We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Darren Villegas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Darren, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I need to constantly seek out inspiration. It may come in the form of other visual artists, musicians, or just from hearing people sharing their perspectives on life and art. I also try to not take for granted the beauty in nature and architecture that surrounds us all daily. I try to remind myself that everything that surrounds us in the physical world was imagined into existence at one point. That’s pretty inspiring to think about. Many times I enjoy entertaining imaginative ideas even if I’m aware that there is no payoff or likelihood of the idea coming to fruition. It’s still a great exercise for the imagination. I kind of view the imagination like an organ, like our hearts, or brains. The more we exercise our imagination, the stronger and healthier it remains. I find great purpose in creating. And I believe the imagination is the genesis of creation. Much like the heart is the pump that keeps our blood flowing through our body. I save images I see online that inspire me. I try to remember to revisit those images when I have time, so that I can really appreciate the beauty in them without being distracted.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m an artist primarily, and a business owner secondarily. I own a mural painting business, based in the Inland Empire, called MASS Murals. It’s an acronym, meaning Murals, Art, & Signage Solutions. I’ve been creating public murals in one capacity or another since around 1998, and I started Mass Murals in 2020. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to create some of the largest, most high-profile, and highest quality murals in Riverside, San Bernardino, and surrounding cities. It’s very exciting to spread my vibrant mural style across the Inland region and brighten up our communities with positive and imaginative imagery. Mass Murals has been commissioned to work with everyone from governmental agencies, corporate entities, small businesses, and residential clients alike to beautify their spaces. The murals are beloved and celebrated by everyone, everywhere they sprout up.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities in my journey have been passion, honesty, and perseverance. I was always passionate about art, and creative industries in general. I’ve always perceived “success” to be the ability to make a living from what you are passionate about doing. I’ve always tried my best to be honest with myself about my short-comings and opportunities for improvement. The ability to look yourself in the mirror and and be honest about where you are currently, and how you plan to get yourself to where you want to be, will develop character that you may not know you have. Perseverance will enable you to summon the will to stay the course through countless obstacles, setbacks, disappointments, and brutal failures. All of which should be expected if you seek to attain “success”, however you define it personally. It takes an immeasurable amount of personal strength and heroic courage to be a professional artist. So, if you are making it happen for yourself, don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back and unapologetically own your awesomeness.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I’m currently enlisting more hands on deck for the Mass Murals team and launching our services beyond the IE, into the Orange County and Los Angeles markets. Mass Murals will also be adding digital art, motion graphics, 3D modeling, and animation projects into our service catalogue, all of which I studied at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. If any readers are interested in joining the team, contact me at www.massmurals.art, or DM me on Instagram @darren.vs.drama.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.massmurals.art
- Instagram: @darren.vs.drama
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/darren-villegas-art
Image Credits
Michael Elderman Malinn Loeung
