Malachi Wright: Visual Artist
Q: What was your first experience that you can remember with art?
A: I personally can not even remember my first experience with art. I have really been drawing as early as I can remember. Anytime I was near a pencil and some paper I would always be drawing something. When I was younger I could remember at church I would draw during the lesson. Me and my brother would also always search up different cartoon characters on the internet and try our best to redraw them.
Q: What made you think to make your own “scenes” with your pieces? Where do you come up with the ideas?
A: I decided to start doing this around 2017. Around this time I was really getting into old renaissance paintings. These paintings were so fascinating to me because every time you look at them you would notice something different. There is also always so much going on in those pieces. I remember in school one day seeing ‘The Creation of Adam’. I was instantly struck with the idea of using Kanye in a piece like this. I felt it was perfect just seeing how much he has changed over the years. After this piece I recreated a few more different pictures but then I felt it was time for me to put together my own scene from scratch. That's when I came up with the concept of ‘The Comedy Shop’. This piece was by far one of my most popular pieces and inspired to continue doing pieces like that one.
Q: Did you go to school for art? If not what did you study? How did you balance what you love to do with going to school?
A: I never went to school for art, I was blessed to be raised around different artists and I was able to teach myself. This fall I will be attending UCLA and I’ll be studying graphic design. While in high school I pretty much used anytime I used outside of school to draw. During the week I would work on art for about two or three hours when I got home from practice. During the weekend I would stay up late working on art, a lot of times being the last one to go to sleep. During my first three years of high school it was easy to balance school and working on art. Senior year however was a little more difficult as the work began to pile up and I also found myself working on college applications and trying to apply for scholarships.
Q: What is one of your biggest challenges?
A: I feel one of my biggest challenges is truly understanding my worth. Although people often complement myself and my work, I am constantly reminding myself that there is always someone with skills just as good as mine if not better. This tends to hold me back when it comes to pricing my art and everyday life as well. I am thankful however for the people who do constantly support me and encourage me not hold back.
Q: Do you believe in the saying “practice is perfect”? Why or why not?
A: I do, I believe it is one of the simplest but truest statements. Anyone who dedicates their times to perfect their craft will find themselves constantly improving. In order to master any talent or skill you have to constantly practice. It’s important for everyone to find some skill to master. This not only can benefit them in life but it's important to have something that you can give to people.
Q: Who is the coolest person who has commented or inquired about artwork?
A: The top two for me are Will Smith and Snoop Dogg. But I will have to say Snoop takes the cake because he actually reached out to me to use for artwork. The night he reached out was so memorable and surreal. Being able to artwork for a legend like Snoop at such a young age made me feel for a moment that I have accomplished exactly what I wanted as an artist. This experience also made me realize that the sky's the limit and anything I wanted to do, I could do.
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Q: What inspires you to keep working?
A: The people who support me are what inspires me to keep working. Especially my family and friends. Receiving love and encouragement from my support group truly is one of the greatest feelings. I feel I truly do what I do because of them. When I realize that I am reaching people not only close to me but across the world is amazing. I especially love receiving messages from people just saying how much they love my work and that I have their support. That is what really inspires me and reminds me to keep working.
Q: Where do you want to be in five years?
A: In five years I see myself owning multiple businesses. I want to take my business to the next level within the next year. I feel once I do that I will open up a whole new box of opportunities. Also I feel my name will hold more weight. I plan on being a homeowner and also start tapping into other means of revenue outside of art. I feel I have so much to accomplish within the next five years and I believe I will see myself accomplish everything I sought out to do, as long as I put the work in.
Q: How do your beliefs and values intersect with your artwork?
A: My beliefs and values intersect with my art often. I tend to do pieces that often reflect happiness and just fun scenarios. I stray away from doing art that I feel I have no personal connection to or that reflects negativity. I haven’t done too many pieces that entirely reflect my belief system and values. I do however plan to do more in the future.
Q: What are you working on now, that you are excited about? What do you like about what you are working on?
A: Currently I am working on something a little more different from what I typically do. This piece will reflect a lot of what is going on in the world right now. I like this piece because for me it's different, also I think it will spark a lot of conversation. I feel it is necessary as well and something that needs to be put out.
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