Mark West of Tucson, AZ on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Mark West. Check out our conversation below.

Mark, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day focus on taking care of “the whole Mark,” meaning I will typically get focused through meditation, exercise, and then evaluating what I want my day to look like. It’s a great way to get clarity, strategy and momentum for my day.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! My name is Mark D. West, but I am perhaps better known under my brand name as “Mark West Art.” I offer a comprehensive and diverse creative perspective as a graphic designer, fine artist, photographer, digital artist, sound designer, song writer and musician.

With so many interests, it is important for me to focus on only a few creative ventures at once. Currently, that is a little bit more towards graphic design for training/education, and development of multiple electronic music releases. 2025 is turning out to be a fantastic music year for my releases on all the common platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. Again, all under “Mark West Art,” which matches my website domain!

My creative endeavors have especially been fed by my passion for travel, and my various other life experiences, from heartache to joy.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
My world completely changed after finishing my undergraduate degree in Graphic Design. I had never been outside of the east coast before, and I hit the road to move to Colorado—sight unseen, thanks to a brother already there in grad school, who found me an apartment ahead of my arrival.

Very exciting times, and an almost non-stop drive from western NY! It was exactly the change I needed for that time in my life, and I have traveled and lived in numerous western locations ever since that moment.

Exploring has been in my blood, and I have truly enjoyed my life since that moment in late summer.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t hold on so tightly to things. Try things without attachment, and know that failures are really just teaching moments, that also help you be true to yourself. Be creative, but first and foremost, do it for YOU. Ultimately, audience comes last, and you should be less concerned about what others think, and more concerned about how YOU feel inside. If you feel excited… Follow that feeling!

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
This is a VERY interesting question, and it depends on how you define “smart.” I feel intelligence is not only in the brain, but it is in the body.

So there is right and left brain of course. The rational side and the organic and creative side. But then SO much of our energy is derived from other places in the body, such as the heart.

While I am not necessarily thinking others are getting it “totally wrong,” I also feel that we have been conditioned to live in a very “outward” culture of doing things. And creativity is cultivated with a balance between that outward self with the inward self that listens, feels and knows when to be still. To tune in to the guiding and creative self.

It’s so important to know life constantly is in fluctuation between these energies. We’re all masculine and feminine energies in various ways, and they make us what we are, and are also responsible for how we express ourselves in the world.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Yes! For the longest time in my early career years, I had a great deal of desire to have a certain job title to reach a certain level of achievement.

I eventually learned, after achieving that title, that it was not as meaningful to me as I had hoped. While being “seen” can sometimes mean having a certain title for the purpose of being recognized, I have slowly found it less and less valuable to me over the years. The people and the work itself have become MUCH more important to me—assuming my bills are easily paid and my older years are financially covered.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.markwestart.com
• Instagram: @mark_west_art
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwestdesignpro/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064041753437
• Other: “Mark West Art” on all popular music services, such as Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music.

Image Credits
All images copyright, Mark D. West