My Palace in Dallas: Mariell Guzman - — James Kung Photography

“Solitude requires you to move past reacting to information created by other people and focus instead on your own thoughts and experiences – wherever you happened to be”

— Cal Newport, Digital Minimalism

Hello folks, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2023 has been nothing but a wild rollercoaster ride for me and 2024 is about to be so great for all of us I can just FEEL IT! If you’re reading this I hope you are as excited for what’s to come your way and enjoying everything that is around you — People and space alike, especially your home. Has your space changed since last year? Did it feel more like home to you?

I started My Palace in Dallas during the height of the pandemic, and it was born from pure curiosity: I want to know, I want to see, and, most importantly, I want to document what the people around me have become after these unprecedented years. They can be artists, comedians, or they can also be the people you meet on the street—which is quite hard cause supposedly people in Dallas don’t walk at all. So, what is it that they do? This project delves into their stories and, as the name suggests, explores their Palace in Dallas.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Mariell Guzman. A talented muralist and multi-media artist I am fortunate enough to call a dear friend. This interview is a long time in the making and I am happy to finally sit down with her as we share some tea and her journey defining her creative identity, curating a world she loves, and becoming the amazing artist she is now.

Hello Mariell! Thank you for taking the time and giving me the opportunity to meet you in your amazing place! It surely has been a long time coming with you traveling so often. Before I bomb you with questions, would you like to tell people a bit about yourself? Who are you and what is it that you do?

I feel like Spongebob flipping through his file cabinet now haha. My name is Mariell Guzman and I am a little immigrant from Mexico who somehow made a home in this weird place called Texas. I’m an artist working with all types of mediums: sculptures, murals, paintings on clothes, lamps, and plates. I am like a grown child who likes to doodle anything you give her and sometimes she gets paid for it, which is a great bonus *laughs.

I’ve witnessed all your amazing accomplishments and it’s an honor standing next to you throughout all these. You’ve done so much with so many here, now, could you tell me what was that journey like for you and how did you got to where you are now?

I guess my journey as an artistic human, who aspired to have a creative career in life not knowing any professional artist and mentor of sorts starting out isn’t exactly what you’d call a clear path. I had a lot of odds against me throughout being a woman of color in an industry that is historically male-dominant. Knowing all that, even in art school being told that only 10% of you are actually going to have a career was a hard pill to swallow but despite all that, I just knew I had to do it. I think I’ve always enjoyed a challenge into the big unknown, exploring something I don’t know where it’s going to lead me.

I went to school in UT for art, can’t say it really prepared me at all on the business side but I know how to talk about art, learned critiques, and definitely developed a tough skin for all that is to come. I was lucky enough to connect with this muralist in Fort Worth Katie Murray who has been one of my closest friends since then. Katie offered me an internship after I moved back and worked with her on a group show, I got to work under a professional woman muralist, left alone thinking I’d even be painting on murals. Through working for her I was able to help with public art projects and worked for this woman-led commercial real estate company. Having my first professional project being in a room filled with women professionals was the best thing that could happen to me. My experience with them gave me the courage and confidence I needed, successful woman leaders seeing potential in me made me feel like the world is changing and maybe I’ll be okay in it! The group gave me my first mural as far as where I had complete creative freedom, I got to paint this huge warehouse and I definitely grew a lot from it. I’ve never been much of a planner since my style is very spontaneous and living in the moment, but I’ve learned the hard way that you HAVE to plan some parts of it otherwise you will never leave the wall. The entire project took me a month which was so long, I honestly don’t think I can ever do that again even when I had my mom assisting me.

My mom does not paint anything close to what I do, she leans more on realism and my work makes no sense to her but she was just happy to spend time with me, helping me manifest the chaotic idea I envisioned for my first wall. Thanks to her I was finally able to walk away from that wall telling me “It’s done, you can leave”. She gave me the confidence to know that I have done enough to prove myself in terms of my first big project and I do have what it takes to belong in this industry. She really is amazing because you know, obviously moms really are like role models to you so shout out to Mama, she’s having her best time in Mexico right now *laughs.

That project really helped me demand space, especially in places like Fort Worth where there wasn’t a big scene for abstract murals, I guess my work caught people’s attention and I started getting more inquiries. I found my own audience which is what every artist wants, especially when you are struggling with painting something abstract or don’t make sense to people. It started out slowly and sped up really fast, people were intrigued and wanted to see more, curious to see and understand what was going on in my head through my works.

I kept getting more and more murals to work on, my mom assisted with a lot of my first ones, and my sister was helping me too. It’s really cool to have family involved with all of us being creative. Now it has been 5 years doing this full-time and I have begun to work on other opportunities or collaborations with big brands across mediums. I designed a book cover last year that just came out and I think it’s such a good feeling knowing my idea, this organized chaos or some type of puzzle can live and breathe on different objects or spaces. Being open to figuring that out has helped me grow the most because it made me realize that my work can just adapt to whatever form, kinda like how you are as an immigrant like we are just always adapting and surviving everywhere. My work was doing the same thing, it was alive, organic, with no constraints or rules, and thankfully people are still giving me a chance to have it popping all over, it could be buildings, their walls, or even homes.

