One of the best things about the internet is the fact that it provides content creators and artists a platform to showcase their art in ways that were previously not possible. An example of this is Marvin De Guzman and FlatArtPh. Marvin is a full time student and a part-time entrepreneur and freelance artist. Online he is known for his art that produces “simplicity through line,” Marvin's illustrations takes away the fluff and focuses on the core of the visual through his unique line art creations.
Marvin, who is currently a student at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, started the business out of a need to support himself while studying from home during the height of the pandemic.
“The main reason why I started monetizing my art and considered it as my business was because of my situation during this pandemic. My parents could not afford to buy me a gadget that I need in order to keep up with my studies because of how the world works now with all the technological advancement brought by Covid-19 pandemic,” he shared.
“I said to myself that 'I will help my parents and I am not going to make them feel that they need to provide for me if I can provide for myself and somehow help them at the same time. My passion, which I've treasured and reserved over the past few years, is the core of FlatArtPh and why I started it as my business. Because of Covid-19, I have the opportunity and freedom to sketch, manage, and interact with this account frequently. This is where I spent my spare time and energy for the past one and half years now,” he added.
The Public Financial Management major is also inspired by his desire to support his family and provide himself with a better future.
“My family, as well as my future, inspired me to make my passion turned into a business, where I accept artwork commissions. When I consider my future, I will consider the need to provide for myself and my family. I would consider what I am doing to be both my passion and a growing business. This is my passion, and I've wanted to do it since I was in high school. When I have free time in class, I will always sketch about almost anything. As a stress reliever, I would draw my friends. This is essentially what I do to maintain my sanity. Now that I am earning a decent amount because of my art, I always think about why I started doing what I am doing, which is producing art and making art for people and bringing their ideas to life.”
His success is both surprising and humbling, “I never imagined that my Instagram would grow and that so many people would contact me to commission some artwork. Some individuals will ask me to create artwork for them in which I combine and integrate their photos so that they appear to be physically together, as a memorial for their loved ones, an illustration of their family and loved ones, their pets, etc. Their trust in me to apply my art to capture their amazing moments makes me happy and encourages me to continue doing what I love to do.”
When asked why he chose line art, he was quick to say, “I will always choose simplicity above all else. Although I have different art styles, the line art is where the FlatArtPh is known. I would be honest and say that Pinterest has influenced me to come up and create this art style. I would consider my line art as a minimalist in nature that is full of different emotion, shapes, lines, figures, and motion. I personally like minimalism and that influences my art. My line art can be displayed everywhere because of its minimal illustration that can complement anyplace.”
And for Marvin, he believes that the best is ahead, “I love making people happy through my art. It makes me happy when they are satisfied with the art that I came up with together with collaborating with them. Bringing their ideas into life and hearing their stories behind the artwork that they wanted me to make for them is what I treasured the most because that is what art means to me, there is a story behind every artwork that I made. These are my ultimate dreams for my business. I want people to know that my art is not just an art that they see on their screen and social media – behind my art, there is a story to tell, and it will always speak for themselves.”
When asked what was next for him, Marvin pauses and then smiles genuinely, “FlatArtPh will always be creating and will grow together with my small community with all the people who have interest and love my art. I will persevere and work tirelessly to achieve my goals in life. I will continue to do what I have loved to do and always remember why I started. FlatArtPh will always be FlatArtPh who makes people happy by bringing their ideas into life. FlatArtPh will continue to tell story through arts. Optimistically looking forward for more people to interact with that influences my creative process.I want to inspire people to do what they love to do and get out of their comfort zone and explore what the universe can offer to them. I believe that if there is a will there's definitely a way for that in order to make your dream come true.”
To know more about Marvin, you can visit https://flatartph.carrd.co/.
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