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

Alright, Mark thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

It’s never too late,

I used to say that I was just a late bloomer in life, only to figure out that I was right on time. We set such rigid timelines for ourselves. We have to graduate by a certain age. We have to be married by a certain age. We have to have kids at a certain age. And then we beat ourselves up when we missed the deadline. Just when I thought I was doing well in the corporate game, the players in that game kicked me out of the arcade.

It’s never too late to have to start over. When things fall apart, it gives you the opportunity to clean it up and make room for better. I’ve learned that through failure, authenticity, and vulnerability we can connect to others and ourselves on a much higher, more valuable level. True success lies in how you make people feel, not about the money you’ve generated. Impact over income. Always.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I call myself a Creative Digital Storyteller. Whether it’s through photography, video, or graphic design, I always aim to evoke a thought, emotion, opinion, or story. I was always a creative kid and always gravitated towards anything artistic. I would be the one in my friend group who the arts and crafts table while they went off to play basketball. I discovered graphic arts in high school, and I remember creating graphics for silk screens. One day my parents brought home a computer with Photoshop on it and I was teaching myself how to use it. I spent a lot of my time volunteering for the local youth group and started to learn how to design shirts for our teams.

I used to make things for my friends get creative with photos and made shirt designs for clubs. I earned my BA in graphic design from California State University of Northridge. While I was CSUN, I pursued digital photography because I discovered my love for capturing portraiture. I was fortunate enough to snag a creative job right after graduating, helping with designs for, lack of a better term, spam emails that sold “As Seen on TV” type products. As my career pressed forward, I decided to teach myself videography and basic editing.

I have been fortunate enough to work on projects for Lexus, the Natural History Museum, and the Catholic Education Foundation, but the project I’m most proud of is rebranding the Filipino dance company I was performing with and creating a complete advertising campaign with full creative freedom. I promised myself that one day my work would be in lights, and it happened to be on the light board of the Ford Theater in Los Angeles. It meant a lot to me because the work was a true reflection of who I was, where I came from, and where I was looking to go.

I created By and By in honor of my grandparents and the impact they’ve made on me as a creative person. The designs and concepts reflect my Filipino-American experience with a universal message. It’s a love letter to the inner child and his big dreams and his vast imagination. It’s a platform for those who need help finding their voice. It’s a space to feel seen and valuable. I’m here for those who want to see someone like them—for the people who never saw themselves represented or never saw the representation as valid. We’re all just a bunch of big kids who need love, connection, and purpose.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I thought I was on track in the corporate world as a creative, but the people in it thought it was my time to go. I had planned the rest of my life because I really thought I was going to retire there. I was able to utilize all of my creative media skills freely. However, It doesn’t matter how much you love your job or your team. If you give someone the power to feed you, they have the power to starve you in the same instance.

I suddenly lost my job and I lost the apartment I was working so hard for. I had to move back home at 40 and decided that I was going to take a chance on myself. I’m fortunate that my parents were willing and able to take in their grown, adult son. I spent a lot of time reading and learning how to build a proper business. I attended small business classes, spoke with other entrepreneurs, and sought help from my network. YouTube was (and still is) an important learning source for me.

After months of preparing, I finally opened up my online shop, ByandBy.shop. I’ve never followed through on building my own brand. I have every creative skill I need. I’ve never needed to hire a photographer, video editor, or content creator. I’ve taken all of the corporate experience I have to build my own business. Though, I’m not making as much as I was at the moment, I’ve never been happier.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Failure is not a dirty word. People should see failure as the biggest gift we can get in life. We can always learn, grow, and connect with others through sharing our lessons and experiences.

My parents immigrated to the US in the late 70s from the Philippines, with aspirations of providing a bright future for their children. Both were working corporate jobs to provide for us while still managing to provide us with a happy upbringing. Growing up, we were expected to follow the proper steps – get good grades, go to college, and become a nurse, doctor, dentist, or lawyer. Anything creative or artistic was too risky. It’s what they knew. It’s what worked for them. However, growing up, I thought I had to be the perfect kid in school. Just get straight A’s, perfect attendance, and be well-behaved. Don’t make mistakes because you’ll be seen as weak or stupid. I didn’t want to be a disappointment to anyone. This led me to people pleasing, avoiding conflict, and not knowing how to set proper boundaries. I was terrified of failing.

It was during my time as Youth Director that I discovered that being vulnerable and sharing about your mistakes was a space to connect with others. I would tell my students that we gain nothing from our wins because it’s our losses that give us the information to be better. We defined regret as a mistake we chose not to learn from.

I felt like a failure having to start my life over at 40 years old, dragging my feet back into my childhood room. But little did I know that going back to where I started gave me the power and opportunity to build something greater for myself, a business, and a passion for connection and stories.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.byandby.shop
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byandby.llc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byandby.llc
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@byandby.llc

Image Credits
James Thor & Mark Kaiklian