Episode 57: Mark Tewksbury
As an Olympian swimmer, Mark Tewksbury’s focus was getting from Point A to B as fast as possible, but he tapped into the arts as an outlet for self-expression and creativity when the physical demands of his sport became intense.
“I needed an escape, you know, I needed to recharge, and I did that through my best friend, my neighbour, who is an artist, a painter, and she brought me into her world of jewelry makers and other artists and painters and sculptors. And that was kind of my safe place, just to kind of be Mark — not the swimmer Mark that everybody knew, but just kind of to also explore my own identity, especially in those teenage years when we all need a safe outlet to do that,” he says.
“I think that was all part of my own personal self-identification and being a human being, and feeling and expressing yourself and all that stuff. Yeah, it was really important. So that, I guess, was my form of artistic expression when I was growing up.”
These days, Mark Tewksbury is flexing his creativity by adorning his body with art and by taking his cooking up a notch through classes at SAIT. “I’ve spent the last year going almost every two weeks to get tattoos. So I’ve had close to 65 hours this year. Yeah. And it’s all, they’re all new, like they’re all over my legs. So that’s been a really super fun creative process for me this past year.”
Tune into this week’s Storytelling Podcast to hear more about Mark Tewksbury’s recent trip to the Paris Olympics, his creative endeavours and his role in the upcoming celebration of Olympic Plaza to mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of another as the Arts Commons Transformation begins.
About the Living a Creative Life Web Series
As a salute to the thousands of Calgarians who are living creative lives, Calgary Arts Development has launched this web series to celebrate creative living in our city.
The Living a Creative Life web series, hosted by local activist and comedian Adora Nwofor and produced by Bamboo Shoots, will release a new episode each month, featuring stories of Calgarians living creatively.
Have a story to share? Email us at submissions@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.
Tune in and be sure to subscribe to the #yycLCL channel on YouTube for premiere reminders.
