Close Up Interview with Graphic Artist Marcus Jan Csomor

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

I have always been creatively intuitive, loved colouring-in books, loved the random sketch sessions through Art History lectures, still love doodling when I’m in Work – A  – Day meetings…
It’s funny from an Institutional point of view I was never really meant to succeed, I was repeatedly told that my foresight would never amount to a successful & fulfilling Graphic Career, and that is when I realised that being creative isn’t about fitting the Mould – it’s about being expressive.
From the beginning I’ve viewed The Graphic  as a  ‘ Fundamental Tool ‘ to self-expressionism, using it’s form & function as a vessel  – a visual word on how I feel & act.  

I have always been interested in the way people communicate through graphic representation, using synaptic symbols to mesmerise, to persuade, to entice.

A while back I decided to dedicate a large portion of my time to understanding & developing a semblance between Visual & Graphic Representation, mixing the finite progressive functionalism of Computer Aided Graphics & the Visual Precision of Formative Art. After a bit of self-indulgence I found the differential that I was seeking & now I’m creating with confidence & really enjoying my Creative Mind Set.

Who (or what) inspires you to do what you love in your own creative business?

Life inspires me, the ability to be creative is what makes me tick, I’m fortunate enough to be able to be creative, I live in a blessed country where I have the freedom to do as I choose, to be creative when I like, to take the time out to create, in itself I find that very inspirational…
Cognitive Tee 01
I look to my peers for inspiration – my Biz Partner, My Work Peers, Family & Friends, Artists I’ve meet along my ramblings through life. I always get really excited when I meet an Artist who’sArtWork just clicks;when I can stand back and enjoy the ArtWork for what it is, then I get really inspired & creative and I usually end up asking the person or persons if they would be interested in collaborating with me…..

Where do you get your inspiration from when you design?

When designing for Biz Purposes I will usually gather R&D material from all different material sources, the internet, graphic magazines & books, graphic novels, my large collection of GD books which I browse through. I find that it’s possible to gain inspirational insights from other designers who have developed a look, style & feel that is their own, they OWN that aesthetic, I find that very inspirational.

What are the five words that people who know you would use to describe you?

Creative, Dedicated, Honest, Faithful, Hardworking,

Tell us about your very first job and what path have you taken since then?

My first Creative Job involved working as a Graphic Lead for the Up Late Game Show a subsidiary of Big Brother Show. The show was Live To Air meaning all behind the scene changes & manipulations were live within 4 seconds of a judgment change. The job was awesome, I would rock into work at 17:30 – design all the on air graphics till 19:30 – then I would go through the schedule with the director, talk to the talent . From midnight until 02:00 I would sit in the Studio Control Room, working with the Studio Director & a studio editing suite call DEKO, setting up & sending all graphics live to screen. It was stressful but a lot of fun – it’s at that point in my life that I fell in love with the notion of Motion Graphics.
The next logical career step was to move to another local TV Station  – & that’s where I found After Effects the most advanced entry level Compositing, Special Effects program – It’s like PhotoShop on steroids.
Cognitive Tee 02
I learnt a lot of industry skills working in an extremely busy TV Studio environment, I met a bunch of wonderfully creative individuals, who helped me progress both graphically & technically, advancing my skillset to levels that I never knew existed. Great Fun / Great Times.
From there I worked at a Digital Design Studio which was interesting to say the least, I learnt that business ideals will always trump designs aesthetics & that being honest in business can bite you in the bum.
At present I’m a Development Specialist for a Government Department & I really enjoy my work environment. Every day is challenging, and I’m constantly challenged by technology & I LOVE IT – it’s a great learning curve.

As an Artist, what is your biggest frustration?

Time Restrictions – I never have enough time in the day to truly be as Creative as I would like to be.
Ignorant people – THEY REALLY FRUSTRATE ME.

Tell us about how you prioritise your work since you have 3 different businesses?

I found that time utilization is essential for a progressive business model. Once I realized that, I looked to technology to keep me on track – I have my phone & my cloud calendar reminding me of my daily tasks. At the moment I’m also looking into purchasing Project Management Software which will map out my strategic plans– while capturing & communicating important information to a data base & to my utilities – phone & calendar. Using this process I hope to be able to setup a future positive system.  This will assist me further to reach my creative potential and business goals.
 
I exercise as much as possible and go for a run at night or after work. I find that once I’ve finished a run I’ve pretty much time allocated all my objectives for the next day – leaving me time to focus on finishing incomplete task(s) for the day.

Can you please tell us about how do you connect with other artists, and your customers (i.e. how do you network)?

Connecting via the internet is a sure fire way to open up networks with all types of positive people.
Blog’s, websites, forums, online communities are all inclusive to successful networking. I also find that entering competitions is a positive way to A. Get your work out there and B. Great way to meet artist & administrator,it also gives you the opportunity to develop a marketing approach in the way you promote your work or business.

What advice can you offer other creative people who are just starting out and following their passions?

Develop an Ideal – stick to the point that represents you as a creative person, an Aesthetic.
Then find what is essential to you from a creative perspective. What makes you want to be creative?
Find that passion, focus on that passion & study that passion & while you’re searching you’ll end up being the creative person you want to be.
 
Also never / ever let criticism, be it constructive or de-constructive, get in the way of your creative person. People can be bitches & bastards & jealousy is a curse, always believe in yourself & if you’re true to yourself, then you know what you’re doing in a creative sense.
Marcus (Right) With Friends

What dreams do you still want to achieve or fulfill in your life?

I would still love to work in an ultra–progressive studio environment, working either in Berlin or Seattle for one of the Big B’s, Microsoft, Google, Nike, NBC, or a niche Production House. That’s def on the cards in the next 2-3 years.
I would like to expand my Art Representation through established galleries, it would be most excellent to be represented by a gallery that knows its business.
I have a list of Artists I want to collaborate with – I’m working on how to make that happen.

What is your proudest moment so far?

Hard to gauge, I’ll report back at the end of the year with an update to that question. :}

Who do you most want to meet and why?

I like to meet the Google R&D team that is responsible for PageRank & its consistent upkeep & future productiveness.  I would have a number of questions to ask the team, most of those questions would be based on their theoretical philosophies about PageRank going beyond a computational assemblage???

What is the most important lesson in life that you have learned?

ALWAYS BE TRUE TO YOURSELF….. & YOUR LOVED ONES.

What book are you reading right now, and do you have a book you would like to recommend?

Right now I’m reading PERDIDO STREET STATION BY China Mieville, it’s a wicked book; it’s the first I’ve read of China Mieville – I’ll be reading all of his titles.
Number One on my book recommendation listisAbsolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds, if you’re a SF buff this book has it all, it’s Event Horizon without the gore, but the same kind of theoretical intenseness.

Where do we find you and your products? 

You can find me at:

Vinh Van Lam
the authorVinh Van Lam
Vinh Van Lam, co-founder of ArtSHINE, is a visionary art coach and entrepreneur with a passion for fostering creativity. With a diverse background in art and business, he brings a unique perspective to empower emerging artists, enabling them to thrive in the dynamic art industry through the innovative platform of ArtSHINE.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.