What would be the most significant change you noticed in your approach from your first mural to now?

So I took a screen printing class in college which was the one other medium I really got into. Screen printing is a medium you have to be really meticulous and plan ahead for it to work, working under the framework tamed my chaotic process in a way. I realized I had to bring that practice into painting murals in order to be time-effective. I got better at developing steps to follow especially if I have a team working with me I can’t rely on my confusing approach and need something that makes sense to people other than myself. I’m lucky to have clients giving me that extra bit of creative freedom cause I hated going by steps, my brain needs to be stimulated and challenged so I always make sure to leave room for spontaneity. Now I think I am a good balance of both. I can give you a clear idea of how the piece will look, but if you allow me to play with textures, especially with buildings with environmental elements, I really thrive. I feel like my work is almost like a collaboration with the environment, being able to do that allows the work to take over the space organically, almost feel like it’s breathing with it.

The chance to play and try out something new is a huge part of my creative process. It is important for me to have a space that allows a lack of control to occur through the paint. Even if sometimes you can’t understand by looking at it there really is an organized chaos in it. The work is a conversation between canvas and abstract, sometimes even surreal elements to it. I want all parts of my mural to be the main star, creating its habitat and having them all live in harmony

Throughout your five years of doing it full-time, as you get more and more recognized in the field, have you noticed any change in the creative freedom you are allowed to have with clients? Or has it always been free reign for you?

No! I just got really lucky with my first work ever was given this massive canvas, honestly, it’s really the best thing you can give to an artist for them to work on. Throughout my career especially during the pandemic when I lost a lot of my projects I had to work on things that weren’t really my style but I didn’t want to work two jobs so it was necessary I guess. I think in these five years I got to develop my style more and have a clear signature look, people know what to expect now and want my work for what it is.
I want my clients to hire me for what I have to offer and not because they saw something off somewhere and want me to recreate it. We are not robots to help recreate your idea, you’d want them to have the freedom to be themselves because that’s where the magic happens. I’m really lucky now I would say 80% of my clients like my style and let me do whatever I want. It’s crazy to be given that much trust, especially on a much larger scale. “Like really? I can just take over your building and no notes?” It’s like a fucking honor to be respected that way, I think that is what I’ve been wanting the most as an artist.

It’s been three years since the pandemic hit and I’m glad to see both of us rose up and did many incredible things during and after. What did you do to stay centered and sane? Did any of those new habits carry over now that things are back to normal?

The pandemic was such a weird alternate universe for all of us. We were all in this survival mode confined in our own space finding ways to make time go by faster. Luckily I was living with two comedians/best friends, you actually interviewed them: Bonnie and Sallie, in the house where we used to live! I’m always grateful when I think back to that time and listen to other people’s experiences, like if they lived alone or had many other traumas during the pandemic. The fact that I was able to live with people that brought me such joy every day was the biggest blessing.

We did our best to have fun and not be stuck with all the anxiety and fear that came with it. We learned how important it is to play. The three of us would play dress up and I would help set up the background for their character videos, it was really fun. I had to bring my studio back to my home after a long time since living with my parents cause I like to keep things separate but helping with the background of their work was a form for us to kinda escape reality.

The pandemic made us cherish the time we have with people and try to spend as much time as we can with them. There were a lot of shots in which I felt like we were back in college again which I definitely didn’t carry over to the present time. Finding time to play either by myself, in my studio, or in my work is what I’ve learned and carried over for sure. Creating joy with each other and not taking everything too seriously whenever we can, especially transitioning into adult life, it’s too serious and scary and it doesn’t have to be scary all the time.

As an incredible creative yourself pulling inspiration from your non-linear heritage, I’m sure you have your fair share of traveling experience and exposure to different art scenes across different cities and scenes. What do you think sets Dallas’ art scene apart from all the other huge art hubs like NY or LA?

A lot of the people I met from art school have this idea of “I’m going to NY or LA cause that’s where all the artists are” seeking out that creative bubble and there’s this idea where you need to go there for you to actually be successful. After coming back and meeting more people in the DFW area who built something for themselves from the ground up like Jonathan Morris and Dryce hotel, they are the people who really switched my perspective on where I actually want to build my brand. There are so many things happening in the DFW and there is this movement happening making it one of the bigger hubs for culture and art. Things like this made me consider sticking around for that and it definitely paid off.

I’ve seen so many changes happen in the past 5 years and it’s been awesome to see how much space there is in the art community for artists to be seen and stand out. No matter what idea you have, however ambitious or crazy it is there is a place for you to make that happen. Cost is a great factor too because it’s cheaper to live in a city where you CAN afford to make your ideas happen and still pay rent, and still eat cause you’re still human and you can’t just survive off paint and exposure.

