Meet Mark Bijasa | Designer/Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mark Bijasa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mark, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Life’s a risk Carnal…it’s about taking risks. Fortune favors the bold. If you don’t take any risks then you risk to lose even more! I’ve taken many risks in my career and even when things didn’t go in my favor, I walked away with a lesson that became a jewel later on. I kept doing that which lead to being more calculated.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Professionally, I started as a Graphic Designer and Photographer, but my creative journey has expanded into so much more. In the beginning, it wasn’t easy—I was still honing my skills, navigating challenges, and figuring things out as I went. But with time, I gained confidence and absorbed invaluable lessons from the talented people I worked alongside.

The biggest game-changer? Staying humble. I realized that everyone had something to teach me, no matter their background or experience level. Embracing that mindset allowed me to pick up new skills, evolve creatively, and keep pushing the boundaries of what I could do.

I want the world to remember me as a person who spent years watching his inner child drown. Instead of watching him take his last breath, I pulled him out of the water and put him in command ever since. Remember me as a child who survived…

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh, that’s an easy one! I’d kick things off at my apartment in Mid-City, then grab coffee at Mu.So—because you can’t start the day without a solid cup. From there, we’d swing by my office in Culver City to soak up some creative energy. And to wrap it up? A trip to Joni-Town, aka Chinatown, for a legendary Philippe’s sandwich. Perfect mix of my favorite spots and good vibes all around!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been lucky to have many mentors throughout my design journey, but I have to give a huge shoutout to my professor and mentor, Michael Hanson. Back in art school, he didn’t just teach—he pushed me to rethink everything I knew about design. He saw something in me, singled me out from my class, and took me under his wing.

Michael would constantly challenge my approach, handing me books from different eras and immersing me in the deep history of graphic design. He didn’t have to do any of it, but he recognized the effort I was putting into my work and invested in me. That experience was life-changing.

Fast forward a few years, and we went from professor and student to great friends. And in a full-circle moment, he gifted me his entire book collection—an incredible gesture that still means the world to me.

But my biggest supporter, influence, and muse in my creative journey is my late wife Joni Marie Blanco aka Le Petite Gangsta. Her spirit was released on June 13th, 2023 and ever since then…she’s been my guiding angel. I owe it to her to be the best version of myself both as a person and as a creative.

Website: https://www.sctapeco.work

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/incogneeto

Image Credits
Muse: Joni Marie Blanco (Le Petite Gangsta)