We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Davy Marr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Davy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
Being a creative can be difficult in the current environment and society that we live in today. Consistency and follow-through are easily the most important avenues for creating a successful life in the creative arts. I’ve always held the belief that it’s important to extend you metaphoric branches as wide as you can in order to make a living creating art. You’ve got to reach into every depth of your creative self to produce whatever you can unabridged. First, you make the art. Then, you keep making the art. Finally, you have to be bold. You’ve got to ask for the money. There is no sell-out, and being cool or mysterious doesn’t pay, which means that you are free to charge what you believe you are worth for your art. When I was first starting out as an actor before I joined SAG-AFTRA every time I auditioned for a role and booked it I would bargain up my daily rate to make sure that I could get a wage that was worth working for. I lost a few jobs because of it, but the ones I did get, always paid what I believed I was worth at the time. That helped me to establish dignity with-in myself as a professional. Once you truly believe that you are a professional you begin to treat you creativity like a career which only bolsters your value as a creative. Luckily I have an agent and manager who manage all my deal making now, but I did the work when I had to and because of that I’ve been able to make my living for 10 years as a creative. Deal-making can be uncomfortable but it’s necessary. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for more money, the worst someone can say is no.
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’m an artist, an actor, a painter, a poet, and art collector. My most notable works are generally from TV shows like “Gaslit” and “SWAT” and a number of national commercials. I’ve also done dozens of independent projects most of which are available on streaming platforms.
I’ve recently started a pop-up skateboard shop called Davy Boards which has popped up at cities in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Michigan. You can find the pop-up skateboard shop occasionally at the Los Feliz Flea (3939 Tracy Street, Los Angeles, CA) on various Saturdays selling customized boards built for city cruising all with my original artwork. Check us out!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Absolutely! A few years ago I ended up having more time on my hands then I generally like to have. Anyone who might be in show business can relate. Sometimes your schedule is packed and sometimes it’s empty. I’ve always loved this quote by Elbert Hubbard it goes something like “If you want work well done, select a busy person- the other kind has no time.” Meaning that busy people stay busy, so when your not, you’ve got to find a way to get there. At the time I had been contemplating ways to sell my visual art which I had kept to myself for years. After traveling a bit and doing a ton of research I decided that I wanted to put my art on something that could be useful. My art hadn’t been selling as stand alone pieces and this felt like a great way to get it out there, so I created a skateboard company. So far sales have been good and I’m very much enjoying the dual creative jobs. I’ve even started a few new companies since that are still in development but am excited to get of the ground. Idle time is the perfect time to create something new and further your passions and career endeavors. If you have to have a problem in life, the best problem to have is to be physically exhausted. Ill take that over bored or unfulfilled any day.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Inspire people to get out there and have creative experiences. It’s the dawn of the virtual age, which means it’s easy to forget how important in-person experiences are. “Art is an experience.” to quote my dear friend “Everybody The Artist” so, situations have to be created in order for people to experience the art. It’s important that society finds creative ways to inspire community building otherwise we’ll all just become a bunch of individuals disconnected from each other. I think that means finding space to bring art to the public in ways that are accessible. The street art movement has done a lot to help inspire this but I think there is a huge hole in the way we make, view, and understand art. That’s a whole other philosophy that unfortunately I don’t think I have the time to explain in this interview though. Society is built on people, its not separate from it. I suppose that means that community building rests on our shoulders, so get out there, find the space, invite the people, and give them an experience they’ll never forget.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6617580/
- Instagram: @davyskateboards
- Facebook: @davy.etc
- Other: davyjmarr.com