We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mauricio Benega a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mauricio, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?
Yes, I make a living from my full-time creative work. I’ve been doing this since 2014 when I opened my business, called Studio Benega Ltd.
Everything became very clear that I was going to follow my creative career and be successful in 1997 when a few events took place.
I got a job doing freelance illustrations for the main newspaper in Curitiba, Brazil, where I used to live before moving to New Zealand. That opportunity was amazing, it didn`t just teach me how to draw fast using black ink, watercolors and gouache, but also showcase my work for a lot of people and solidate my name, helping to generate more freelance work for advertising agencies and design companies.
Also, that same year, I was selected with my 4-page comic for the Brazilian version of the American Heavy Metal magazine.
Around this time, I started to experiment with acrylics and oils on canvas, and a friend of mine gave me a submission form for an art contest. I decided to apply with my second canvas I had ever painted, and I won a R$1000 prize, which in 1998 was pretty amazing and after that, I knew it I was going to be doing this forever.
I think looking back at my career, I had good opportunities to work with different creative projects, and all those experiences, lead to where I am nowadays with my art practice and business.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m an artist but also the creative mind behind Studio Benega Ltd. Normally I like to take between 3 to 4 major projects during the year. Aside from this, I do a few art shows and exhibitions and also a few commissions.
Last year, an idea that I had, came to fruition – The Big Apple Project. I project managed and curated in partnership with Arts Inc Heretaunga, 20 fiberglass apple sculptures, that were painted by 20 different artists, and then displayed on the streets of Hawke’s Bay. After 2 months as part of the Apple Trail, where people could check them out, we auctioned them off, raising more than $211k.
Another service that I provide is art murals, which I do either hand painted or digitally. The client brings the brief, purpose and location, and I come up with a design mockup for their visuals.
With my art practice, I keep painting every day, creating new works for the art shows and exhibitions. At the moment I’m working on the Instagram model series, painting real posts from ordinary models with natural bodies and thousands of likes.
Overall, I like to find the solution for my clients, based on their timeframe, budget and needs, but basically that is not why they come to me. It is because of my unique style of design elements and the way I merge them into compositions with a nice flow, where the elements and typography tell a history in a very pleasant and artistic way.
To see more of my paintings – the old and new collections, they are available for purchase on my website, www.mauriciobenega.com
I can deliver anywhere in the world or to commission a piece with your own idea and concept, just get in touch
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I always wanted to spread my work all over the world, as much as I can. I think it`s such a privilege to have your work hanging on people’s walls and collections. It`s like leaving behind a legacy – sharing a bit of history in a time and place in this world for generations to come.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
If we get more people understanding that investing in art, instead of buying material things that are useless short term, we can create a partnership together between artists and the collectors, where over a period of time the artist will become more established, and that piece the collector bought will be worth much more.
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