The future and where it may lead us as artists may be fairly uncertain and not always as we originally intend it to be, but I plan on continuing to do what I love in what one may refer to as the here and now; the present. We do what we do because we love it; because we need to.
1. When did you decide you wanted to pursue music and how did you start?
I grew up in a theatre family, so I was almost immediately exposed to performance art practices and endeavors. I was exposed early on in life, with my first professional musical theatre production being when I was nine-years-old. I began playing guitar and writing my own songs as a teenager, and the rest is history as they say.
Art in many forms has served not only as “art”, but as therapy as well. As an artist who is both queer and on the autism spectrum, it really is a part of me as well as something I do. I also partake in drawing and painting.
2. Who is your favorite artist and why?
I will give you three artists of whom I would love to work with who are alive and three of whom I wish I could work with who have since passed. Three artists who are alive today that I would love to work with are Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive, and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
My three deceased artists of choice would be Richie Havens, David Bowie, and Jeff Buckley. Each of these incredible artist and performers are people who have helped inspire or influence my musical style/nuance in some way, and have each helped give me something when I thought I had very little to nothing during particular points in my life.
To work with either of them in some way, at some capacity, would truly be one incredible experience of which I would be immensely fortunate for! I would also like to add that I very much miss my band mates, Alex Miles (Emcee A-Mile) and Zachary Bainter, from Seattle. I look forward to jamming with these absolutely incredible human beings and friends once live music transpires back on the stage once again. Black Jupiter & The Raven forever!!
3. Which form of music do you like/love the most?
I love and respect all forms of music, even vehicles of musical expression I don’t typically engage in as much myself. I think there is something to learn from a wide array of expression(s) and artistry; something that everyone of us as artists can be influenced and inspired by. It all has a magnitude and degree of relevance, importance, and merit.
4. Which piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring artists?
At the end of the day, I would like people (artists or otherwise) to understand that there is a vital duty and responsibility for us all to resist certain conventionalities that may keep us limited and bound, and that now more than ever, it is important for so many of us to tell our stories and share our lived experiences and perspectives among others; to create dialogue in a multitude of expressed ways.
As an openly queer and mentally divergent artist and human being, this has not only become necessary for my own continued personal transcendence, discovery, and growth, but it is something that I hope I am able to send potential listers and spectators home with, to both inspire them to create in their own way and to value, respect, and love themselves just a little bit more.
5. How do you plan to take your career forward?
The future and where it may lead us as artists may be fairly uncertain and not always as we originally intend it to be, but I plan on continuing to do what I love in what one may refer to as the here and now; the present. We do what we do because we love it; because we need to.
I like to focus on just being a better artist and human being through it all. A “career” is just a noun to me. The joy one feels in actually experiencing their true freedom to create and to live creatively is a type of authentic success that having a “career” may not always entail.
Obviously I would love to continue advancing where I go with my art and share it with many of whom it may resonate with, but a genuine instinct tells me that there is more to that alone just merely “career”, and I plan to continue exploring this.
I consider myself to be very versatile, employing many artistic fields of expression, that of which include composing and playing music, acting in both film and stage productions, and even things that are not necessarily considered artistic endeavors such as traveling, which serves as one of the main inspirations for my own work.
I believe that all of the different fields combined go hand in hand and can easily influence one another. Music can inspire what I draw, and that piece of art can become music. Music can become theatre, and theatre itself can become stories frozen in a single canvas.
Many experiences, places, and people can also serve as their own individual artists to my work. It’s not so much about advancing a career so much as it is about creating a life; creating, to me, is virtually the meaning of life.
Mark Westberg
Mark C. Westberg (SAG/AFTRA Union) is a graduate with a BA in performance art from the Santa Fe University of Art & Design (Spring 2014), and is additionally a certificate holder from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (Summer 2014). They originally grew up in Seattle, WA and they now currently reside in Santa Fe, NM. They began their career at an early age doing theatrical productions and began playing and writing music in their teens, and they have been performing ever since.
Mark is on the autism spectrum, is pansexual and gender-fluid, and serves as a director on Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance in the US State of New Mexico. Mark is also an avid painter and illustrator, loves their cats, and would like to extend their love and deep respect for their friends and family. If you would like to check out their music on Spotify or check out their website, the following links are provided below:
Instagram id : @marksmusicnebula
Website : Mark Westberg
Spotify : Mark Westberg
Interviewed by : Ananie Borgia
.jpeg)
){kind=link}
0 Comments