We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marco Paul. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marco below.

Hi Marco, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

The first question is: Am I happy?
And what, truly, is happiness?
It is not a permanent state—no, it is fleeting, a momentary shimmer across the surface of the self.
I know I can train myself to touch that serene place, though I haven’t quite arrived there.
Even then, I question whether that calm would match the definition of happiness I was once taught.

For years, I misunderstood—and probably still misunderstand—happiness.
Its meaning dwells in constant mutation.
I believed it was something to be earned, something to be seized—from the most primal needs like air, water, and the delight of a rich meal,
to the most ornate desires: playing a Chopin nocturne with grace, amassing wealth to voyage into distant lands in search of a hermit sage who might whisper the secrets of existence.

The thread that ties all these dreams together is simple:
I’ve always looked for happiness outside myself.
Waiting for a client’s payment to feel worthy, or for my next album to be complete so I can feel whole—
but the moment of joy never lingers. It flickers, and then it’s gone.
Like life itself—it rises and falls, and in the end, disappears.

And before that fleeting joy ever arrives, I dwell in a house built of longing.
Desire, anxiety, frustration, despair—sometimes even anger.
They convince me that I am right and the world is wrong.
That I am wise and others are fools.
These beliefs become a prison of my own making, cycling me through suffering time and time again.

So I ask myself each day:
What is my responsibility as a human being?
To cling to the identity I’ve constructed?
To wear a mask that limits me, and defend the image others expect me to uphold?
To live for the applause—or for the truth?

Or is it my task to shatter the shell of who I think I am—
to do what I believe I cannot,
to step beyond every edge I thought was the end,
and to expand into the unknown, one breath, one act, one day at a time?

Every human being is creative.
No one is truly special.
We all carry within us the power to build entire worlds.
The most graceful form of art is not found—it is lived.
And perhaps the only tragedy is that we seek it in the wrong places.

So when I’m asked:
What is a regular job?
What does it mean to be an artist or a creative?
I wonder if those questions still matter in a world where most of us remain enslaved by the mind’s illusions.
Because in the end, the true difference lies not in what we do—
but in whether we are awake when we do it.

Marco, 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 consciousness in constant expansion.
Since the age of eight, I’ve been devoted to developing my abilities in singing, instrumental performance, movement, yoga, meditation, and personal growth. This journey has also led me to explore the art of connection—seeking out like-minded souls who are equally passionate about the evolution of the self, whether expressed through action or stillness. By learning from their talents and experiences, I continue to deepen and enrich my own life.

I entered diverse industries by leaping into the unknown— and learning to embrace uncertainty with trust, curiosity, and courage.
Today, I offer creative fuel in many forms: music, scripts, concepts, mindful awareness and ideas that can manifest through sound design, music production, filmmaking, advertising and wellness.

What sets me apart is my recognition of the singularity within every individual. I approach each project with the awareness that every person and every creation holds its own essence.

I’m proud to be alive, and I welcome all that’s on its way to further nourish this experience of existence.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society as a whole can only do so much. The key is to stop waiting for society—or anyone else—to support artists and creatives. That expectation has never truly served us. It places artists in a position of dependence, as if our fulfillment relies on external validation or institutional support. This mindset benefits neither the artist nor the collective.

As artists, we must deeply understand that we are art. Our existence, our expression, is essential to the emotional and aesthetic connection that gives depth to the human experience. Art isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline to beauty, emotion, and truth.

Yet many of us remain trapped in cycles of need, hoping for government grants or institutional rescue to lift us from hardship. But if we, as individuals, don’t take responsibility for our lives, we’ll continue outsourcing the solutions to problems we’ve created ourselves.

True community can only emerge when we connect inwardly—when we recognize our own value and stop waiting to be saved. We must stop undervaluing our work and recognize the immense contribution we make to existence.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Stop believing you are a non-creative, no one is special, everyone is creative.
Destroy your belief system and open to infinite forms of existence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marcopaul.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soursoul/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarcoPaulmusic
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ocrampaul
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Ec4pAbx0ZWtvrsKxvq6uT?si=6TE9bQNZRKex8w2lDEsW9g

Image Credits

Images by:
Bolivar Hope
Camila Jurado
Regina Romo
John Eloff