Mark Addison Smith about the power of drawing every single day and how you can find your voice

I’ve enjoyed Mark Addison Smith’s daily drawing project for years (you can follow him via Instagram if you’re curious), and I was thrilled that he agreed to collaborate with me on Vol. 2 of The QLP Quarterly zine. Mark is a queer artist and educator who specializes in typographic storytelling. His work focuses on using illustrative text to create visual narratives through printed matter, artist’s books and site installations.I invited him to join me to chat about his ongoing “You Look Like The Right Type” archive—a 17-year practice with an archive that contains over 7,000 works on paper—and the selection he’s collected for his new art book, He’s One of Those, which will be available later this year. He even gave us an exclusive look of it pre-publication!Before we went deep into more discussion of his artwork, I mentioned that I’d marched in the No Kings protest in New York City on March 28 because, among other things, it reminded me about the power of art, graphic design and creativity when it comes to political action. For example, if you aren’t aware of Visual AIDS and all the amazing work that this organization has helped foster, check it out.Oh, and so I don’t forget to share it, at one point we did go on a tangent about tattoos (and my piercing). Here’s the essay I mentioned writing, titled “Overcoming My Tattoo Taboo.” Among the many topics we discussed was this “straight people are not okay” drawing that I hope to feature on a T-shirt or other merch. Wouldn’t that be great?Mark also explained his illustration style and its development, including the “hairy lettering” that he uses to such amazing visual effect. Lately he’s been leaning into “hyper-sexualized body forms” and “muscle daddies” and taking a quote that “may be innocent and making it a little dirty.” We sure love a subversive double entendre… And this version of his stylized face with hair (a drawing that is also featured in the new zine) and how it’s maybe the “interior monologue” of a character from an essay (this one is included in Anthony DiPietro’s essay, “The (Gay) Marrying Type.”The below drawing didn’t make it into the final version of the zine due to space constraints, but it exhibits Mark’s unique overlay/overlap text design that we discussed (read the caption to figure out what phrase he used). Below is the drawing that is featured on the cover of The QLP Quarterly Vol. 2 (and on the inside page with the message/lettering).Mark and I had such a fantastic time during our kiki, and we have so many other topics I’d love to discuss (including how we both grew up gay in the South), so hopefully we’ll be able to find time to have a follow-up chat. If you have anything you’d like to know about his art practice, feel free to share it in the comments. And if you want to explore more of his work or learn about his artist’s books and exhibitions, you can find more details on his website and email him directly. Thanks so much for everyone who joined during our live chat. Stay tuned for the next one, which is planned for Sunday, April 5 at 1pm ET. I’ll be speaking to Ben Egerman about his “a gay little history” zines and essays and archival research. If you want to get your own copy of The QLP Quarterly zine, it’s easy: Come to one of our upcoming events or upgrade to become a Catalyst Member to support The Queer Love Project’s mission. I’ll mail you a copy and a T-shirt (like the one I’m wearing in the video). Calendar of upcoming events: * April 25 at The Porch in Nashville* May 9 at the Rainbow Book Fair in New York City* June 7 at Asbury Book Cooperative during Asbury Park Pride in NJThe Queer Love Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Queer Love Project at queerloveproject.substack.com/subscribe