Everybody,
Meet Phillip Mariano; artist, poet and lover of Bob's Burgers.
Meet Phillip Mariano; artist, poet and lover of Bob's Burgers.
I met Phillip in high school. I wedged myself in the corner of the math class with my My Chemical Romance sweater on (I went through an emo phase. We don't talk about the emo phase) next to my best friend, John, and eventually befriended a quiet Filipino boy.
A totally awesome friendship quickly bloomed between Phillip and I. I saw him again in my art class where he would constantly blow away other classmates with his fantastic art. It came to a point where our mutual friends would take occasional breaks from their work to walk over to Phillip's desk and see what he was working on.
And thus, a star was born.
A totally awesome friendship quickly bloomed between Phillip and I. I saw him again in my art class where he would constantly blow away other classmates with his fantastic art. It came to a point where our mutual friends would take occasional breaks from their work to walk over to Phillip's desk and see what he was working on.
And thus, a star was born.
"My sister would always draw because my dad was the artist in our family. And then my dad taught my sister," Mariano says. "And then when my sister learned, I was learning." He learned at the same time as his sister but says that she was always better than he was.
Though, he says that his sister and his father serve as his biggest inspiration when it comes to his artwork. "It was the three of us learning together kind of."
Though, he says that his sister and his father serve as his biggest inspiration when it comes to his artwork. "It was the three of us learning together kind of."
When it comes to his craft, Mariano admits that the biggest struggle associated with them is comparing yourself to others. "Holy crap. You think you do something good and then you go to like an art gallery or see up and coming artists or see people ten years younger than you and they create something so amazing," he says. "It's like, 'How do I compete with that?' It's taken me my whole life. Some people are so naturally talented and other people have to continually work at what they're doing. I feel like I belong to the latter."
"It's so discouraging because some people can just push out whatever they want but I have to try really hard," he continued. "That's probably the worst thing."
"It's so discouraging because some people can just push out whatever they want but I have to try really hard," he continued. "That's probably the worst thing."
Despite these feelings, he says that he tells himself, "I am Phillip Mariano. I can't write like that guy or draw like that guy so I have to push my own craft. I have to put my own brand out -- ugh. 'my brand', I hate when people say that," he said through laughter. "You have to create your own stuff and hope it's interesting enough."
He also admits that he's felt discouraged enough to stop before. "It's like when you force yourself to do something when you know you're not in the mood to do it. And you're just like, 'Oh my god, if I can't do it whenever I want to then what's the point?'," he says. "When you try to force it and it's not coming out the way you want it to. Or if you have an idea and you can't replicate that with your hand or with your writing. It's like, 'Holy shit, I can't even get the words out or create something that I want to but it's in my mind so clearly'. It's so frustrating."
"Though after a while you have to realize, things take time," he continued. "Things take years even for some people. They didn't become great artists until halfway through their life or when they're dead basically."
When it comes to the terrible nonsense of "art doesn't equal a career", Mariano says that the stigma is pretty bad. "I used to love watching those support art commercials because it was like someone actually tried to foster this artistic generation when it's all science and math," he says. "They're even getting rid of English now. I remember my brother - he learned how to write a paragraph in grade six. Like, you should be learning that way before."
"The imagination is going to die so quickly," he went on to say. "Because math and science teach you how to be rational and it's not like being free and doing whatever you want. I think we need a more balanced society that doesn't think art is useless. I don't understand those types of people."
(Small pause to say I completely agree because when people tell me nothing comes or writing or only 1 in a million people make it, I just go:)
He also admits that he's felt discouraged enough to stop before. "It's like when you force yourself to do something when you know you're not in the mood to do it. And you're just like, 'Oh my god, if I can't do it whenever I want to then what's the point?'," he says. "When you try to force it and it's not coming out the way you want it to. Or if you have an idea and you can't replicate that with your hand or with your writing. It's like, 'Holy shit, I can't even get the words out or create something that I want to but it's in my mind so clearly'. It's so frustrating."
"Though after a while you have to realize, things take time," he continued. "Things take years even for some people. They didn't become great artists until halfway through their life or when they're dead basically."
When it comes to the terrible nonsense of "art doesn't equal a career", Mariano says that the stigma is pretty bad. "I used to love watching those support art commercials because it was like someone actually tried to foster this artistic generation when it's all science and math," he says. "They're even getting rid of English now. I remember my brother - he learned how to write a paragraph in grade six. Like, you should be learning that way before."
