornings in prayer asking for direction from God Himself. My faith in Him is what got me through difficult seasons in life. When I was dealing with a distorted identity, addictions, self-defeating behaviors, and career struggles, I turned to God and received healing, forgiveness, and guidance. I’m constantly under construction. I believe “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called in agreement with His purpose for them”. It’s a ancient Bible verse with a prescient reminder to lean on the one who is so in love with you, he gave his life for you. He offers peace in the middle of the battles. Trusting in God’s father love for me is a daily step of faith. I see evidence of his love in my family, my children, my career, and my relationships.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Being a father and a university professor makes me aware of how I influence people. I allow my art to be ambiguous enough to invite personal interpretation. However, my point of view is decidedly God-centered. My perception of God as a good father who loves me and wants to lead me to my best possible life is shaped by the Bible. My work is a form of grateful worship, a visible parallel to my Christian faith.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.danielmarosi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniel.marosi.studio/?igsh=czRqamUwYzF2cmIz
• Other: Commercial Design Studio https://www.creativeorder.info/

Image Credits

Matt Horton Photography