Sophocles Plokamakis shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Sophocles, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
A recent moment that made me feel proud is organizing my 21st Art Exhibition at One Art Space Gallery in TriBeCa, NYC this past august 1-3 alongside my beautiful and amazing wife and business partner of Start Shows. This show (NYC Stories Art Experience may very well be the last show we curate in a physical gallery as a company and the artists featured were all super talented and I was grateful that many of them were art fam that I knew for several years and had exhibited with me in shows in the past at the same gallery or other venues. The show was written about in press, well attended, with many sales and most important of all it felt great to serve the artists and art community and give them a historic art experience worth remembering for a lifetime!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sophocles Plokamakis. I am an illustrator, manga artist who loves to tell stories and draw. My brand (Start Shows) is an LLC that for the past 6 years has helped artists from around the world enter the often gated NYC Gallery world easily, teach them about marketing, selling their art and how to talk to collectors and tell their story while also help them share their art on our social media page @startshows on IG.
At the moment Thais, my wife and I are working on creating an online gallery platform for artists to sell their art online and help them attract collectors that are drawn to their art around the globe.
We also have created an E-Book and online course teaching everything we’ve learned having exhibited, Sold and organized in over 30 + art exhibitions since 2018 In New York City.
We are artists and we are proud to give fellow artists a helping hand and assist them to Start their journeys in the art world and explode on to the creative scene while selling their art and making powerful connections in the art world.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mother saw me clearly before I could see myself. She enrolled me in extra curricular art classes and exposed me to museums all around the world at an early age. I always remember drawing and having a love for art, cartoons, comics and creating art since my earliest memories as a kid.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one thing to my younger self it would be, don’t let fear of striking out stop you from taking a risk and working on yourself or striving towards a goal that you really want to see happen in reality and trying.
I like many people have at times let fear or lack of belief in myself at that moment hold me back from opportunities to excel that may have had me be at a higher level in life than I am now.
The key is to learn from past fam failures and not repeat them while realising that the only time you truly are a failure yourself is when you give up and quit trying.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I admire great people like Jesus, David Goggins, Eric Thomas, Akira Toriyama and Osamu Tezuka. All men that were driven by their values and purpose who have made the world a better place through their character and creativity, words, books and inner light
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I understand deeply that God is special and creates us all to be super unique with one super Gift and many complimentary talents at birth to go along with the main gift to help it become like a small seed that sprouts into a mighty, tall tree.
I also know that unless you are fruitful with your God given gifts and multiply them you will regret it later in life and it will also affect your children, family and those who love you and look up to you. You are capable of Great things, and God is a miracle worker. If you allow God into your heart and life and call on him to always live through you and create through you, you will achieve much more than you could have without God!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Startshowsnyc.com
- Instagram: @startshows
- Linkedin: Sophocles Plokamakis
- Facebook: Sophocles Plokamakis
- Other: Art website:
Sophotoons.carbonmade.com
Image Credits
Misha Patel
Carlos Cardenas
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