Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mark Sarmel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Mark thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
At first I learned mostly through mimicry. I would try to copy drawings from comic books. I was always in art classes in school so I learned from there as well. I also went to art college. I’m still learning new things to this day, which I think, is a good thing.
I think, if I could do it all over again I would seek out other artists more and ask questions more.
For me the most essential skills to being an artist are perseverance and fearlessness. You must continue working even in the face of failure, naysayers and your own insecurities. You must also be fearless because as an artist failure happens often and you must be unafraid to fail again. Failure is simply learning. It sucks and it’s painful, but it is a part of the journey and a part of life in general.
So many things stand in the way of learning, but I think ego is a big one. Let go of your “self”, of how things are supposed to be. Be unafraid to ask questions, be humble. Celebrate your successes. Examine your failures. Take breaks. Take time to look at new things and recharge. Put art down for awhile and be with friends and family.
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
My name is Mark Moreno, but I work as an artist under the name Mark Sarmel. My work is largely inspired by comic books, mythology, heroes, fashion and music. In my work I strive to heroically depict those that are not typically represented as such. I like to build a short story for each of my pieces and this informs the work with a stepping stone for the viewer to imagine their own story. Each of my characters inhabits the same world and carries a mythology with them that I derive from the myths of other cultures, comic books, news stories, music and movies. Ultimately I want to build a large interconnected universe where all my characters can live on and build stories around them and their lives.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Being a creative person is similar to any other pursuit in that it feels constantly necessary. Wether it’s sports or writing or working out, whatever it is that you feel compelled to do every day, that’s how it is for me. It would be a lie to say that I do it only for myself, but I also do it only for myself. I do want recognition and it does drive me to some extent, but at the end of the day I do it because it makes me feel worthwhile in a sense. It’s a way for me to define myself, challenge myself and make myself happy. It makes me sad sometimes, when I fail or when I hesitate or when something doesn’t match the picture in my head, but I don’t ever want to stop doing it.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
NFT’s are fine. I’ve done a few here and there. New artistic mediums are always chaotic and NFT’s are the same way. The true benefits will show themselves in the coming years. Right now it’s still the Wild West and the gold rush is making them seem frivolous, but ultimately, regardless of those who dismiss it, the viewer will be the one that determines the relevancy and value of NFTs.
Contact Info:
- Website: marksarmel.com
- Instagram: @marksarmel
- Facebook: @marksarmel
- Twitter: @marksarmel
- Other: I’m on Tumblr https://marksarmel.tumblr.com