I think DFW created a lot of incredible creatives with so much ambition and dreams all the while being supportive of one another. This city has this community that is supportive and nourishing and isn’t trying to eat you alive, you’re not as disposable to the city as you might be in cities like NY or LA. People here really want to support and respect local artists, get to know you, and stick around to see you throughout your career rather than moving on to another when they’re bored of you.

**Are you a Dallas native? As a creative being in this city and spending quite some time finding your creative identity and building up a place you call home, what do you think of this city?**

I like it! It’s definitely grown a lot and it’s cool to see all the development happening, Dallas is slowly being put on the map and more influential people are living here now. I like how there are a lot of different neighborhoods with their own community and identity. My only wish, what I think Dallas is missing is just more nature, I wish there were more places to go hike and to feel like you’re not in the city. White Rock Lake is so important for the locals cause you can have a little escape from the noise there. I think nature is just so important to our peace and joy in life.

As I look around, I can see a lot of your taste in a tangible form! I can’t even begin picking out a favorite one so now the hard part is, what would you say is your most prized possession?

I honestly can’t really say what my number 1 is cause I love so many different weird little things I’ve collected.

This ceramic pool is definitely top 3, cause I love a good pool. It’s actually my only request for my birthday, I just want to be in the water and have fun. I also appreciate the fact that someone actually took the time to make a pool out of ceramics, it’s such a weird niche for collectors which I think is what I am. A niche fun thing collector.

Oh! I have this, this is definitely in my top 3 too, I found this in a thrift store in Florida. This is like an installation of a miniature bathroom. It’s framed and there's this lovely toilet made out of ceramics, it’s like a whole bathroom with a window and a great view. I had this in my bathroom so it’s like a bathroom within a bathroom! When I saw this in the store I was like “I fucking love it who made this and why and I need to find all there is out there!”. I love how absurd it is and I like how I have a bathroom in a bathroom *laughs. I feel like I can teleport into another space simply cause I feel like it. It’s like a portal for me to go away, which is why I like it so much. I feel like all art is a portal into a different world and this is one of my portals that I get to be in.

Surprisingly all my prized processions are just absurd things I’ve collected throughout my life. We are all just creating our own little museums. Speaking of little museums, I love estate sales and I often think how much of a trip mine will be for people.

And we are almost at the bottom of my list of Qs for today, for those who are interested in getting into this business or starting something of their own. What suggestions or advice would you like to give them or wish you would’ve known sooner?

I can’t say I learned it cause it’s something I’ve always known but didn’t click until last month when I finally got to slow down and reflect. I realized the way I was creating even with a successful career, didn’t make me happy. I didn’t want them to go through what I’ve gone through without figuring out how to do it differently which is why I rarely give out advice. I’ve been on this sleepwalking- autopilot mode hopping from one project to another, constantly creating led to me not wanting to create anymore. I realized I couldn’t be in the present and even getting inspired became work for me, that is when I knew I needed to find that switch and flip it. Trying to make a career all on my own without any financial help from family or anything made me put all of myself into it and control every aspect there is, which looking back was a tough and tiring process.

Thinking back to the first abstract painting I ever made when I was 14, tapping into something that felt right and not even knowing how I actually made the painting, I was going into this flow and trusting it, which was really powerful. I felt really disconnected from that powerful energy over the years, but after reconnecting with that through meditation and taking a long-needed break I realized how important it is to have that for myself as an artist.

I don’t know where the world I paint comes from but it was so familiar to me that I always felt like I belonged there. I finally remembered the reason I wanted to be an artist, to create every day was because I wanted to play every day. I don’t want to just be an adult and live in this super structured life, I want to make my own path and I want to PLAY! This hit me in the face of how important being playful means to me and reassuring myself that I don’t have to create constantly to prove anything.

The advice I keep giving now to any other creatives who are experiencing this burnt-out cycle, this giant black hole, and I see them suffering and I want them, and everyone to know you don’t have to keep living like this, you CAN have fun. THAT is how you get your magic back and create what you are meant to create. Respect your process and respect the way you are connected to yourself and the universe through your art, cause it is meant to be intuitive and not frustrating.

To wrap this interview up, also because I am curious personally, what’s on the horizon for you? Are there any “Big things coming” in the works for you? What would you like the world (whichever random soul stumbled upon this article) to know about?

I’m working with this local company called the Look Walls and we will be making a series of wallpapers! I’m really excited about this, three paintings will be made for them to scan, and put my art on buildings, walls, and wherever it makes sense to people. For this upcoming collaboration, I’m taking my focus and inspiration back to my Mexican roots like Mexican textiles but with my own interpretation, paying homage to my heritage. Making my art more accessible is something I really care about so stay tuned for that!

Some other big stuff in the works and after this intense year I hope and plan on taking the rest of the year off, so many things happened and I want to travel around and be inspired again, replenishing my creative juices you can say.