We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marshall Childs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marshall below.
Alright, Marshall thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?
What Corporate America get’s wrong is the term “staving artist”. I have been working as full time graphic designer for over 6 years now and it has been sustainable. I think art can always be valued even in Corporate America. No matter what, things need to look presentable in order for the intended message to get across and as a graphic designer I make sure the message is clear, legible, accessible, and engaging. Furthermore, as an artist I make sure that my artwork is relatable, engaging, and appealing. like they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so having the ability to take quality photos and knowing good composition is valued in Corporate America.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am overall a visual artist. I wear many hats because I am a graphic designer, photographer, videographer, painter, and author. I work full time as a senior graphic designer at a civil engineering firm. I like to say I specialize in making ugly things look better. I am most proud of my children’s book “Fizzy Fred’s Arena.” This book includes a dozen of my paintings. It is a combination of the work and things I have seen throughout my life. My paintings are all from images I have taken.
My graphic design skills were used to create interesting page layouts and computer illustrations throughout the book. And the promotions I have created gave me a chance to do some video work too.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing how others interact and use the art I create. Over the years I have created many paintings and what gives me joy is seeing my paintings hung up in someone’s home. It’s the same feeling when I see an information graphic I created in a report. Or someone presenting aspects of a corridor highlighted in a map I made. Additionally, when someone explains their own message with and one of my illustrations, it feels rewarding to see how something I created is still respected even though I have released partial ownership of that work.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I love the quote by Ponte in the song “Such Is Life”, “You are not what you do. What you are is how you do it”. I have built a reputation where people now request, “can you add some “Marshall Magic” to this document?” Instead of, “can you update this document?” The reason they say this is because I created the ability to create higher quality graphics and art to improve what is given to me. I have done this by having a close attention to detail, an ability to work quickly and effectively, and making sure I have the most up to date tools to develop my work flow. These skills carry over to all aspects of my artwork. This is why people appreciate how I create my quality artwork and the attention to detail I put into everything I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: mcstudiosarts.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/mcstudiosarts
- Facebook: facebook.com/mcstudiosarts
- Other: $14.99 – “Fizzy Fred’s Arena” on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Fizzy-Freds-Arena-Marshall-Childs/dp/B085R6JPX5
Image Credits
Valini Balram