"The imagination is going to die so quickly," he went on to say. "Because math and science teach you how to be rational and it's not like being free and doing whatever you want. I think we need a more balanced society that doesn't think art is useless. I don't understand those types of people."
(Small pause to say I completely agree because when people tell me nothing comes or writing or only 1 in a million people make it, I just go:)
Too, another one of the biggest challenges artists face (according to Mariano) is exposure. "You can be a great artist but if no one knows who you are... You need a network. If you don't put yourself out, no one's gonna see your work or hear about you."
"It's all about networking," he went on. "If you don't have that, it doesn't matter how talented you are. Unless you just like to make art for fun. But if you wanna be famous, you gotta sell yourself."
Now you guys probably don't know this (I don't see why you would since some of you have never met him before) but Mariano is a recent Ryerson graduate with a degree in Psychology who hopes to become a teacher or counselor. Though, he admits he wanted to be an artist first. The reason he isn't one? The stigma.
"The stigma definitely discouraged me. And I can't promote myself properly. I would need a team for [networking] but I don't even know how to assemble one," he says. "Even directing, I would have totally gone into screenplay writing or something like that. But it's so hard to get into and there's like no money in it."
"I feel like I have a bit of an obligation to not pursue an art career," he continued. "I'm so far into my schooling that I can't just drop it. And it's so much money and not my own money so..."
Now, when I asked him how he felt about his artwork, a small noise escaped him and he almost choked on his water from laughing. Once he finally composed himself, he told me that he's definitely proud of some pieces but he knows when some are crap. "When I look back on it, I'm actually just happy that I have something done. That I have a painting done. I have sketchbooks that are full. It's like keeping history because I date all my stuff," he says. "I know how I was feeling from like, three years ago."
So, you've all learned that Phillip is a fantastic artist. But something I learned in our final year of high school and something ya'll are about to learn right now is, Phillip is one hell of a writer. Particularly, poetry.
Mariano shared that one of the very first things he ever wrote was with his sister. When they were children, they would make their own books, even making their own illustrations. Looks like he's come a long way from the stuff he did when he was two:
"It's all about networking," he went on. "If you don't have that, it doesn't matter how talented you are. Unless you just like to make art for fun. But if you wanna be famous, you gotta sell yourself."
Now you guys probably don't know this (I don't see why you would since some of you have never met him before) but Mariano is a recent Ryerson graduate with a degree in Psychology who hopes to become a teacher or counselor. Though, he admits he wanted to be an artist first. The reason he isn't one? The stigma.
"The stigma definitely discouraged me. And I can't promote myself properly. I would need a team for [networking] but I don't even know how to assemble one," he says. "Even directing, I would have totally gone into screenplay writing or something like that. But it's so hard to get into and there's like no money in it."
"I feel like I have a bit of an obligation to not pursue an art career," he continued. "I'm so far into my schooling that I can't just drop it. And it's so much money and not my own money so..."
Now, when I asked him how he felt about his artwork, a small noise escaped him and he almost choked on his water from laughing. Once he finally composed himself, he told me that he's definitely proud of some pieces but he knows when some are crap. "When I look back on it, I'm actually just happy that I have something done. That I have a painting done. I have sketchbooks that are full. It's like keeping history because I date all my stuff," he says. "I know how I was feeling from like, three years ago."
So, you've all learned that Phillip is a fantastic artist. But something I learned in our final year of high school and something ya'll are about to learn right now is, Phillip is one hell of a writer. Particularly, poetry.
Mariano shared that one of the very first things he ever wrote was with his sister. When they were children, they would make their own books, even making their own illustrations. Looks like he's come a long way from the stuff he did when he was two:
One of the biggest pieces of advice Mariano can offer young artists is, know what you want to do. "If you really wanna become an artist, you should be able to do it. If you're really trying to make this your life and career, then things will come out of it," he says. "People go to school because they want to become doctors and they push everything into studying and look what happens. They don't necessarily all become doctors but they find something in that field."
"Keep with it and work hard at it. You can't half ass that shit," he continued. "Otherwise your whole life will be like that. You have to actually want it basically. If you don't really want it, what is the point?"
"Keep with it and work hard at it. You can't half ass that shit," he continued. "Otherwise your whole life will be like that. You have to actually want it basically. If you don't really want it, what is the point?"