Meet Galina Marcus | Visual artist and a host of In The Art Scene podcast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Galina Marcus and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Galina, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?

To be honest, I think any entrepreneur struggles with life-work balance, LOL. It’s all life and it’s all work, and you have to deal with it.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to pursue an art career. I just knew that I can’t continue working at an office job and I want to enjoy what I’m doing.

After a couple of years pursuing an art career, I can tell that there are multiple avenues an artist can take to create a sustainable business. It doesn’t have to be just producing and selling artwork, which is probably the most challenging of all options. But whichever way you choose, art is going to take only a fraction of your time.

Having my own art practice and interviewing different artists for my podcast, In The Art Scene, I see the same pattern over and over again. Many artists see success in the creative process itself. Creating meaningful, authentic work and enjoying the process is the ultimate goal. And to afford that, we have to be our own admins, marketers, salespeople, and production managers. At the end of the day, if you aren’t the lucky one who has rich patrons, you have to do all the things other entrepreneurs are doing to get your art business off the ground. It takes time and effort. And it chips off of your personal life and creative joy.

I consider myself lucky because I have a great support system of friends and family and my background in corporate marketing comes in handy when I have to do all those businessy things. I also know many artists who enjoy learning new things, whether it’s an email system or Instagram reels 🙂 I think this is the healthiest way for an artist to run their business – find creativity in every aspect of it and eagerly play with it with a child-like curiosity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Finding your unique voice as an artist is a journey. It takes a lot of practice, experimentation, self-doubt, and self-love before you find something that makes you – YOU. And even then it’s not the end. The art is evolving along with you as you mature, experience new things, pick up new values, and deal with traumas.

I was always interested in human psychology. I got a degree in it in my late 20s and continue learning more on my own, although I never wanted to become a certified counselor or therapist. I’m intrigued by what is going on in our minds that makes us who we are, makes us appreciate certain things, makes us respond to triggers a certain way. These are the things that I usually explore in my art. My recent Orange Walls series was about the motivation behind little graffities people sometimes leave impulsively on the walls. Before that, I was exploring childhood nostalgia by painting people’s favorite childhood toys. Now, I’m focusing on my own internal world, and, funny enough, it’s actually more challenging. I admire Frida Kahlo for being able to do it so unapologetically free!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I usually take my friends to Ramona wine country. Two of my favorite wineries are Woof-N-Rose and Chuparosa. Both make very different wines and have very different vibes, but are equally outstanding and authentic. The other favorite experience is vintage shopping in Julian. I can spend all day in those barns! Usually, it is a very different experience than any tourist would expect from SoCal trip – and it’s the best part!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Ah, there are so many people who helped me pave my way! I have a village of incredible people who encourage me, show up to set up the shows, buy my work, share my IG posts, listen to my podcast, and listen to me wining that life is hard when I feel blue. Every little word, every little action of those people is a precious piece of the mosaic of my art career. I’m forever grateful for all my friends inside and outside the art world!

The most deserving of all is, of course, my supportive husband, Ron Marcus. He is the one experiencing all my ups and downs and always being there for me when I need him. He is also the one who helped me start producing In The Art Scene podcast by being my co-host and audio editor.

I also want to give a shout-out to Claudia Orsi who has been my therapist for the past four years. She’s been with me through a tough transition to a new culture when I was a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant, she walked me through a major identity shift when I transitioned from the corporate job to being a full-time artist. She’s been a tender guard of my mental health and spiritual balance more than anyone can imagine.

One more shout-out goes to Alexis Evanoff, a local San Diego artist and creativity coach who is currently helping me take my art career to the next level.

Website: https://galinamarcus.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galinamarcus_art/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/galinamarcus.arts

Other: https://intheartscene.com/ https://anchor.fm/in-the-art-scene https://www.instagram.com/in_the_art_scene/