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

Maz, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I am extremely fortunate to have been blessed with two supportive parents. It is not hyperbole when I say that I have always wanted to be an artist. My earliest memories involve me drawing. Whether it is with a pencil, pen, marker or brush in my hand, drawing has always been my safe space. Both my mother and my father did all that they could to make sure that I remained in that safe space and felt their love and support.

My mother was and will always be my biggest fan. I’ll never forget how proud of me she was. She would be the first person I would show my latest piece to. Although she is no longer here to share in those moments with me, I feel her presence and carry her in every single piece that I draw. My father is the reason that I fell in love with the game of baseball. It has been one of my greatest joys being able to share my baseball related accomplishments with him. We have made so many fantastic memories together and his happiness and pride is palpable.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have parental support when it comes to following your passions, It takes a village and I realize just how lucky I am to have been given the parents that I have. Aside from supporting me in my artistic endeavours, I received their best qualities. My mother always put others before herself and was completely selfless, down to the very end. My father bestowed upon me his pragmatism and work ethic. Between the two of them I have learned to think with my head and my heart. In this business my motto has always been “work hard and be kind to everyone”. I practice what I preach because I learned it from my parents.

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?

My name is Maz Adams and I’m a professional freelance artist. Art has been engrained in me for my entire life. In fact, I hold a pencil incorrectly because I was so young when I first picked one up. It’s something that I’ve never been able to change but it’s also something that I wouldn’t want to. There was never a time in my life where I was not drawing. At a young age I would go to the comic book store and pick out an issue based on whatever cover drew me in. I honed my craft by trying to copy the covers and interiors. Any time I had the opportunity to take an art-related course in school or camp I would jump on it.

Originally I wanted to become a comic book artist. I still am a massive comic nerd (especially Batman). The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art is where I had my eyes on going to make this dream a reality. When I graduated Highschool the plan was to go to community college to study fine art before eventually going to the Joe Kubert School. Being young and stubborn, I did not enjoy the “anti comic art” attitude of my professors and wanted to forego my studies at community college. I ended up attending the Joe Kubert School from 2007-2010, graduating the three year intense program. I credit the school with my work ethic, drive and willingness to tackle new mediums.

My work is definitely influenced by my love of comics. There is a big emphasis on linework and hatching, harkening back to my training at the Kubert School and the great inkers that I admire. I also love to throw in references to the players themselves. Whether it’s a homage to a nickname, or calling back to a moment in time, I like my art to evoke a feeling. The best thing that I can be told is that my style is unique and instantly recognizable.

Although I always envisioned myself working for DC comics, life has a funny way of calling an audible. Since graduating I worked freelance. It wasn’t until about 6 or 7 years ago that I got into sports art. I have been a life-long lover of sports including football and basketball, but baseball has always been special to me. Baseball is a way that I have bonded with my father. Once my sports art started getting noticed online, things started picking up. I began working with the charities of some of my childhood heroes like Don Mattingly, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera and Isaac Bruce. From there I had the opportunity to do art for Topps, including the 2020 Gallery Impressionists set. My art was published in Beckett Magazine multiple times, which was another thrill for me.

In 2022 I started doing MLB and NHL licensed art for Fanatics. I’ve had the honor of drawing some of the biggest stars in the game today like Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Pete Alonso, Shohei Ohtani and Miguel Cabrera. To date this has been my greatest accomplishment. The past couple of years I have also been featured on Yankees Magazine on the YES Network twice and my art is currently available for purchase inside of Yankee Stadium. I am also an official artist for the Latino Sports awards and have presented my art on the field to past winners including Jonathan Loaisiga, Julio Rodriguez, Edwin Diaz and Nestor Cortes. As a kid from Brooklyn, all of these accomplishments and experiences seem like a dream. I remain so incredibly grateful for every single one of these opportunities.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I like to say that if you want to work in this industry, you cannot take no as an answer; you have to take it as a challenge. I did not get to where I am at over night. This has been quite the journey. A journey filled with hard work, late nights, heart break and frustration. If you are willing to see it though then it’s also filled with happiness, triumph and victories.

The best example of this that I can give would be my working for Fanatics and Topps. As a life-long, die-hard sports fan and card collector, these were both dreams of mine. I spent ages trying to get in touch with Topps without any response. I also had sent my work to Fanatics years ago and was told that there wasn’t any interest at the time. Instead of giving up or feeling sorry for myself, I kept working hard. I took every opportunity to improve and to work on my resume. Instead of sitting around and hoping for work to find me, I went out and emailed and messaged every company and individual that I thought might have a use for my art.

Several years later I finally received my opportunity with Topps. A few years after that, Fanatics came calling. These are not just massive accomplishments to me because of what they mean as a sports fan. They represent my tenacity and the fact that I am willing to put in the effort and time to continue to fight for my dreams.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I draw for me. I draw because it’s one of the things that I enjoy most in life. It is one of the only times that I really feel at peace. Nothing else matters when I’m putting pen to paper (or Apple Pencil to tablet). That being said, I would be lying if I said that hearing positive things about my work didn’t matter.

In this business you have to have thick skin. This is especially true in the days of social media. Art is subjective and anyone and everyone is open to critiques. I have read some harsh comments about my work at times. Despite this, I can honestly say that I am my own worst critic. Some negative comments have merit and should be considered in order to grow. Others serve no purpose but to insult you. I choose to focus on the people who have complimentary things to say about what I do. It is the positive impact that my work has had on others that mean so much to me. When a kid tells me that he wants to be an artist like me, or someone sends me a picture of the joy that their son or daughter has when receiving my art as a gift, that’s why I do what I do.

I have been blessed with this passion for art and if I can use it to help others find the same passion within themselves, well that’s something special beyond words. In general I have met so many amazing people through my art. That is the true magic of being an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: mazadamsart.com
• Instagram: mazadamsart
• Twitter: mazadamsart