Meet Tommy “MOTZERO” Orosco | Award-winning artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tommy “MOTZERO” Orosco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tommy “MOTZERO”, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I am a huge advocate for finding the perfect work/life balance. Scrolling through social media sites like LinkedIn, I see so many people romanticizing long work hours. Or working while on vacation. I see people at their kids games pounding away on their laptops or taking another business call that just “can’t wait until tomorrow”. I know people that are constantly checking work email on their phone, even while laying in bed or first thing in the morning. Well, if thats how they choose to spend their time, that’s cool. That’s on them. But that’s not for me.
By day, I am the Creative Director for a multi-billion dollar mortgage company. I like my job and take pride in my work. With my help, we have grown from a tiny start-up to a nationally-recognized powerhouse with some of the best marketing in the industry (just google “theNONI” and see for yourself). However, my job is not my identity and I continue to believe that work is just a means to an end.
Throughout the 2010’s, while I was climbing my way up the corporate ladder, I did my best with the time commitments of my job (long, in-office hours and a miserable one hour commute in Southern California traffic) but that meant leaving the house early, getting home late, stressing about household chores while helping the kid with his homework and waiting until the weekend to find time for myself. That shit can take a toll on you; mentally, physically, and emotionally.
It wasn’t until the pandemic started, and I began working from home, that my work/life balance really improved. “Improved”? No, that’s the wrong word. It actually became “balanced”. I am no longer rushing out of the house at 7am to get my kids to morning daycare, just so I can get to the office on time but frazzled from a miserable commute. And I’m not sitting at my desk eating a sorry excuse for a lunch while checking emails. No, now I spend my lunch break running three times a week or in my studio working up a sketch or on the back porch reading. I’m here for the kids when they get home from school and can take them to practice or watch them as they play in the neighborhood and have a proper dinner on the table at a respectable hour.
This has all had a profound effect on my health. I am in the best shape of my life and I don’t think I’ve ever felt this stress-free in my adult life.
Time should be spent with your family. And not just time, but quality time. Time that will improve the kids lives because you gave them your full attention, time that you can look back on in 20 years and say “I was there for that moment” or “I taught her that”. Time should be spent on yourself. Exercising. Pursuing your passion(s). Reading. Meditating.
I have found that perfect work/life balance and am happier than ever.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
My current art style, and its themes, is hard for me to describe. Its all bright colors, hearts and funky little robots that I call “Mybots”. It might be “pop art”, with some street art elements thrown in. There are aspects of “Psychedelic art” in there too as well as graphic design (I mean, I’ve been a graphic designer for nearly 2 decades so that was bound to influence my work). Hell, you can even see pop-punk and hip-hop inspiration in there too. So, what’s my style? I don’t know, its just cool… and that excites me. I spend my week days working and doing the family thing. By Thursday, I’m itching to get back in the studio and just create. A lot of the time I go in there with no idea or sketch, just a feeling. That’s the way art should be; spontaneous, creative, unregulated, free.
How did I get to where I am today? That’s a tough one to answer because I honestly don’t see myself as a professional artist. I am just good at doing what I love. I am not motived by sales or “likes” or what galleries I’m appearing in next month. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have a big following on the Instagrams or be racking in sales hand over fist. And I do try to get in to shows and galleries, but I don’t really put that much effort into any of this and I’m not that bummed out when it fails. In fact, I make more money through my shop on my website than I’ve ever made from a show.
As I get older, I am starting to realize that, yes shows and galleries can boost your popularity, get more eyes on your work, and generate revenue. But I also realize that I do it a lot of the time to feed my ego. Like “Hell yeah! My work is good enough to be shown in Laguna Beach or LA or wherever”. Or, “Check it out, I got XX likes on that new piece”. And I’m starting to care less and less about all that and more and more about being true to myself. And that is the lesson that I would share with the world; be true to yourself. Don’t go changing your style because you think it will sell better or get more likes on the Instagram. At the end of the day, when you are sitting in a room surrounded by your artwork, it should unapologetically scream “THIS IS ME!”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ll be honest: I’m not a big “going out” kind of guy. The perfect evening for me would be BBQing at home then spending the evening alone in my studio, headphones on, incense burning, and just doing this art thing. But if I was made to leave my fortress of solitude, I guess I’d take someone down to Salt Creek in Dana Point. That beach is gorgeous and the epitome of what a South Orange County beach should be.
Afterward, we’d hit up A’s Burgers or Taqueria de Anda for a quick (but delicious) bite. No fancy sit down restaurants for me. Sorry, its just not my thing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give so much credit to my parents, not just for paying for art school (which, lets be honest, is a waste of money in most cases), but for simply allowing me the freedom to pursue my passion. Growing up, I always had the tools I needed; pens, colored pencils, paper, clay or, later on, a powerful computer and professional designing software. If I needed it, they found a way to get it for me. The amount of shit that they had to put up with in my late teens and early 20’s; from me covering bedroom walls with murals, to constructing 3D installations that went through the ceiling, to destroying the carpeting with paint and clay and junk, to running an air compressor in my room so I could airbrush (even though, thinking back, I probably should have been doing that outside, or at least in the garage where the ventilation was better). Yet, I cant remember a time where they yelled at me or told me to knock it off. They were amazingly supportive, and I really appreciate that. I also have to give a shoutout to my kids. They are my reason, not only for wanting to be a better artist, but for wanting to be a better human. I hope that they see my drive to become better in everything I do and follow that example as they get older.
Lastly, I just have to give a quick shoutout to my cousin Linny for being my biggest fan since I was a kid. And to my buddy Brian for always throwing ideas at me on how to better market or monetize my work (even if some of those ideas are just straight up bananas). He has also been instrumental in turning my painting nook in my garage into a bad-ass professional art studio. Hell, he even sent me the job posting all those years ago that would ignite my professional career. That definitely deserves some recognition.

Website: www.motzero.com

Instagram: @iammotzero