I may be known for my photography now, but that wasn't always the case. Well before I ever touched a camera, I was an artist. For as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with art. Even before that, my mom shared stories of watching me spend hours concentrating on doodles. Truthfully, during my adolescence, I can't recall a time I wasn't working on some sort of art project. Even when it comes to taking notes, I recall more information based on what I was doodling at the time of note taking than I ever did by writing. Although it got me in trouble with class participation, I made it through.

Warhammer 40k doodle while taking notes By Bryan Wark

I even found scientific proof to back it up! In 2009, psychologist Jackie Andrade discovered that doodlers had better memory recall following a lecture or meeting than those who didn’t. Her theory was that by occupying your mind with idle drawings, it stops you from daydreaming and instead allows you to be fully focused on the information being presented.

the lost artwork of bryan wark — Sketch by Bryan Wark

Why do I Love Doodling?

Squid Image Drawn in marker by Bryan Wark

Doodling is an example of process art, which puts greater emphasis on the action itself than a finished product. Everyone's doodles are distinct, so there is no universal definition of what a drawing must look like. Doodling lets me express myself freely because it feels comfortable and natural. I get to choose how my artwork appears—there isn't an incorrect approach when it comes to doodling.

When I was in high school, nearly twenty years ago. I remember during a math class I was using duct tape to stick the sole of my shoe back together, which had worn out and become detached. The girl sitting next to me looked at me in disbelief and said, “I hope that makes you slip and fall.” But I just shrugged it off because I had two choices and a few dollars to my name. Buy art pencils or a new pair of shoes—to me, the choice was obvious. Here I am in my thirties, and things have not changed as I choose to invest in camera equipment as my boot falls apart.

Bryan Wark’s Shoe falling apart next to his new Nikon Camera

Bryan Wark Lost shoe while taking landscape photographs

Truthfully, I probably could have used them in my life over the years because from one adventure to another, I have had less than stellar luck with shoes but that's the cost of being an irresponsible adventurer.

What Are My Favorite Mediums?

I have always used what I have available to me to create art. Whether it's paint, a camera, or even just my cell phone, or a ballpoint pen. I would say my two go-tos would be my camera, which is rarely out of arm's reach, and even simpler: pen and paper. I think mostly I choose them out of convenience.

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I do digitally draw on my tablet, but I rarely remember to charge it. But I will use anything available and always have. My wife Krista, once bought me “Googly Eye” children's drawing books. I carried them to work every day, drawing random caricatures on my breaks after everyone left for the night, working as a janitor in the OR at a local hospital.

What Inspires Me to Create?

Art has always been part of my outlet for dealing with a lifetime of anxiety and depression. It has been a part of my connectivity to other people. Doodling helps me to express and work through emotions, giving me an opportunity to vent in a safe way. It helps clear my mind of cluttered thoughts, leaving me surrounded by peaceful energy.

And truthfully, it's just fun. It's so much fun to create. You can make worlds that never existed or explore concepts that others can enjoy. I like putting ideas for stories on paper that would never exist but would be fun if they did, like walking around a comic con and seeing Darth Vader having drinks with Captain Kirk. The silliness of crossovers can bring endless enjoyment when drawing them up.

Invader Zim vs Xenomorph digital drawing 2018 by Bryan Wark

The other part of my creative dialogue involves obsessions, for lack of a better term. I fixate on one thing—a character in a movie, the lyric of a song, or a life event and become super fixated on it. I just keep recreating it in different ways. For example, life events that I will not go into in this write up have drawn me to a fascination with death. Not in a serial killer way, but more of a grim and comedic understanding of our mortalities and how our vices become the lining of our coffins. It's a concept I explore repeatedly. Including a Life after Death shoot you can see HERE

The Original Skull Pile drawing 2007 by Bryan Wark

Easter egg Skull pile 3, 2009 By Bryan Wark

Where do I Create?

Bryan Wark Drawing a small sketch at the trail foot head before heading up the mountain

The short answer is "everywhere." I never know when the mood will hit me to make something. I carry the supplies to make something everywhere I go, even if just a scrap piece of paper and a ballpoint pen are shoved in my pocket. You never know where a single idea sketched on the back of a receipt can lead, or how important it can be. This is a drawing I sketched out for my really close friend James “Cheese Burger '' Tripp after he bought me a case of monster for covering his shift. He was the inspiration behind ‘Burger Head' in the Camera Head series and passed away a few years ago. It's these old, small drawings that help keep his memory alive.

Bryan Wark and James “Cheeseburger” Tripp Sketch 2011

The infamous case of monster (drank it entirety in a single double shift)

The on-the-go drawings also help larger concepts come to fruition. For example, in my Invader Zim vs. Xenomorph sketch, which I have had the opportunity to sell prints of over the years and had such a blast working on.

first sketch of Invader Zim Vs Alien Concept by Bryan Wark 2014

An Artist No Matter The Medium

I may be known mostly for my photography, but I will always be a multi-medium artist with a passion for turning a blank canvas into something that can tell a story or make people laugh. In my case, it has proved to be an effective coping mechanism.

Mixed media has rapidly become a beloved art form, with artists all around the world incorporating various materials to construct captivating pieces of visual expression. Although this modern-day style originated in France with Picasso and Braque, other Europeans soon followed suit by blending collage into their works. Nowadays, mixed media is utilized globally as an artistic idiom that continues to shine through time.

Mixed Medium Godzilla vs Cloverfield 2009 by Bryan Wark

Even just when passing time, it will never stop me from creating.

A lot of my work has been lost over the years, from a flood that ruined ninety percent of my possessions, drawings, and marine accommodations to a messy breakup where pretty much the only thing I kept was a duffle bag filled with a few odds and ends as I knew the rest would be destroyed, and it was. Nonetheless, thanks to old cell phones and random boxes found in my parents' attic, some of the past still exists.

So no matter the time of day, the scrap of paper or worn out pen - I use my doodling to inspire art and it truly is a beautiful and sometimes therapeutic thing. Why not give it a go yourself and see what creative ideas and inspiration come alive.