Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Francis.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mark. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My girlfriend’s brother, now my brother-in-law, gave me a Nikon FM2n after my brother Mike, a rapper and visual artist died spurning a renewed interest in art. I had always toyed with the idea of photography and had been drawing since I was about 11, I make fine art as well but didn’t really pick up the camera until 27. I made some images on a photo walk with one of my other brothers, Anthony, and my good friend Ben. I was hooked. I began taking my camera everywhere. This was a great time too because I was trying to figure out the next move in life. I was closing the doors to an unsuccessful marketing company, that was really more of an idea/thing too, as I reflect on it. I was unfulfilled and tired of doing things just for money that I didn’t love.
I subsequently decided to go back to college to get a degree in art after a long time of running away from anything artistic, I had a bad taste in my mouth from an overzealous close minded professor. Before that time, I had always thought it was a cool discipline, ever since I first saw Gordon Parks photographs in my teens. So, it seems as though it all fell into place at the right time.
I was fortunate enough for some really cool things to have happened to me really quickly in my photography career. Work in publications, met great musicians and amazing visual artists, and experienced some amazing concerts and parties and show people the beauty of the transformative quality of photography through my fine art photos. Not to mention, I made some nice photographs in the process. I put the camera down for a while due to a series of disappointments and other unfortunate happenings, but now I am picking it back up and plowing full steam ahead. This is something I actually have talked about at length on the podcast I created and work on with my good friend Raquel that is produced by my wife, Vernique, Art’s Explanatory Comma Podcast. Our ‘Halftime’ episode got deeply personal.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not, but I don’t think it is supposed to be. Some of the struggles I’ve faced have been typical business things, drumming up clients, balancing my 9 to 5 and photography. Setting a clear plan has also been tough for me, I am not a very “AB, 1-2” kind of guy. I’m a scribbler, not a line.
The newest hurdle is actually the realization that I had been suppressing my battle with depression, and that all culminated in a terribly scary trip to a behavioral health center. Vernique and my buddy Brian were amazing in helping see me through that whole ordeal and I can’t thank them enough for that. Now, I am managing it and going to therapy, but that actually is what’s led me back to my photography. It is not only a passion for me but a lifeline.
Positivity is always key though.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Art’s Explanatory Comma Podcast – what should we know? What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
So, with M. Francis Creative, I focus mostly on commercial photography… product, headshots, lifestyle/editorial portraits, things like that and more. I, however, am capable of doing much more, it just depends on the project and what people need. The more artistic freedom and license I have, the better and more likely I am to create other things and offer more services. I mean, I have greeting cards with hand-drawn artwork, done some graphic design and done some creative consulting as well. I also create fine artwork, but again the main focus is my photographic work.
I am most proud of being able to walk people through the process and educating the whole way through. I don’t only want to make beautiful photographs, but also give my clients the education necessary, if needed, to know what to look for from the artists they work with and how to get the best images compared to what they desire.
I think what sets me apart is my background in various fields and being able to not only think about the creative side of getting the right shot, but also the practical use of the images. Where will they live? What does my client hope to gain with these photographs? What are the reactions that my clients hope to garner from the presentation of the work on the back end? So, I think as both a photographer/artist and marketer. I also have been teaching for the past five years, so I think that helps with my patience and planning.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being a human. My humanity. I feel like owning the fact that I am a human as is every other human, well at least most, I have emotions and thoughts and dreams and a desire to be respected. I also understand that I deserve respect because I am breathing. So, I give that respect and people give it back, 90% of the time. That other 10 percent of the time, anger management and my humanity work together, lol. But seriously, It makes conversations go smoother, and breaks down lots of barriers. Of course, there is hard work, determination, discernment, my photographic eye and other things that accompany all of that. But my humanity, to me, is most important.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mfranciscreative.com
- Phone: 8322752078
- Email: mark@mfranciscreative.com
- Instagram: @mfranciscreative
- Twitter: @MFrancisCreates
Image Credit:
Main photo: Lacie Brawner
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