Daily Inspiration: Meet Mario Carlock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mario Carlock.

Hi Mario, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m from a little place called Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s truly an incredible place, real salt of the earth, but most people don’t ever leave. After getting out of Highschool, I really didn’t know what to do. I felt totally screwed. I kinda just got a job working on engines for Dodge, I’ve always been into cars, even restored a vintage Jeep before I could drive. I quickly became fully certified by my 21st birthday and was one of few Viper and Hellcat techs in the entire state. Meanwhile during my free time, I was friends with some of my favorite musicians and constantly getting into trouble with friends around town like hiking an 18 rack and some weed up a 30 story building rooftop downtown and having little rooftop parties several nights a week. After getting tired of being an expert in a field I wasn’t entirely passionate about and having absolutely no creativity to it, My authority issues got the best of me and I dropped the career at 21. I was lost and had no clue what to do, but I knew there was so much I was capable of based on the reactions from my friends around me and my extracurricular outings that were gaining me hometown notoriety. One day after getting fired from an odd job, I was depressed at a coffee shop, one of my local haunts, when a buddy, a local legend, approached me and we caught up, he left me with a statement that changed my life forever, He told me “There’s nothing in the world for Mario Carlock, except to be Mario Fucking Carlock.” from that day forward, a creative enthusiast was born and life has never been the same.

It was only a couple of days later that I would inevitably drop everything, throw some clothes in a van and drive west with no destination and months later ended up in Los Angeles in October 2018. I was sleeping in my van on the streets of Hollywood, working odd jobs in the music industry and at clubs in Hollywood, partying a lot and trying to meet as many like-minded creative individuals as possible until LA kind of embraced me and took me in. I found friends, a place to live and everything I could of imagined and more. I always say, “Anything you manifest can and will come true” and it has only rang true in my life. I have the greatest friends who are actually making a mark on culture, the craziest stories and experiences that could fill an entire book. I get to use my creativity to fund my life, I work closely with friends to bring ideas into reality and my life day to day has a real raw gonzo feel to it and most importantly allows me the freedom to pursue passions. It’s so crazy that randomly driving out of my hometown led to all of this. The journey has always taken crazy turns.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Def not, I always say “I know I’m going to heaven because I served my time in Hollywood, California.” This month I’m closing out year three of living in LA. At times it feels like those three years have been three decades worth of deep life experience. I remember some really heartbreaking times like having no one to talk to, sleeping in my van for three months, getting fired from random jobs for no reason, everyday is real “gain a friend, lose a friend”. During the pandemic, I counted 35 friends who had to leave LA. I can count more times that I’ve been absolutely leveled in Los Angeles and for some reason, something inside me kept saying “this is so much more worth it, don’t give up, keep the dream alive”. My first living situation, I got kicked out of and had to go back to sleeping in my van. I remember having no money for food and having to sneak up to the catering at the Jimmy Kimmel show a few blocks away from my apartment just to feed myself, I did that for three months consistently. My life has always been relatively difficult, but I don’t complain. I’m used to problem-solving and overcoming challenges, I don’t think anyone has that resilience advantage on me. I just try to maintain my resilience, count a few blessings and just keep the mentality of the grass is always greener beneath my feet, being grateful keeps you level.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I like to consider myself a Creative Enthusiast. Although that term may not exist quite yet, I believe many people are unknowingly pioneering it and it will be as common as “influencer” is nowadays. I like creating and pushing boundaries and get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. Right now, I’m running an exclusive creative space with my good friend and tattoo artist Suede Silver called Secret Sister, I’m tapped into a few other ventures along the lines of creative consulting, I’m working on a jewelry line that I’m collab-ing on with Viewless Los Angeles that has some timeless statement pieces, I’m restoring a 1950 Studebaker truck in a very left field way that I hope will shake up and push boundaries in that world. I make Art that has surprisingly been selling really well lately. I’m very much a doer, I don’t like sitting around and talking about what I’m gonna do. Some of the best advice I was given in LA was “You can’t be a One Trick Pony, it’s not the 70’s anymore”. Meaning, the world of having a single drive or passion or income is really getting played out. The life of a Creative Enthusiast is a life of freedom and chaos. My friends are never surprised at what projects I’m getting myself into. I always have five things going on at once and I like to keep things that way. It always throws people off when they pigeonhole me into one thing and then see me doing something polar opposite like a total pro. I don’t believe life is about doing one thing, I like having experiences and becoming an expert at things as fast as possible. But that’s just me. I like to see my lifestyle as art in itself with its experiences being the color that holds it all together. It’s not surprising to find myself under the hood of a rare classic car in the Hollywood Hills in my free time, taking a spontaneous trip to get inspired, or picking up a random odd jobs to get an inside look on what happens in that lifestyle or industry, you learn a lot by watching. I’m looking forward to what possibilities this journey allows me in the future.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I have the greatest friends in the world. For some reason, they label my chaos as “dude you’re a total legend” haha. I don’t know what I would do without them on the sidelines. I truly think friends are the family you choose for yourself. All my friends are truly killing it at what they do and are about to have the craziest come up. I legit have too many friends to name that have played a huge part in my come up and successes and have been with me in the darkest times. I def gotta shout out the boys in the Sex Panther crew LostinVegas, Austin Scissorhands, Daniel Thomas, People always are mind blown when they figure out I’ve known Josef Lamercier for almost a decade when Channel Tres was playing keys in his band. Suede Silver for sure, There’s really too many to name, my friends really hold me together, hype me up, and bring me back down to earth. honestly, if you’re gonna take anything outta this, I’m that guy that always lets people know I appreciate them, love them, miss them, etc. Make it a point to reach out to your people as often as possible. Censor as needed, but I often find myself raising a glass to the sky in the presence of friends and saying, “God Bless the crazy motherfucking friends of Mario Fucking Carlock”. I for sure wouldn’t be here without the help and support from friends. One thing that shocked me was all of the people that were willing to take me in and help me in the smallest and largest of ways, whether strangers, acquaintances, friends. Maybe I’ll make a piece of art one day with a credits page to all of the people who have helped me through.

Contact Info:

• Website: carlockster.com
• Instagram: @mariocarlock

Image Credits:
Mathias Fau