Today we’d like to introduce you to Mason Bradley.
Hi Mason, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Being born and raised in Austin, Texas has always been important to me. Even now as an adult it is always hard to find locals, but I’m one of them. Austin is truly an amazing spot for artists to grow and cultivate their talents.
As a kid, I was always interested in anything creative. I was raised in a primarily music driven household, but I always gravitated to pencil and paper. I would fill sketchbooks and even my parent’s legal pads with sketches of animals or even my own versions of popular cartoon characters; such as Pokémon or Transformers. I vividly remember a moment when I was maybe five or six: I was drawing a picture of a man and a house, only the house was in the background and the man was in the foreground. My dad walked by and praised me for my use of perspective, pointing out that was a very “grown up” thing to do. That sense of accomplishment was definitely my first push into pursuing artistry.
As I grew up, it was always important to me to have paper and other drawing materials at all times, sometimes to the point of obsession. I would take advanced art classes in school and try to enter as many competitions and showcases my schools had to offer. I would often get in trouble in other classes for taking my attention away from History or English to doodle in the margins of my notebooks. But it wasn’t until I took a graphic design class during my junior year of high school that I felt I could actually make a career out of my work.
Most of the projects assigned in class were making brochures for imaginary businesses or redesigning logos for real businesses. One day our class was tasked to make a poster for the upcoming school musical and that only one of our designs would be chosen to have around the school. I remember wanting so badly to have my poster chosen, literally putting my all into this design. When it came down to deciding the “winner” I was told I was in the running, but that the school wanted to go with another student’s work. I was devastated, my first failure as a wannabe career artists. However, following the decision, my teacher pulled me to the side. She let me know that my work was immensely well crafted and that my use of line work was truly original, she had never seen anything like it before. In that moment, I lost the competition for the musical; but I gained something else in return: my own style and technique.
That’s how MAEVOLUTION was born.
From that moment on, I worked on perfecting my own signature style in design. So much so that anyone who would see something that I had designed would know it was a work of mine, solely based on my use of linework and color theory. I felt so strongly about my art and my brand that my first tattoo I ever got was my logo for my business.
I then took my portfolio to social media, mainly Instagram, and quickly gained a substantial following. It may sound conceded, but it still feels amazing to have so many people (mostly strangers) appreciate my work, some even asking where they can purchase their own copy of my work.
Currently, I’ve been working on developing a website so I have a terminal for others to purchase my work. Either in solid print form, like posters or stickers; all the way to potential clothing or other lifestyle products. I’ve participated in art shows and other showcases to help promote my business, including (at the time of this writing) a showcase at the upcoming SXSW 2022.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say that my journey into my art career has been all about ups and downs.
Obviously, a career in any form of artistry is a difficult one to make a reality. As a creative, I am held to a different standard of functionality than other, some might say more practical, ways of making a living. In the field of art; it isn’t about whether someone is “better than you”, but more about what people ( the consumers ) are looking for.
I’ve been told “no” by many outlets in my attempts to collaborate or join forces. Since I’m so young and kind of a novice in my own right, many people I’ve wanted to work with have passed on business opportunities and having my work be rejected is clearly devastating. However, I’ve learned to use that as fuel to pursue other ventures.
Some could look at my pieces and think it’s amazing, completely immersing themselves in my work. Others might look at it and not catch the vibe I’m promoting. Finding a niche audience is probably the most important factor in making my dreams for making my art a career a reality.
Staying relevant is also important. Through my journey of sharing my work on social media, I’ve seen many peaks and valleys in audience reception. Having a loyal audience is important to me because it helps me realize that my work is appreciated and sought after.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I design all of my pieces digitally using a program called “ProCreate” on iPad.
My art style is a mixture of pop-art and minimalism, meets Japanese visual aesthetics. I have always loved Japanese visuals; drawing inspiration from Japanese nightlife, fashion, architecture, etc. as well as American Neo-Traditional tattoo styling.
I like to use a monoline brush: a bold, hard liner to punctuate only the most important details of whatever my subject is. I like to design people, typically finding a lot of my references on Instagram or from magazines. Typically, I will add some form of text, either in English or Japanese or both, to help convey whatever feeling I want to convey to my audience. I also like to use vibrant color pallets and gradients to highlight my subjects and text and make the whole piece POP !!
I think that my art sets me apart from other artists because of my cocktail of styling, one that I feel is solely mine. My use of only a monoliner is something that I take pride in as far as my own style. The way that I draw the human form is definitely a trademark of mine, only outlining the bare essentials to let someone know that my subject is a person. Also my use of typography is a calling card of mine, almost all of my pieces have some form of text included in it.
How do you think about luck?
I feel that luck is what you make of it. I believe that people make their own luck, and those who genuinely want to succeed will.
In my experience, I have had to fight to be seen and taken seriously as an artist. And with that drive, I have met so many wonderful people along the way. I actually belong to a collective or artists, Haus of Meadows, which is a group of very close friends; all of whom are extremely talented in their own mediums.
In this industry, it’s all about who you know and how you know them, so surrounding yourself with people who are just as driven as you are is important. Having people close to you who are also in the same field helps keep moral high and also creates new opportunities for future success.
Contact Info:
- Email: masonbradley@gmail.com
- Instagram: @maevolution
