Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark West.
Hi Mark, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In short, I’m a historian, visual artist, world traveler, and entrepreneur.
After high school in Frisco, TX, I graduated from New York University Shanghai after studying history and foreign languages. I moved to NYC and opened my own art gallery and cultural, Mark West Center for the Arts, also known as House of Mark West. I started my brand by selling art on the streets and made enough to open the gallery. This was back in 2018. I pursued my passion for visual arts and storytelling and would begin creating what I consider “immersive experiences” in my paintings. I create to help people forget about the trouble of daily life and offer them an escape, and in this process, it manifested into creating physical spaces around the world where people can experience art, reflect, and escape from their reality. I not only showcase my work but I frequently curate exhibitions with my artist collective. Being a working artist is an extremely rewarding profession because you can be your own boss and you can contribute to culture.
Currently, I spend my time between Dallas, TX, NYC, and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I have my own private workspace in each city where I can create new content, work on commissions, and curate community events. My biggest projects right now are finishing constructing my bed & breakfast and gallery at my property in Brazil and working on my newest series of paintings.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
From running a black-owned business in majority white-owned spaces, I have dealt with racism and distrust from my landlords. Many people may rent to you if you have a nice application, but too many black clients can make the wrong landlord uneasy and worrisome. From dealing with landlords taught me that it’s better to be one and that that has to be a focus early on. I wouldn’t tell you to purchase if you aren’t ready or if it’s unnecessary for your business, but at a minimum, at least consider making steps toward one day owning a space, such as reducing personal debt and working on your business credit. Oftentimes, mortgage is cheaper than rent. Not owning a space in Dallas or NYC is one of the bigger barriers I’ve faced that has prevented me from strategizing for bigger, longer-term term goals and having to start over every few years,
The covid pandemic also presented a lot of challenges. Three months after I signed a lease at one of my galleries and business was booming, we were forced to quarantine and still pay the rent. I wasn’t eligible for grants because my business was young, and I didn’t have the tax paperwork. I had depended so much on foot traffic and needed to innovate my strategy, or my growth would stagnate, and I’d quickly go in debt. The old strategy relied so much on making interpersonal relationships in order to make sales. I had to invest in building my eCommerce site, social media marketing, and online conferencing platforms such as zoom and skype. The quarantine was challenging at the beginning but ultimately pushed me to think outside the box and take advantage of modern technology.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My art is an immersive experience. I create full scenes designed to help the viewer escape reality or to inspire them to out of depression, I base my content on my research as a historian, my travels around the world, and biblical stories.
Stylistically, I generally paint jet black people in humanistic dramatic settings. Some may think of blackface when they see my art, but blackface was actually inspired by African art extending 3000 years ago, found in ancient Egyptian and Kushite pyramid art. My work is a reclamation of ancient African art. Black is also my favorite color because no matter what color you mix with black, the color will still be black making it more powerful than the other colors. Black is the color of carbon, which is the foundation of life, and black is a color of luxury, that is why I like painting jet, black people.
I am most proud of my experiences living all over the world and learning many languages. I have lived on five continents and traveled to over 30 countries. One of the favorite places I lived was Shanghai, China. I spent three years there and learned Chinese and that has opened up so many doors. I can communicate with many different types of people and that makes my life rich and interesting. Traveling so much sets me apart as an artist because it has given me a better understanding of the world and human experience.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
When your business is expanding, the growth has a tendency to attract and draw in people. Not everyone in your circle or people offering to help or volunteering services has the best intentions. We may not find out what they truly want until after you have already started working with them. Think twice before accepting help or resources. Some help comes with stipulations. If you choose to formally partner with another person or business by contract, it’s always best to have your own personal lawyer assist because the world is full of shady people. And despite all the crooked businessmen, always be honest and fair to all the people you work with.
As a successful small business, sometimes we don’t allocate space for unexpected growth. What happens if you make more money than you expect? You might need to get a lawyer, a tax preparer, a bookkeeper, etc.; otherwise, if you aren’t prepared, you may get caught behind in taxes and it may cost you later. If you have certain goals for your business, start visualizing and preparing for how you will respond when you reach those targets. Often bigger targets come with bigger responsibility and risks so it’s best to be intentional about preparation early on.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.markwestmuseum.org/shop
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/houseofmarkwest
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/houseofmarkwest
